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New basketball facility approved by House

HighlightsNew basketball facility approved by House

The commercial capital has been without a proper basketball facility for several years, and Prime Minister Dean Barrow announced in a Special Sitting of the House of Representatives today that a new basketball facility would be included in a youth project to be financed through a US$5.2 million loan being obtained from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

“This is, in fact, the Chetumal Street project. I remember, after we had done so well with basketball in Cancun, I had promised on the steps of the Civic Center that there would be a new basketball facility that the Government will construct… we had to subsume the basketball facility under this larger project,” said Barrow.

Government will be responsible for counterpart funding to connect the George Price Highway to Chetumal Street, including the installment of a bridge to connect the Lake Independence area to the north side of Belize City.

He explained that while the project will finance the construction of a large-scale drop-in center, on the grounds of the facility, they will also build a basketball center.

The Government reports that the CDB has already approved the loan, and Cabinet has already endorsed the project, dubbed Youth and Community Transformation Project Loan Motion, 2013.

Parliamentary approval is required under the Finance & Audit (Reform) Act, 2005. The loan motion was taken through all its stages in today’s Special Sitting of the House; and it was passed without debate.

The CDB project will target Southside communities – Collet, Lake Independence, and Port Loyola – but it will also be extended to Pickstock.

According to a summary provided by the Government of Belize, the Youth and Community Transformation Project will reduce the vulnerability of children and youth to crime and gang membership.

“This will be achieved by providing services to enhance literacy and adaptive life skills, support conflict mediation and improve inter-linkages and sharing of best practices among participating agencies working in those communities,” it added.

The US$5.2 million will be repaid in 80 equal installments at 2.5% rate interest, after a 10-year grace period.

It will be fully disbursed in October 31, 2017.

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