Grand Fond playing field officially opened

DOMINICA:  Sunday April 24^th was an exciting day for residents of Grand Fond as their much anticipated playing field was officially opened.
Last year, Hon. Parliamentary Representative for the constituency, Ivor Stephenson, handed over a $146,120 cheque to the village council for the completion and continuation of 15 projects in the communities of Grand Fond, Riviere Cyrique and Morne Jaune.
One of the major projects was the Grand Fond playing field.
Now, ten months later Hon. Stephenson is proud to have the playing field officially opened to the public.
The day began with a church service at the Grand Fond Roman Catholic Church where the Hon Prime Minister and other Cabinet members were present to lend support. Sporting activities were also held during the day and the Prime Minister and other ministers shared remarks.
In addressing the opening ceremony, the Hon MP noted that the playing field is an essential part of the community’s development.
“I want to say it was an important day for the people of Grand Fond in that we recognize that the new playing field will help to continue to improve the sporting skills of the people of Grand Fond. Grand Fond over the past years has had a number of persons who have been involved in various sporting activities namely in football and cricket.”
He thanked the people of Grand Fond and the village council for their continued support.
The Hon. Minister for Sports, Justina Charles, revealed that the much awaited field was a promise kept by the Government of Dominica.
“There was a request made for the development of the playing field because where they played earlier was by the school and the condition there was really poor. Government purchased some land to develop the playing field and we spent in excess of $6k for the development of the playing field only, which does not include purchase of land. So we developed it in phases and what we saw today is the commissioning of the playing field.”
The Hon Minister reiterated the need for playing facilities in developing well rounded youth.
“I think it is something that is good for the community of Grand Fond because we know in Grand Fond we have quite a few talented footballers and crickets and it gives them an opportunity to develop their talent further. We also think it is something good for our young people so that we can engage them in positive activities.”
“We also know the development of playing fields is also to encourage our seniors and those who are not able to run to do some brisk walking; that will help in managing some of the chronic non communicable diseases. The field is not only for the young people but is for the entire population.”
The day ended with the Hon. Prime Minister joining his colleagues for a friendly game of football.