Pan Trinbago’s new $120M home unveiledCulture Ministry, NCC, Tourism Trinidad to share space

Senior Reporter

jensen.lavende@guardian.co.tt

Pan Trinbago will be sharing its new $120 million home with the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, Tourism Trinidad Limited and the National Carnival Commission.

The announcement was made by the ministry in a media release yesterday, as it divulged more details on the project and released an artist’s rendition of what the new building would look like.

“The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, in consultation with the Ministry of Finance, has identified funding of an estimated $120 million over the projected period for construction of the headquarters, to start with an allocation to be determined in fiscal 2025/2026,” the ministry said.

The ministry pointed out that it is proposed that State entities housed in the building will not be required to pay rent to Pan Trinbago for a period of up to 50 years, but will pay maintenance and other related common fees as negotiated by the parties.

The ministry said the Port-of-Spain location, when completed, will be a six-storey class-A mixed-use building. The proposed building will also feature a theatre/auditorium with 300 seats for performances and recordings; a pan museum and interpretive centre; conference and meeting rooms, a rooftop entertainment area and a gift shop.

It is anticipated that the theatre/auditorium, pan museum, gift shop, rooftop and cafeteria will earn additional revenue for Pan Trinbago.

The ministry said the Wrightson Road venue is the third site given to Pan Trinbago. It said the first was a parcel of land in Chaguaramas that was given to Pan Trinbago in 1974 by then-prime minister Dr Eric Williams and the Trincity site was given in 2001 by then-prime minister Basdeo Panday.

The plan was first unveiled by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley at the National Steelband Music Festival at the Jean Pierre Complex, Port-of-Spain, on Saturday.

Rowley said Pan Trinbago had agreed to accept the site at Port-of-Spain in return for giving up its Trincity site, which is to become the home of a cricket academy funded by the Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd.

However, pan arranger Dane Gulston yesterday questioned why Pan Trinbago could not have had land given to it in both Port-of-Spain and Trincity to construct an office space and a self-reliant revenue-generating centre.

Commenting on the announcement of the project, Gulston said the Trincity site Pan Trinbago is giving up as part of the arrangement should have been fought for a bit more by the pan fraternity. He said the Trincity property could have been used to earn money with a gas station and eatery, apart from the office spaces in the city.

“I, Dane Gulston, have a serious problem with we losing those 12 point something, 13 acres of land in Trincity, because that supposed to be the business side of Pan Trinbago, the business side for the pan fraternity. Why we could not have all two?”

Also contacted yesterday, fellow arranger Len “Boogsie” Sharpe would only say he supports the idea of pan finally having a home.

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