As St. Vincent continues preparation for the ICC T20 World Cup Cricket, the original budget of $40 million XCD for repairs and upgrades to the Arnos Vale Cricket Grounds has risen to just under $50 million XCD.
The head of LOC, Michael Findlay, said on Monday that the budget had risen to around $50 million USD; however, in a telephone conversation with Findlay on Tuesday, he told the St Vincent Times that was an error.
“My focus was on the purchases which are quoted in USD.” It was an error in terms of the budget; it’s just under $50 million XCD.”
Findlay stated on Monday that there have been upgrades to the entire facility, noting that in 2007, the double decker wasn’t fully completed, and that is now being done.
“We’ve got to do a lot of renovations on the players pavilion because there are a lot more players and management team involved now than there were in 2007. So we’ve got to make the players pavilion bigger. You won’t see it externally, but internally, we’ve got to cut some things and expand the dressing rooms. We need to install more ice baths because, at the end of the day, these players need to take ice baths to rejuvenate.”
Findlay said that the Frank Thomas and Philip Viera stands underwent extensive work.
“The Frank Thomas stand and the upper deck, which house the private boxes, have undergone extensive renovations. We’ve almost totally rebuilt the Viera stand. We demolished the wings that once served as private boxes because of their severe deterioration. We have removed what used to be the concrete bleachers. That was the traditional party stand, and we’re replacing it with a mound—a grass mound—with four small swimming pools in front to make it an entertainment hub for the World Cup.”
Findlay also mentioned the renovations to the media center and the addition of a gym to the first floor of the double decker, which was previously in the players pavilion.
