MINISTER of Local Government and Regional Development, Mr. Norman Whittaker has said that the funded Georgetown component of the ‘Cleanup Guyana’ Project is set to commence by late July. 

Members of the media were on Thursday given a tour of the sites where the multi-million-dollar project will be conducted. The areas will include Le Repentir Cemetery and the Sussex Street and Church Street canals, the latter two being selected as priority areas for the project.

The initiative will also focus on the Downer, Young Street, Lamaha Street, Princes Street and Irving Street canals.
Minister Whittaker noted that the aim of the exercise was for the ministry officials and other stakeholders to examine the nature, conditions and extent of the works to be done.
Present also at the event were acting Town Clerk, Ms Carol Sooba, Coordinator for the Technical Committee of the ‘Cleanup Guyana’ project, Mr. Gordon Gilkes, Director of the Solid Waste Management Unit, Mr. Walter Narine, and City Engineer, Mr. Colvern Venture, and other members and officials of the Ministry of Local Government and the City Hall.
The vigorous and expansive project will focus on the restoration of the cemetery in its entirety. The cemetery is bordered by Princes Street to the North, Sussex Street to the South, St. Stephen Street to the West, and Cemetery Road to the East, the Minister noted. Also included in the project is the area of the cemetery east of Cemetery Road.

Whittaker recalled that in olden days, the cemetery was easily accessible to the general public, and even facilitated a few school children who favoured the grounds for games of merriment. “In short, we are going to pay our respects to those who lay here and, at the same time, improve the aesthetics around the area.”
The works to be conducted include de-bushing of the target zone, followed by de-silting of the internal drainage system, which at this point is not visible because of vegetation and silting.
Whittaker noted that the internal drainage system of the cemetery flows into the Sussex Street Canal. Similarly, the roads in the cemetery will be made accessible to facilitate commuters.

SUSTAINABILITY
The Local Government Minister stressed that the completion of the project is only the first component of the beautification process. He stated that there ought to be effective and committed measures of ensuring the sustainability of the works that would have been concluded.
He mentioned that the City Council of Georgetown will be tasked with ensuring that the works conducted are maintained. According to him, “Once we get this to a state of normalcy, then the City Council will have to do the maintenance.”
“That is why we are fixing some of city council’s excavators and trucks so that they can do the kind of work that is expected in terms of maintenance,” Minister Whittaker continued.
He noted, however, that the citizens of the communities ought to do their part to ensure that the projects are not only effective but sustainable. “We are all beneficiaries and we are all part of the monitoring,” Minister Whittaker said.
When questioned on the involvement of the Ministry, Minister Whittaker noted that at the same time, “the Ministry of Local Government, through our Solid Waste Management Department [will continue to] do monitoring.”
Coordinator for the Technical Committee of the ‘Cleanup Guyana’ project, Mr. Gordon Gilkes said that the roads of the cemetery will be cleared of vegetation and mud. He also noted that the foundation of the road is in excellent condition, but “They have deteriorated over the years so what we intend to do with the street is to grade and shape them.”
On site at the Sussex Street canal and the Church Street Canal, the Coordinator pointed to the canals with heavy silting, which will be removed in order to ensure the improvement of the carrying capacity, as well as storm water storage.
The invitation to bid for contracting of the project is set to be advertised in early July, and will be based on competitive bidding from interested entities. The Coordinator said that the work will move progressively in the latter part of July. The target completion date for the project has been set for December 2014.
The ‘Cleanup Guyana’ Project is a joint initiative with the involvement of the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, Ministry of Finance, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment, Guyana Tourism Authority, and the City Hall administration.

(By Derwayne Wills)