…of lagging D’Urban Park project

PRESIDENT David Granger has mandated Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, to immediately assume full responsibility for the D’Urban Park Development Project, even as he assures the Guyanese public that quality work assuring safety will be among the hallmarks of the completed facility.

Recent reports suggest that substandard work has been ongoing at the facility, slated to host Guyana’s jubilee celebrations in May. Reports about shoddy work and substandard materials used to construct stands at the Park surfaced in the media a few weeks ago.

Key figures of the National Commemoration Commission (NCC) who were tasked with overseeing the project have refused to comment on the President’s decision to hand over responsibility for the Park’s completion to Minister Patterson.
The Guyana Chronicle made contact with Bobby Vieira, who initially claimed that he had no knowledge of the President’s decision, and asked that the reporter contact him later for a comment. However, several calls to his phone went unanswered when this newspaper called him again. As such, contact was made with Clinton Williams, who dismissed reports that he was tasked with overseeing the construction of the project.

“I prefer not to talk about that project at all,” Williams told the Guyana Chronicle.

A release from the Ministry of the Presidency yesterday noted that the President held a meeting with Minister Patterson; Minister of State, Joseph Harmon; Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan; Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Mark Phillips; and Minister within the Ministry of Education, Ms. Nicolette Henry, where he made it clear that the safety of the users of the Park must be the first priority.

“I want to emphasise the seriousness of this. Our intention is to make [D’Urban Park] the most useful, if not the most beautiful, in the Caribbean; so it is not something short-term, it is a symbol of nationhood…

“We want it to be a space that is beautiful, safe, and open to the public. Safety must be assured now that it’s a national project, and Minister Patterson will now take responsibility for that,” President Granger said.

Emphasising that D’Urban Park is now a national project, and must reflect national standards, President Granger said the Park reflects the national identity and takes precedence over municipal, partisan, commercial and private interests.

“There were some delays because of the presentation of the Budget. As you know, last year was the financial year from the view of the Government, but we couldn’t do much work until March, because the Budget hadn’t been passed. But now I would say that there isn’t any need for apprehension.

“The project is a national project, it is not a private project. It is national [project] and that is why it is under the Ministry of Public Infrastructure. The concerns of safety and infrastructure are all being addressed, and [Guyanese] needn’t worry; they are going to be very proud of what they see on May 25 and 26,” President Granger said.

According to the release, Minister Patterson said the Ministry’s engineers and other technical personnel have already visited the site and analysed the work which has to be done.

While pointing out that the task is not beyond the Ministry’s capabilities, he acknowledged that the current weather conditions might present some challenges. However, he assured that his team would be working assiduously to ensure that the mandate given by the President, as well as the deadline, is met.

“We want to ensure that the project comes back on stream, and so the resources of the Ministry of the Presidency will be used. We want to ensure that a quality product is delivered on time, with the relevant safety measures in place. The Guyanese people can be assured that their concerns have been noted, and will be addressed to ensure that public safety is guaranteed,” Minister Patterson said.

The Guyana Defence Force’s Engineers Corps will also be on hand to lend assistance where needed.