Cayman is closer to acquiring a multi-purpose meeting and convention centre, which will be the largest, most modern community facility on the islands.
Groundbreaking for the multi-million dollar project on Crewe Road will likely take place in the first quarter of 2007 with completion one year to 18 months after.
Already at the planning stage, the venture is being coordinated by the Lions Club of Grand Cayman.
As owners of the Lions Centre, the Lions Club is finally on the way to realizing its long held ambition to provide Cayman with a more up-to-date community centre, said the chairman of the centre’s development committee Alee Fa’amoe.
‘In the spirit of our motto, ‘We Serve’, The Lions Club of Grand Cayman is proud of the service the Lions Community Centre has provided the community over the past 16 years,’ he said.
‘However, we recognize the needs of the country now exceed the capabilities of the Centre. We’re working to develop the Centre to meet those needs.’
What is envisioned is a comprehensive refurbishment and refit of the Lions Centre with ancillary space added around the current structure.
The 17,000-square-foot (under roof) facility built by the club 16-years ago, though serviceable, is widely considered to be outdated.
The club’s original master plan for a new Lions Centre was scrapped as it made assumptions that were no longer relevant especially in light of the lessons learned from Hurricane Ivan in 2004, Mr. Fa’amoe said.
STAKEHOLDER MEETNGS
Common design elements emerged following consultation with 20 local groups: an enclosed, air-conditioned multi-functional meeting and convention space with better acoustics and flexible multi-use spaces that could be reconfigured for functions as small as weddings to as large as concerts.
The need was also stressed for the revamped space to be multi-generational – broadening its functionality and appeal for both young and old.
What the Lions Club ended up with where four options. Following discussions with the original contractor, supplier of structural steel and consultants, the club was reassured that that the existing roof and supporting steel had many years of life left.
‘The condition of the central roofing structure opened up our options,’ Mr. Fa’amoe remarked.
The club now plans to build auxiliary buildings for changing rooms, administration spaces etc., around the existing structure and opening up the space maximize on overall floor area.
Following a general meeting, the club decided to proceed with extensive renovations to the existing main structure while building new offices and support buildings around its perimeter.
It chose the mid-range option, the most expense entailed completely demolishing the centre.
‘With the current building codes a lot of space will be needed for onsite parking,’ Mr. Fa’amoe advised.
‘We could not increase the under roof size of the project as we were not going to be able to granddad the site.’
By that he means the club would not be able to make changes to the building’s size without planning regulations requiring significant parking and drainage provisions.
From the outset the club sought to ensure that the needs of neighbouring concerns were adequately addressed before it sought planning permission. The need to change the existing traffic flow in and out of the site is a key concern.
CONSULTANTS
Its first step was to network with other Lions Clubs to find out which had built similar structures for community use and what consultants were commissioned.
The club also contacted the main convention centres in several of the bigger US cities including: San Diego, Las Vegas and Chicago.
The outcome of such enquiries led to the commissioning of Las Vegas consulting firm Lucchesi Galati Inc.
What most impressed the Lions most about the firm was a shared philosophy on community builds.
‘[It] has exactly the kind of experience we were looking for; community-based, environmentally friendly designs that look first to service the needs of the people who will use the building, then to the aesthetics,’ Mr. Fa’amoe said
‘The Lions Club is not looking to erect an edifice of steel and concrete, but a multi-functional building that will serve our people for years to come.’
Next the club and its consultants undertook a series of meetings with stakeholders and interested parties over the course of several months to illicit ideas as to what the refurbished space should incorporate.
The private and public sectors were involved in this process, which took in round table meetings, telephone interviews and surveys. The Sports Minister, Government departments, the Chamber of Commerce, show promoters, event planners, radio stations and coach Victor O’Garro of the Cayman Islands Basketball Association were all involved in this process.
COSTS, FUNDING
The Lions Club has a list of costs from its consultants. This programme outlines all the project’s design elements broken down into square footage and type of space.
All 170 items are being double checked before the equivalent cost in CI dollars is reached. That information will then be given to Lucchesi Galati Inc., before it integrates the data into the preliminary design document.
‘Once we have the initial design documents from the consultants, we intend to seek further input from the community,’ said Mr. Fa’amoe.
‘We will then build a business case based on costs and expected revenues and seek funding.’
This being the case, no firm and fast determination has been made on funding.
It is thought that corporate sponsorship will be sought for elements of the final structure while commercial funding will be used for funding the majority of the structure.
CONTINUITY
While the Lions Club appreciates that a major project of this kind will disrupt the centre’s busy schedule, Mr. Fa’amoe said it will try to minimise the amount of time the Lion’s Centre is completely out of action.
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