– despite receipt of $5M of $20M Gov’t allocation
THE reason the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) cannot start works with the $5M, given it by the Local Government Ministry to aid in the restoration of its building, is unknown, and Mayor Hamilton Green could offer nothing of substance when questioned about the project last Monday. The Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development has pledged a sum of $20M to the municipality to assist with restoration works, and had promised to release the funds progressively, once the ministry is satisfied with works being done.
Speaking at a press conference in his office at City Hall, on Monday last, Green could only say that he has ordered that “not a cent is to be spent unless we see a programme that is acceptable and manageable.”
Works would only commence when such a programme is submitted and agreed upon, he offered.
Green said he also had discussions with several members of the Private Sector Commission who have indicated their willingness to assist.
But M&CC’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Royston King, told this newspaper last week on the sidelines of the fortnightly statutory meeting that no physical work has started on the building, even though the first tranche of the money was handed over since May.
He said he was unaware of what happened to that money and that no information was made available to his department. The topic has not even formed part of the council’s agenda for discussion at the statutory meeting, he observed.
Town Clerk Yonnette Pluck reported at a recent news conference that the repairs were in order owing to the fact that City Hall is considered a heritage site.
She had reported that the repairs are urgently required and, consequently, government has acceded to the request from Council and approved the subvention.
Pluck said, of that sum, $5M has already been handed over by the ministry and the Council is, currently, developing a municipal website to provide information to the public.
At that same forum, Mayor Hamilton Green said it is going to be a slow, tedious process to restore City Hall, which is one of the prime buildings in Georgetown.
“And this will require technical competence and patience. The idea is to restore City Hall to its character, its beauty and its historical significance,” he stated.
Councillor Ranwell Jordan, who admitted he was not up-to-date with information pertaining to the project, said the City Engineer was supposed to have prepared a revised plan, but he is not aware if it has been submitted.
Permanent Secretary within the Local Government Ministry, Mr. Nigel Dharamlall told the Guyana Chronicle that the money for the restoration forms part of the Ministry’s efforts to mobilise resources for the municipality.
City Hall was constructed in 1889 and its architecture, described as Danube Gothic, is of timber, largely due to its stylised tower, with wrought iron crenelations at the very apex.