Local News
Unanswered Questions Surround Operational Status of Street Lights at Wildey Gymnasium and Garfield Sobers Sports Complex in St Michael
Learn why some users are concerned about the lack of operational street lights at the Wildey Gymnasium and Garfield Sobers Sports Complex, prompting calls for resolution from the National Sports Council.
2 min read
Originally published by nationnews.com (opens in new tab)
Some users of the facilities at the Wildey Gymnasium and the Garfield Sobers Sports Complex, St Michael, are hoping light can be shed on why only 34 of the 104 street lights are reportedly operational.
Gary Rogers, expressed his frustration over the situation, which he said has been unaddressed for nearly two years.
He was concerned about the unsafe conditions for those who use the facilities for training and recreation in the early mornings and late evenings.
“If you go at 5 o’clock in the morning you got people running, you got people exercising on the road and it is pitch black. You can’t see a thing and I just find it is terrible,” he said, speaking with the Sunday Sun.
“I’ve been swimming at the Aquatic Centre since 2018, every morning. They have areas that are completely dark, so if you go to the back by the swimming pool side it’s completely black.
“Even right by the junction . . . from the Upton side, there is completely black when you turn in. And then when you come down the hill it’s like three or four working lights,” he stated.
When the Sunday Sun team visited at 6 p.m. on Friday there was sporadic lighting in some areas, moreso from the area of the Wildey Turf coming down the hill. Where Rogers pointed out was so dark, it was only when pictures were being taken that the team was aware people were actually walking in the darkness.
When contacted, director of the National Sports Council, Neil Murrell said that they were aware of the matter, and has taken steps to resolve it.
The issue of the lighting was previously featured on November 28, 2022 in the Nation newspaper. Back then, some fitness enthusiasts also raised concerns about the poor lighting and safety concerns after being forced to make their way in the darkness.
In response to those concerns two years ago, Murrell had revealed ongoing difficulties sourcing replacements for the lights that were put up by the Chinese contractors many years prior. The charge controllers required for those lights were no longer carried by the supplier, leaving the NSC to find alternatives elsewhere, he said.
