New Sports Minister Says He Must Source $5 Million for Marion Jones Complex

Elodio Aragon Jr.

According to Aragon, to complete the Marion Jones Sporting Complex his ministry will need to source an additional five million dollars. That’s what we were told many times before by his predecessor Herman Longsworth, who kept promising to source money which never materialized. But Aragon is asking for the public’s patience and time to prove that under his watch things will be done differently.

Elodio Aragon Jr., Minister of Sports

“If you look at the investment that has been done at the Marion Jones a lot of it is for our national sports, to host national sporting events. We have a rubberized track and field that is there. We have the runaround for the bicycles, the cyclists that needs to be done and there is still work that needs to be done at the Marion Jones and we won’t run away from that. A rough estimate would be around two point five million dollars US that needs to be spent and invested there to get the Marion Jones finished, intact and the keys handed over. To get to that is where the problem lies. Definitely as the new Minister responsible for sports in this country, and of course the Marion Jones will fall directly under us, we are seeing where we need to go. At this point in time all the work that was slated to be done there has come to an end. We are severing ties with whatever contracts were out there in terms of having not been completed or completed which are not much. We are looking now as to the way forward in getting finished. I am sure we want it to get finished. I believe that the whole plan and structure that has been put in place will go a long way for national sports in this country and therefore we need to get it done as soon as possible. Now…as soon as possible all depends on where we find that funding, and definitely government…I’ve already spoken to the Prime Minister that this is a priority for the Ministry of Sports and this is where we need to find the funding to finish. And also I am looking elsewhere, externally to see if we could find funding elsewhere to finish this project. But without a doubt it needs to be finished. And under our watch I believe that we will get it to be finished.”