WESTERN BUREAU: Prime Minister PJ Patterson officially opened the refurbished Warsop Community Centre in Trelawny on Wednesday.

The centre now consists of two administrative offices, two bathrooms, a kitchen and a storeroom. It also boast a new playing-field that was developed by the Sports Development Foundation (SDF).

Work on the Centre, which was damaged by hurricane Gilbert in 1988, got under-way in March this year, and was completed at a cost of $2.1 million under the Lift up Jamaica programme in August.

The facility will serve the communities of Warsop, Allsides, Good Hope and Troy.

Meanwhile, Patterson urged residents to make the facility a place “where social activities can take place, irrespective of one’s political persuasion or race”.

“This is your Community Centre, take good care of it and don’t destroy it, or allow anybody to come here and destroy it,” he added.

He also informed residents that nearly 15 projects had been completed in Trelawny under the Lift up Jamaica programme since its inception almost two years ago.

These projects included the upgrading of the Wait-a-Bit yam house to an all-purpose centre, the upgrading of the Allsides and Albert Town community centres, the refurbishing of the Friendship and Spicy Hill basic schools and river training projects at Troy and Rock Spring.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Warsop Management Committee, Huntly Salmon told the Observer that plans were already in place to fully utilise the community centre and playing-field.

“We plan to start football and netball competitions as well as other sporting activities very soon,” he said.

According to Patterson, over the years, sporting activities in South Trelawny had been limited because of a lack of proper playing-fields but that, he said, would now change.

“Now we will be able to unearth some of the talent in this region,” Salmon said.