Dilapidated ‘mas band home’ to be turned into BRAGSA office

Any hope held by Mas band leaders to be allocated a space for costume construction will have to wait a while longer following the disclosure that their previously designated, and incomplete, home in Sion Hill has been handed over to the Roads, Buildings & General Services Authority (BRAGSA).

Over the last decade, the plot of land, with three large, incomplete structures had fallen into a state of disrepair and not been able to fill the void of a camp for mas bands.

The 2023 Dimanche Gras competition saw a reduced number of entrants, six queen and six kings, as mas bands encountered numerous challenges in finding space to build the large and elaborate costumes which are paraded on stage at Victoria Park as well as on the road during Mardi Gras.

Speaking at a press conference in late June, president of the Carnival Bands Association, Hugh Ragguette, criticized the lack of action being taken to satisfy the needs of mas band leaders and hinted that a falloff in participation would be the result going forward.

Responding to a question posed by the Member of Parliament for East Kingstown, Dwight Fitz-Gerald Bramble about the plans for the area, Minister of Transport and Works, Montgomery Daniel, revealed that after the structures are removed and provision made to deal with falling stones from the decommissioned Sion Hill quarry, the area will be used as the main office for BRAGSA.

“The area identified is currently owned and managed by BRAGSA. BRAGSA will also be removing three of the existing pre-fabricated structures and they will go to different locations to be repurposed for stone and other office buildings.”

Minister Daniel’s reply did not sit well with the area representative who raised a supplementary question on the initial multi-million dollar investment and why the plans were being abandoned for one project in favour of another.

“I find it very interesting now that the same “dangerous area” is going to be used to construct the BRAGSA office. We all know the amount of money that was spent in constructing these structures, well over $10 million, so is the Honourable Minister telling me that the money is going to be wasted? Because if you are going to remove the structures and repurpose them there is going to be some cost incurred. How are you going to accommodate the mas men and women?”

Minister Daniel responded by saying that mas band men and women have indicated the challenge of transporting costumes into Kingstown on Carnival day due to the distance. He added that “new lands” had been identified to house mas men and women and a new building will be “prepared”.