Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:

Contrary to recent reports by the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP), the new US$30 million Trelawny Multi-purpose Stadium, which hosted the opening ceremony for the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, is not deteriorating.

When The Gleaner visited the stadium on Saturday's second day of a three-day Jehovah Witness Convention, except for a parched-looking playing surface, the facility looked just as it did during the World Cup. In a release to the media on June 27, James Robertson, the JLP's Shadow Minister for Youth, Community Development and Sport, called for Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller, to provide an urgent update on the state of the stadium, claiming that he received reports, including video evidence, that facility was falling into disrepair.

A local official, who works with COMPLANT, the Chinese construction firm that built the 25,000-seat stadium, completely 'rubbished' the JLP's claim, saying that he operates from the facility daily because of his liaison work with the Chinese workers, who still live on the compound.

COMPLANT will be involved in the construction of the new Montego Bay Convention. As a result, the Chinese workers have stayed on for the project.

According to the official who asked not to be named, except for a heavy growth of grass, which the Jehovah Witnesses had cut before their convention, the standard of maintenance was very high and the security was above average.

Adequate security

"The full compliment of security on the compound per shift is seventeen so there is no question that the security is adequate," he said.

In a recent post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House, Informa-tion Minister, Donald Buchanan said Jamaica Cricket 2007, which managed the facility in the lead-up to the World Cup opening ceremony, had been asked to continue managing the facility until the end of September when it is expected that a permanent management team will be put in place.

Buchanan also revealed that the cost to maintain the facility amounted to $4 million per month.

The stadium is to be managed by the National Housing Trust.