The Ministry of Social Development and Education is working on an expansive site for a multiple sports facility in the Long Pond area, within The Farrington Village Community.
For many years, the bottom land was used for several sporting activities by villagers as well as persons from outside the community. The activities have included softball, cricket and other sports. Though called the Long Pond, the land is in fact situated well to the west of the actual pond, a bird sanctuary and conservation wetland area, overseen by the Anguilla National Trust.
Because of its low-lying topography, the sporting and recreational site may occasionally see some surface flooding during heavy and sustained rainfall. In order to minimise or prevent this, it is understood that certain engineering and drainage techniques will be taken into account as the site continues to be developed.
Ms. Dee-Ann Kentish-Rogers, the newly-appointed Minister of Social Development and Education, whose portfolio also includes Sports and Youth Affairs, has disclosed plans for the project. She first made the disclosure at the Government’s State of the Nation town hall meeting on Tuesday, September 15. The youthful Minister, a former Anguillian athlete, in speaking about the development of sports, stated in part:
“We met with local engineers, and we are currently working on how we can develop sporting facilities for our young people. We have been able to secure land at Long Pond for the development of a basketball and softball field which we hope will continue to increase the sporting diversity on the island. It will give us a chance to invite overseas teams to play in this particular sporting area, and it will also give us a chance to develop a basketball and softball academy.”
The Anguillian newspaper had a follow-up interview with Ms. Kentish-Rogers following the House of Assembly meeting on Tuesday, September 22. She was asked to elaborate on her previous statement.
“At the moment we are progressing with the creation of a softball and basketball field at the Long Pond with the hope of expanding it for cricket and athletics,” she stated. “We have been in conversations with the landowners and, thus far, they have given us permission to use the land for sporting purposes – hopefully for the long run – to create a sporting complex in the Long Pond area.”
The Minister believes that the land is about fifteen acres. “It is a really large expanse,” she went on. “One thing about it, which is very fortunate, is that it is probably one of the flattest pieces of land in Anguilla where you can find such a stretch. It saves a lot of funding because we don’t have to deal with excavation which is usually one of the major cost deterrents.”
Replying to a question, about the possibility of flooding, Minister Kentish-Rogers explained: “We will have to deal with proper drainage solutions for that area. That might be a problem you will have at any particular area. We have that at the Ronald Webster Park site which is a flood zone as well. You don’t get ‘choice land’ for sporting development, but we have what we have – and will make the best of it; and we will try to mitigate against whatever flooding impact there may be.”
There is generally a lot of excitement among The Farrington community and the surrounding areas. This has to do with both the developing project and the speed at which it is being undertaken.
