Outgoing Sports Minister Beats His Chest Over Incomplete Stadium

The Marion Jones Sporting Complex – even saying it leaves a sour taste in your mouth. The state-of-the-art dream has been thrown about for years…under construction for about seven of those years, but it’s still not done. It’s the proverbial white elephant for this administration…many millions of dollars pumped into a sporting facility which really only features a running track and a football field which isn’t ready. It’s hard to imagine somebody being proud of what seems to be a monument to wasteful spending and certainly mismanagement, but Longsworth, after running down the figures for us, was proud to take ownership.

Herman Longsworth, Minister of State, Ministry of Sports

“The fence was constructed, including what was considered preparatory works for the cycle track and for the football field…was two million two hundred and ninety-three thousand dollars four hundred and one and sixty-seven cents. The running track and spectator bleachers, which was phase two of the project—the fence was phase one. Phase two of the project which was the running track and the small bleachers on the other side, where the running track is, was constructed for two million eight hundred and twenty-nine thousand two hundred and eighteen dollars and fifteen cents. This facility here, inclusive of everything that has been spent to date, which is considered…oh sorry. The track surfacing is phase three-C as it was—I’m not seeing. Three; hot mix and asphalt surfacing of the cycle track, which was phase three-B, was five hundred and sixteen thousand one hundred and fifty ninety-six. The track surfacing, which is the actual synthetic surfacing on the running track was four hundred and sixteen thousand five hundred and ten dollars and seventy-eight cents. And the grandstand facilities is seventeen million six hundred sixty-eight thousand six hundred and fifty-four dollars and forty-nine cents to date.”

Herman Longsworth

Mike Rudon

“So in a sporting facility, the grandstand basically cost more than everything else that is there?”

Herman Longsworth

“But you must understand we call it the grandstand facility, but it houses all the seating, all the changing rooms, all the medical facilities—it is to house all those. It has all the concession areas; it has the VIP, the press booth…it has everything that should be a part of a grandstand facility. If you look internationally, you would see that they have more seating than we have. So you will see one major area and then you see other seating. This is the major area that you would have.”

Mike Rudon

“Sir as you prepare to leave office very shortly, will you be proud of what has been accomplished here at the Marion Jones?”

Herman Longsworth

“I’m extremely proud; I’m extremely proud. Let’s put it into perspective. Several years ago, there was a Minister of Sports, a Prime Minister actually; who came out here with the Taiwanese Ambassador and kicked a football and promised all sorts of things. What came of that? Before we started this facility, what was here? Tell me? I am indeed extremely proud of what we have here today. The money was properly spent and it is here for everybody to see and everybody to enjoy down the road. So I am proud; of course I am.”

Mike Rudon

“Sir, but walking the ground, this place is a mess.”

Herman Longsworth

“The facility and I told…I just told you that I had a dream for this place. I had a dream, but there was not the money to do it. But I had the vision to try to put together a master plan that anybody who comes behind me can continue to build on. That is what this is about. I never told you that I would make all of this property into gold.”