Moonilal: $190m to finish Lara stadium

The mothballed Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba will cost an estimated $190 million more to complete, Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal said yesterday.

Moonilal, however, questioned whether the completion of the sporting complex, named after champion batsman Brian Lara, was a priority at this time.

He said a document was being prepared to take to Cabinet to determine the future of the facility, which has already exceeded $850 million.

“A document is now prepared and to take before Cabinet in terms of the options. That project, we estimate, will cost $190 million to complete. That was funded through the Treasury. Do you have that in the Treasury and is that a priority at this time? This Cabinet will ponder over,” he said.

The Express learned that the report was submitted to the board of the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT) regarding the future of the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba.

Construction of the stadium, part of the Tarouba Sporting Complex conceived in 1999, began in 2007 and was expected to be completed in time to host matches for the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

The project, which became the subject of a Commission of Enquiry after multiple delays, cost overruns, and claims of corruption, was cited in a lawsuit filed against former executive chairman of UDeCOTT, Calder Hart.

The facility was expected to include an Olympic-size swimming pool, a world-class cycling facility, a school for sports and the cricket academy.

Express