Content gets new solar floodlights for sporting activities
Published:Friday | August 8, 2025 | 12:11 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Residents of Content district and surrounding communities in St James can now engage in nighttime sporting activities after the installation of solar-powered floodlights at the Content Community Centre.
The lights, which are installed around the football field and netball court, were commissioned into service on Independence Day. They were donated by Caribbean Solar Life Renewable Energy Company.
Jaceth Reid, who was among the residents who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, said the lights were much-needed as they can now use the facility day and night.
“I think it is a good idea to have the lights here based on the fact that at nighttime, the place can be lit up,” Reid told The Gleaner. “If they have some teams playing football or netball, and the time goes into certain hours, then they can have light on the court so they can continue playing, which would not be possible without the lights.”
Crystal Stewart, another resident of Content, said that the lights installation would increase the security of the facility and its immediate surrounding area.
“If you are passing by the centre, the place can be lit up, so it is really good for the community. You can walk through the community centre freely and not be afraid. So it is a good thing with the solar-lighting system being installed,” said Stewart.
The activation of the solar-powered lights comes just over a year after the Content Community Centre was formally opened on August 1, 2024, eight years after initial construction had begun. The facility was built to replace an older building, which had served as the previous community centre but became rundown over time.
In addition to the residents of Content, the facility will serve residents of nearby communities such as Blytheston, Chatham, Goodwill, and Adelphi.
Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, the member of parliament for St James East Central, also attended the event.
Commenting on the provision of the new lights, he said that there would be further infrastructural development at the Content facility, while noting that plans were afoot for similar developments at other districts in the constituency.
“Overall, the seating for the football and netball areas is for just a little over 100 persons, but we need to double that, and the programme is in place to do so,” said Bartlett. “Plus we are looking at wickets to be established in the centre of the football field to allow cricket to be played.”
“Dumfries is next in line, plus we have completed work at Gillsborough, and we are in an advanced stage of getting a new stadium for Lilliput inaugurated. We expect work there to be completed by 2027.”
Chevaughne Miller, sales and marketing director for Caribbean Solar Life, said the provision of the solar lights gave her company an opportunity to interact and unite with the residents of Content, which is in keeping with the company’s humanitarian mandate.
“For us, it is important that we give back to the community, and today, we wanted to do that not only to furnish the building with a solar lighting system, but also to interact with the people. A big part of our responsibility as a company is to provide care to the community,” said Miller.