The Belize Sports Center that was promised two years ago will not be built as promised. The decision has been made by government after reviewing the cost of the project. It was originally scheduled to cost $17 million but due to a sharp spike in construction costs, mostly steel, the cost has risen to $26 million. Problem is, government only has $12 million and an official release says that it cannot come up with the $14 million.
So that $12 million, comprised of a $10 million loan from Taiwan and a $2 million grant from Venezuela will now be re-programmed with the approval of the two donor countries. The official release says it will be used to use the money to repair and upgrade existing sports facilities across the country.
The Belize Sports Complex was intended to host volleyball and basketball events and would have been built in the parking lot of the existing Marion Jones. That rundown facility would have also gotten a facelift. According to one government official, the strategy now is to make Marion Jones both usable and accessible.
