Solutions
La Borne Water Project
Monchy HRDC
Community Parks
Norbet/Vieux Sucre Road
Desrameaux Community Centre
Lighting of Gros Islet Field
Gros-Islet Jetty
Boys Training Center
Bus Shelters
Monchy Court
Sidewalks and Drains
Education
Road Repairs
Changing Room
IGY Partners with Gros-Islet Secondary School
No doubt about it, in time to come Beausejour will be the Mecca of sporting activity on the island. Already there is a top class cricket ground there along with an indoor facility and now following Saturday’s official opening, the dream of a long awaited National Tennis Centre (NTC) is a reality. There is still more to come, with a National Aquatic Centre on the drawing board.
During his welcoming remarks, Permanent Secretary in the Department of Youth & Sports, Donovan Williams, said he was almost tempted to say “welcome to Beausejour the Mecca of sport in St Lucia.” No one could or should blame him for saying so.
Prominent guests at the official opening included Prime Minister, Stephenson King; Ambassador of the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Tom Chou; Minister of Sports, Lenard Montoute; and President of the St Lucia Tennis Association, Stephen McNamara. Trevor Hunte of the (SLTA) chaired the proceedings.
The official opening of the NTC was planned for outdoors, however, rain put a stop to that and the location was shifted to the Beausejour Indoor Facility. The next speaker having thanked and praised the Government of St Lucia and the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) for constructing the multi-million dollar facility provided an instant but costly solution to future problems associated with the weather. Acutely aware that all six tennis courts of international standard are not covered, President of the SLTA, Stephen McNamara, was crafty, humorous and a realist when he said: “I don’t think we are going to be so indiscrete as to ask the ambassador to put a sliding roof over our tennis facility, to assist us on days like this. We are far too well mannered for that. He and his government have done enough I think already, but he might want to give it some thought.” A costly and possibly unthinkable venture at this time, nevertheless the audience gave him a thunderous applause.
On a more serious note, McNamara said: “Just as this new National Tennis Centre heralds the dawn of a new dispensation for tennis in St Lucia, so to will there be a new dispensation of the tennis association, so it can better position itself to deal with the challenges ahead.” He announced that the association will shortly be incorporating itself as a non profit company under the Company’s Act of St Lucia, and with the recently obtained permission of the Cabinet of Ministers will be called the St Lucia Tennis Association Inc. McNamara pointed out that this incorporation would provide the association with the legal capacity, frame work and platform from, to carry out its mandate of promoting tennis in St Lucia and to carry out any role it may be assigned in connection with the maintenance and operation of the NTC. Ambassador Tom Chou, who at 54 described himself as an avid tennis player expounded on the virtues of the game. He made no apologizes for his informal attire which consisted of a sweat suit. After all he said “I am here not to make a speech but to play tennis. He views the NTC as a very important facility and said in the next 10 years St Lucia has a good chance to become a formidable force in the Caribbean. However for that to happen, he feels St Lucia needs more support. He thanked the International Tennis Federation along with Du Boulay’s Bottling Company and called on more private enterprises to play a part.
In delivering the feature address, Minister Montoute thanked and expressed his appreciation to the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), for their generous contribution of EC$3.6 million dollars towards the construction of the NTC. Montoute referred to the NTC as the nerve centre for transforming the sport of tennis as an elitist sport, to one that is inclusive of all St Lucians irrespective of geographic location or economic or social status. In that regard, he spoke of the development of a grass root tennis program that would see schools primary and secondary and communities engaging in the sport. His ministry in collaboration with the National Tennis Association would provide funding and equipment. It has been the policy of the Government of St Lucia to vest all major national sporting facilities in Sports St Lucia Inc for management, Montoute pointed out that for the first time they will make an exception by engaging in a management contract with a national association {tennis}. After announcing plans for the construction of a National Aquatic Centre on 2.5 acres of land at Beausejour, Montoute had more good news. He went on to say that early 2011, a similar tennis facility will be developed in Vieux Fort. Following the proceedings officials performed the ribbon cutting and declared the facility open.
The official opening of the NTC was planned for outdoors, however, rain put a stop to that and the location was shifted to the Beausejour Indoor Facility. The next speaker having thanked and praised the Government of St Lucia and the Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) for constructing the multi-million dollar facility provided an instant but costly solution to future problems associated with the weather. Acutely aware that all six tennis courts of international standard are not covered, President of the SLTA, Stephen McNamara, was crafty, humorous and a realist when he said: “I don’t think we are going to be so indiscrete as to ask the ambassador to put a sliding roof over our tennis facility, to assist us on days like this. We are far too well mannered for that. He and his government have done enough I think already, but he might want to give it some thought.” A costly and possibly unthinkable venture at this time, nevertheless the audience gave him a thunderous applause.
On a more serious note, McNamara said: “Just as this new National Tennis Centre heralds the dawn of a new dispensation for tennis in St Lucia, so to will there be a new dispensation of the tennis association, so it can better position itself to deal with the challenges ahead.” He announced that the association will shortly be incorporating itself as a non profit company under the Company’s Act of St Lucia, and with the recently obtained permission of the Cabinet of Ministers will be called the St Lucia Tennis Association Inc. McNamara pointed out that this incorporation would provide the association with the legal capacity, frame work and platform from, to carry out its mandate of promoting tennis in St Lucia and to carry out any role it may be assigned in connection with the maintenance and operation of the NTC. Ambassador Tom Chou, who at 54 described himself as an avid tennis player expounded on the virtues of the game. He made no apologizes for his informal attire which consisted of a sweat suit. After all he said “I am here not to make a speech but to play tennis. He views the NTC as a very important facility and said in the next 10 years St Lucia has a good chance to become a formidable force in the Caribbean. However for that to happen, he feels St Lucia needs more support. He thanked the International Tennis Federation along with Du Boulay’s Bottling Company and called on more private enterprises to play a part.
In delivering the feature address, Minister Montoute thanked and expressed his appreciation to the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), for their generous contribution of EC$3.6 million dollars towards the construction of the NTC. Montoute referred to the NTC as the nerve centre for transforming the sport of tennis as an elitist sport, to one that is inclusive of all St Lucians irrespective of geographic location or economic or social status. In that regard, he spoke of the development of a grass root tennis program that would see schools primary and secondary and communities engaging in the sport. His ministry in collaboration with the National Tennis Association would provide funding and equipment. It has been the policy of the Government of St Lucia to vest all major national sporting facilities in Sports St Lucia Inc for management, Montoute pointed out that for the first time they will make an exception by engaging in a management contract with a national association {tennis}. After announcing plans for the construction of a National Aquatic Centre on 2.5 acres of land at Beausejour, Montoute had more good news. He went on to say that early 2011, a similar tennis facility will be developed in Vieux Fort. Following the proceedings officials performed the ribbon cutting and declared the facility open.