Dunrobin Dust Bowl to be Converted into Sports Complex and Park

The dust bowl adjoining the Dunrobin Primary School, which has long been a nuisance to residents on Red Hills Road, is being converted into a grass covered sports complex and park.
The project is being undertaken by the Rotary Club of Kingston with funding assistance from the Culture Health Arts Science and Education Fund (CHASE), the Sports Development Foundation and the National Health Fund.
Chairman of major projects for the Rotary Club, Christopher Issa, told JIS News that the decision to build the complex, came at the discovery that more than 80 per cent of residents examined by doctors at a recent health fair, had some form of respiratory illness on account of the high volume of dust in the air.
Thus, he said, the club moved forward with the project to green the area and to create “a multi purpose park for the community for health reasons and possibly, to host entertainment type of activities”.
The project will be undertaken in two phases and once completed will boast a grass-covered playing field for football and cricket and a walking trail put in place. A court to be used for basketball and netball will be built on a vacant lot opposite the school.
The first phase is estimated to cost $15 million will include the construction of the cricket pitch and park benches, fencing the area, putting a irrigation system in place, landscaping, putting in areas of vending and undertaking repairs to the Dunrobin Primary School.
Already, work has started on the laying of the pitch with sand and clay, and grass is being planted. “We will be putting in the irrigation system that involves the tank, which is hooked up to the bathroom facilities. We are using grey water from the basins and water tanks to irrigate the park,” Mr. Issa informed.
During the second phase, wells and spectator stands will be built and the football field and netball and basketball court will be put in place. On Labour Day, Minister of National Security Dr. Peter Phillips along with residents of the Dunrobin community carried out repair work on the Dunrobin Primary School, which is a part of the Rotary Club project.
The work included beautifying the school grounds, repairing desks and other furniture, and the painting of the school’s buildings. The pedestrian crossing in front of the school was also painted.