New Park Symbolizes Unity and Hope

The new Dart Family Park on the George Town coastline will be officially opened this Saturday, 9 April, having rebounded with style from a post-Ivan hiatus.

This park again highlights government's concern to provide an appropriate environment within each district for family and community recreational and leisure activities. A joint government and Dart Foundation initiative, this is the fourth park, adding to those already launched in East End (the Captain George Dixon Park), North Side (the Jerald Smith Park) and, in West Bay (the Scholars Park). A fifth is expected in Bodden Town in the near future.

The George Town facility has already taken on a life of its own with the locale standing as a symbol of post-Ivan determination, in this case to complete the new facility.

At the time of the hurricane, the new park had been about 75 percent completed. But with the seaside park taking the brunt of the wind and wave action, the two on-site buildings were severely damaged. The storm also took a toll on the newly prepared grass-covered areas, and had its way with the sprinkling of trees and cabanas scattered about. Playground equipment was also damaged or destroyed.

Even the amphitheatre and artificial beach were rendered useless, as they filled with seawater, debris and boulders from the adjoining coastal waters.

However, from the first evaluation following Ivan's battering, everyone committed to the project's repair and completion. And none more so than the Minister and staff of Community Services, Youth, Sports and Gender Affairs; representatives of the Dart Foundation; and those involved from the Public Works Department.

And even under repair the park kept its charm, continuing to attract those in search of respite. Some families even utilised the remaining still-functional equipment and limited facilities.

Now, six months later, the park has emerged in its full regalia, another of the symbols that speak to the Islands' resilience and determination.