Nothing will prevent City Hall restoration

ACTING Town Clerk Carol Sooba has assured that the ramblings with the Georgetown Mayor and City Council and the numerous efforts to have her run from the municipality will not stand in the way of the preservation of the historic edifice.She told the media on Friday that City Hall will not be allowed to crumble, as she pointed to the monies which the Government of the day has committed for its restoration.
Asked about the figure to be pumped into the exercise, Ms. Sooba reminded that the Government had committed $200M to assist with the process.
On the question of whether the amount is sufficient for the works, she said the City Engineer informed that the last estimate done did not reach the $200M price tag.
She said, he was, however, quick to point out that the estimates do not necessarily reflect or produce an accurate figure for the works to be done, citing that it could be more or less when the actual work commences.
Restoring City Hall will see the repairing of the roof, inner walls, guttering and stairs. At present all the mentioned areas have been falling apart and, lately, the place has been struggling to hold the pieces together.
The guttering, for example, is made of cast iron and parts of it would fall from time to time crushing into pieces but fortunately not injuring anyone.

Financial resources
Sooba told the media that City Hall does not have the financial resources to deal with its physical state but admitted that the little which can be accomplished to hold the pieces together are usually done.
Very soon, there is to be a special meeting between the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, where the restoring issue will be discussed, she indicated.
Meanwhile, with respect to another facility controlled by City Hall and is literally falling apart, Sooba said the Council will have to resort to public tendering to deal with it.
She said the Stabroek Wharf which was originally scheduled to be rehabilitated by in-house personnel will have to be done by a contractor.
She informed that the personnel from the Municipality who were to undertake the job at the facility are presently otherwise engaged at another location which is of equal importance.
Sooba said the Council will now have to outsource the work on the wharf but could not say when it will commence and at what cost.
According to her, the estimate for the rehabilitation of the Stabroek Wharf has not yet been submitted.
For years persons have been crying out about the condition of the Stabroek Wharf which is presently not able to accommodate vessels.
The boards on it are slipping into the Demerara River while the roofing is in such a state that when it rains it pours.
Yet Sooba has disclosed that the M&CC is in a better financial position than it was two years ago.

(By Leroy Smith)