Swimming lining up wider pool

The St Vincent and the Grenadines Amateur Swimming Association (SVGASA) is moving full throttle ahead to have its pool at Shrewsbury House widened to six lanes and the fall short in its length corrected.{{more}}

And, with the help from corporate entities and input from Government, these should be realized early in 2015.

Apart from being able to accommodate more swimmers at the pool, the aim is for St Vincent and the Grenadines to host the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Championships in 2015.

Things have already started with the relocation of the bathroom facilities to make way for the three lanes to add to the three existing ones.

At a brief ceremony last Saturday at the facility, some of the major sponsors of the effort spoke of their involvement.

Syran Clarke of Scotiabank St Vincent and the Grenadines remarked: “Youth is something in our blood; it is our culture….Anytime you mention youth, Scotiabank is there…. So, when this proposal came to us in 2013, it was an easy yes…With this new venture, the expansion of the facilities here, I think it’s needed and Scotiabank is here to support that cause.”

Also represented was LIME, in the person of Mikalia Williams, who said: “This is not just about the students; this is really going to benefit St Vincent as a whole… Again LIME is extremely proud … [of] our sponsorship of the Swimming Association.”

Making his input as well, was Minister of Tourism, Sports and Culture Cecil Mc Kie.

“As a government, we could not just sit idly by and allow swimming to stay at this level. We want swimming to move to an even higher level … When the association approached the Ministry and approached National Properties for the possibility of extending the pool, to be able to host competitions, readily we agreed,” Mc Kie said.

Government’s main contribution will come in the form of assistance with much of the technical work from the Roads, Buildings and General Services Authority (BRAGSA).

Other significant contributors to the work being carried out at the Shrewsbury pool facility are Coreas Hazells Inc and the Mustique Company.

The cost of the expansion has been estimated in the vicinity of $250,000.(RT)