В пригороде Тринидада Пало Секо закрывают велодром и теряют рабочие места из-за стагнации

Senior Multimedia Reporter [email protected] Years ago, Palo Seco was a unique multicultural melting pot, drawing people from across the Caribbean, as well as expatriates from the United States and Canada who came to work in the petroleum industry. Today, however, much of that vibrancy has faded. Palo Seco has stagnated, with residents struggling to find employment, sporting and recreational spaces falling into disuse, and the community being used as a route for drug trafficking and migrant smuggling. The bungalows at Beach Camp, where oilfield workers, managers and their families once lived, are now largely abandoned. Tennis courts have become overgrown, while the once-manicured grounds have been reclaimed by bushes and wild trees. Beyond them, oil pipelines and pumping jacks remain scattered across the landscape, reminders of the area’s century-old petroleum heritage. But these are not the only facilities that have been lost. The Palo Seco Velodrome, once a major sporting venue that attracted cyclists from Trinidad and Tobago and overseas, is no longer the hive of activity residents remember. Back in 2023, $40 million was allocated to upgrade the facility, with completion carded for January 2025, but by April 2025, before the general elections, the contractor stopped work, and the project was never completed. For 87-year-old Samuel Fraser, this decline has affected youths negatively, leaving them idle. Speaking to Guardian Media, Fraser said the respect young people once had for their elders had also diminished. In front of his home, huge trees have grown, blocking out the sunlight. “Petrotrin used to maintain the roads long ago, but now nobody here to cut down the bushes, and look how it grew to be,” he said. Fraser said he believed the changes in the community got worse when marijuana was legalised, as some youths have become more inclined to use the drug rather than focus on finding work. “I tell them we have baby with beards in Palo Seco,” he said. Fraser said he could no longer enjoy a drink at a nearby bar because of the smoke from people using marijuana. “People will smoke weed and you getting that smoke up in your face, so I does buy my little drink and stay home,” he said. Fraser remembers a very different Palo Seco. He worked in the oilfields as a pipe fitter, earning $1.06 a day. “We used to carry these pipes 36 feet long and run with it. We were strong and hard-working,” he recalled. He also remembers when trains passed through Palo Seco and the surrounding lands produced an abundance of fruit. The lush lands yielded mangoes, tanko beans, cherries, plums, pommerac, citrus, pommecythere and bananas. Fraser said life was simpler then, with residents looking out for one another. But as the petroleum industry changed and employment opportunities declined, so too did some of the facilities and programmes that once supported the community. Among those lost were vocational training programmes that taught young people practical skills. Another resident, Cheyenne Charles, who has lived in Palo Seco for 39 years, agrees that the community has lost much of its appeal because of a lack of opportunities, particularly for young people. Charles described Palo Seco as stagnant and said residents had become demotivated. “I’m being honest, I do really like the area, but you basically have to take yourself outside the area to really see some type of progress. It just really have nothing for the youth,” she said. Charles said the community once had facilities that gave residents places to meet, socialise and participate in activities. “It don’t have like a savannah for the youths to recreate, and people here are too divided. We don’t have a village council or activities in the community centre,” she said. She remembers when people travelled from afar to participate in Palo Seco’s village games and other sporting events at the velodrome. But since the closure of Petrotrin in 2018, residents say there has been little upkeep of some of the facilities and surrounding community spaces. A sporting legacy Gaston Philip, who has lived in Palo Seco for almost 20 years, also believes the velodrome should be restored. He remembers Easter cycling events that attracted competitors and spectators from across the country, as well as international riders. “It used to be real people and it was nice. It was always good,” Philip said. The facility, he said, provided more than sport. It gave young people opportunities to participate in football, cycling and other activities, while allowing small entrepreneurs to sell food and other goods during events. “There was a place for football, cycling, you know, and even entrepreneurs could go in and they was doing things so that people would be employed by selling their stuff and things,” he said. Philip said rehabilitation work on the facility had begun but was subsequently halted. He wants the project completed. “If they could open that velodrome back, I feel it will be something good to keep the youths and them occupied and out of the road and thing,” he said. But Philip believes the loss of sporting facilities is only part of the problem. He is equally concerned about the disappearance of vocational training. Palo Seco once had a trade school where young people could learn skills including woodworking and mechanics. “They used to do woodwork and they used to do mechanics, all these things,” Philip said. The programmes provided an alternative for young people who struggled with traditional academic education. Philip recalled young people leaving the programme with practical skills that enabled them to find employment or become self-employed. “A lot of people come out from there and was properly well employed by themselves because they make themselves self-employed and things,” he said. Palo Seco also had a youth camp where young people were taught farming and other practical skills. Philip said those programmes gave young people something productive to do. But those opportunities have since disappeared. He believes the loss is particularly significant at a time when skilled trades remain in demand. “I would encourage the youths and them to get into more trade,” Philip said. “Mechanic and things are work I should find the youths, and them should try to get into because it’s something that causes something on road every day, and for years it has been here, and it needs fixing. People need to fix their cars.” Philip, who has worked as a tradesman, believes young people should be encouraged to learn practical skills that could provide them with a livelihood. Living off the land Despite the concerns, resident Anil Pustam, who lives in a quaint house near Beach Camp, said he continues to enjoy life in the quiet village, surrounded by agricultural lands and close to the coast. Showing off his prized hunting dogs, Pustam said he was grateful to live in an area surrounded by natural beauty. He said the mud volcanoes and rural village setting offered an escape for people seeking a quieter environment. Another resident, Reshma Phillip, said that although Palo Seco has lost some of its landmarks, including the Brazilian nut trees that once stood prominently in the area, there are still reasons for people to visit. Reshma operates Phillip’s Food Corner, where she sells homemade fried rice, coconut bake, sada roti, fry bake and a variety of locally prepared vegetables and meat dishes. She said she gets some of her produce from residents who cultivate crops in the area. “In Palo Seco, what’s nice about it, too, is that we have a lot of homemade people around that are doing all the planting and things, so we get goods from them also,” Reshma said. The nearby Erin fish landing area also provides access to fresh fish. For Reshma, the community’s quietness is an advantage. “This area is very quiet, so all the neighbours stay to themselves,” she said, adding that residents generally support one another and the community has enough resources to sustain small businesses. She said Palo Seco’s natural landscape could also provide an opportunity for tourism, as the community is home to several mud volcanoes. At Anglais Point near Beach Camp, mud formations form part of a landscape shaped by Trinidad’s active geology. The area’s mud volcanoes and coastal environment have attracted visitors interested in seeing the bubbling mud and mineral-rich deposits before continuing to Palo Seco Beach. Reshma said the mineral-rich clay associated with the mud vents could potentially support small wellness and skincare businesses, while guided tours could bring in local revenue. Geoscientist Xavier Moonan said recent offshore geological activity off Beach Camp, Palo Seco, has added another dimension to the area’s natural attractions, with seabed extrusions and coastal mud formations drawing attention to Trinidad’s continuing geological activity. But turning Palo Seco’s natural assets into an economic opportunity would require investment. Residents say they first need better roads, including James Trace, trained tour guides and an upgrade to Beach Camp and other sporting facilities, such as the velodrome, to revitalise the area.