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Briland Park In Progress
Bayshore Renovation
Harbour Island, Bahamas
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[Summer 2002 - Harbour Island, Bahamas] The park's tennis and basketball courts and area landscaping is well underway, thanks to the hard work of project manager Andrew Johnson and fundraising committee members Natasha Shephard, Warren Grant, Adrienne Sands and Anthony Dean, and the generous support of the Harbour Island local, business, expat and second homeowner community.
Briland Park Supporters
The Harbour Island District Council
Eloise Knowles
Harvey Roberts
Harbour Island All-Age School
Pink Sands Hotel
Coral Sands Hotel
Valentines Yacht Club
Waugh Construction (Freeport, Grand Bahama)
Builder's Square, North Eleuthera
Michele Ross-Kelly, H.G. Christie Real Estate
The Hon. Neville Wisdom - Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture
Bonnie Hudson
Walter Sofer
Terry Kellogg
Anonymous donors
The Briland Modem Fund
Briland
Park to be completed by June 2004
By Dahalia Smith
NG Sports Reporter
By the end of June, a new 1,400 square foot sporting complex will be constructed
on the northern side of Harbour Island, Eleuthera. Overlooking the
harbour, the Briland Park will feature a play ground, work out gymnasium, a
gazebo, basketball, tennis and volleyball courts. The 'Briland Park' was
conceived two years ago by Brilander Andrew Johnson, who saw the need for a
community park on the island.
Johnson said the primary reason for the sporting complex is to bring the children
and the community together. Johnson, who has been involved in the
sport for about 20 years, says he expects the park to be the number one sporting
facility in The Bahamas.
"I can guarantee that upon the completion of the park the majority of the children
on the island will use it on a daily basis and the parents will know exactly
where their kids are," Johnson said. "I decided to ask the Ministry of Sports
to give me the okay to go ahead and build a park and it was granted," he said.
So far, the park has been funded by local government contributing $27,000 dollars
to get it started. According to Johnson, they expect to receive another
$25,000 dollars from the government adding to the $17,000 that is on the Briland
Park Association bank account. Despite the government's generosity, Johnson
said the project still needs an additional $100,000 for its completion.
"The only way we will be able to finish this project is to get
the community involved. So far the winter residents are doing their part but
I still need the native people to take the role in getting this park up and
going," Johnson said. "More Eleutherans need to get involved with this
project especially the business people. I think it is time for them to give
back to their community."
Local businesses which have contributed to the parks development are the Pink
Sands, Coral Sands and Valentines hotels. Johnson encourages Eleutherans
to volunteer their time in developing different sporting clubs. The complex
will host various tournaments.
"I spoke to some of the basketball committees in Nassau who plan to come down
and hold tournaments at the park. By July we should be ready to hold our first
basketball tournament."
Several years from now, the committee hopes to transform the park's courts from
indoor to outdoor. But for now, Johnson said after the park's completion, the
community has to play a big role in keeping it clean.
# # # #
Thanks for helping us help ourselves.
Please assist our fundraising efforts by mailing a check to Natasha Shephard at Island Real Estate, Harbour Island, Bahamas or sending a check or wire transfer to the 501(c)(3) Briland Modem Fund, which will then send you a tax receipt for your donation. Please contact info@briland.com for account details. Checks and money orders can also be mailed to Bank of America, Briland Modem Fund, 255 North Pass Avenue, Burbank CA 91505. Please note on your check that your donation is for the Briland Park project.
The Briland Park Project Team
Andrew Johnson
Natasha Shephard
Anthony Dean
Warren Grant
Adrienne Sands
Briland Modem Fund
The Harbour Island District Council
