Cayman looks to be in line for a bigger, more modern Lions Centre, with better facilities than ever.
The centre was closed for months after being badly damaged by Hurricane Ivan last year.
But now – as the popular venue starts to get back on its feet – the Caymanian Compass has been told of plans in the pipeline for an even better facility in the not too distant future.
A plan could be put in front of the Lions board by as early as the end of October, Lions committee chairman Alee Fa’amoe said on Wednesday.
‘We want to expand and enclose the centre, increase the square footage that’s enclosed and increase the facilities such as the flexibility of the stage, the lighting and sound,’ said Mr. Fa’amoe.
‘We want to bring it more up to date in every way,’ he said.
One part of the scheme is for the use of partitioning so that people would be able to rent part of the space, said Mr. Fa’amoe.
‘We have assessed what renters and attendees want to see in terms of facilities and capabilities and have done some market research,’ he told the Compass.
‘We are looking at similar venues in the USA to get a feel for how much it costs to do that kind of venue and how much it costs to operate,’ he said.
‘We want to be able to match the needs of the community with the capabilities of the centre, yet keep it affordable for the people to rent it.
‘We don’t want to build a world class facility that no one can afford to rent,’ he stressed.
‘I think the club for a long time wanted to expand the capabilities of the centre and we are all excited that we have some concrete plans to move that forward,’ he added.
While there are exciting developments for the centre on the horizon, closer at hand there is also plenty of good news about the existing facility.
Hurricane Ivan left the Lions Centre with damage to the roof and with four feet of flood water inside, said centre management committee chairman Ian Callow.
Wreckage and debris was cleared up but it took several months before the insurance claim was sorted out, he said.
Now, work has been carried out to put right some of the tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage caused by Hurricane Ivan, said Mr. Callow.
Some functions have recently been held there but the facility is still not up to the standard it was before the storm, he said.
The rest rooms are not back in service so portable toilets have to be rented for events, he added
‘But we are pleased that we are able to use the centre for the purposes it was intended for.
‘The community needs it. We know that and we are trying to get it back into operation,’ he said.
It is hoped the centre, which can hold more than 2,500 people, would be fully operational before the end of the year, he added.
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