THE COMMUNITY Organised for a Restored Environment (CORE), which is a Ministry of Public Infrastructure initiative, was on Saturday launched in the mining town of Linden by Minister David Patterson.

The project focuses on the cleaning and restoration of parapets, drains and corridors of thoroughfares under the remit of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure in Linden. These include the Linden Soesdyke Highway, the Winifred Gaskin Highway, Burnham Drive, and Republic Avenue.

For its commencement, 10 Lindeners have been employed and the majority of these are single mothers. Minister Patterson on Saturday provided the employees with all of the equipment and tools needed to carry out their tasks, which included brush cutters and safety gears.

Minister Patterson explained that there was the option of hiring a contractor to do the work but he recognised the need for employment in the region and therefore the decision was made to hire Lindeners for the project. “We want to make not only Georgetown a garden city but also Linden, Wismar, Christianburg , and the best gardeners are those from the town,” Patterson affirmed.

There are two groups in Region 10; one based in Linden and the other in Ituni/Kwakwani . Minister Patterson reminded the groups that they are not confined to cleaning the roads but to render services to the needy within the communities.

“In the community, once there is an elderly person or a disabled person living somewhere and their yard and environment may need some assistance, you have my permission to assist them.”

In addition to this, the group also has permission to clean churches, community playgrounds, community centres and other community-based compounds. They will be rendering their services to both the Mackenzie and Wismar shore.

Minister Patterson also revealed that the project had already been funded for the entire year and said that its continuation depended on the success rate of the teams. He urged them to put their best feet forward in restoring Linden to its former glory.

The CORE project has been launched in other regions and the team members related to this publication that they were satisfied with their remuneration package. “I am very pleased and I am happy that jobs came to Linden because of the project and I know that we will not disappoint the minister. We will restore linden,” a team member said.