Mayor ‘didn’t expect barrage of negativity’ over astroturf

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The Nelson Mandela Park will continue to be maintained as usual, minus any astroturf.

That’s the word from Port-of-Spain Mayor Joel Martinez yesterday following a public veto of an idea to revitalise the park into a “modern public wellness and sports tourism hub” using artificial turf (astroturf). Martinez said it was shelved after negative feedback, which he did not expect.

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley subsequently spoke out against replacing the natural environment, dismissing it as a “salesman’s foolish dream” that shouldn’t waste the Corporation’s time or resources. Rowley later said his comments weren’t a reflection on Martinez’s profession or professional conduct.

After all the assorted thumbs down, the idea is now well and truly “toast.”

Martinez said the initiative was a concept not a plan and while he was disappointed at the way the feedback came, the matter is closed and there’s no Plan B.

Martinez said the idea came as a proposal from a private developer a couple of years ago as an opportunity to use astroturf on parts of the Park. The entire area is the size of two to three football fields. He noted astroturf was used in developed countries but the plan was not to use it on the entire area, but a portion to revitalise it.

Martinez said the corporation gets proposals all the time.

On this one it was decided to have consultations with the public, “But I didn’t expect such a barrage of negativity. I expected people would say yay or nay but it didn’t turn out that way. It went in a direction that wasn’t anticipated and it’s where it is. Not everything turns out to be the right situation.”

The mayor said negative comments grew before Rowley’s statements and he believed the PM had a greater vantage point of Trinidad and Tobago’s circumstances than him.

He said he could understand comments on astroturf as he hadn’t really done research on it. He added it was expected that the truth would be obtained from consultations, “so we close the chapter and move on.”

Martinez said the corporation would always look for ways to make the situation better.

Several environmentalists and, at least one St Clair resident, said the best way to maintain that “bit” (sic) of green space was to “leave it green, this is the Caribbean. People want grass. Of all kinds.”