–recent flood exacerbated unhygienic situation

THE Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) yesterday decided to have ‘Bourda Green’ closed for the entire day today to facilitate major clean-up work that has become necessary since the recent heavy rainfall.

‘Bourda Green’ refers to the area west of the market, the place where vendors conduct business on Bourda Street. Mostly ground provisions and ‘greens’ are sold in this area.

Following a proposal by acting Town Clerk Sharon Harry-Munroe at yesterday’s statutory meeting, it was agreed that this area alone would be cleaned today, although the intention is to have the entire market cleaned eventually.

“It (Bourda Green) is a small area with plenty work,” one officer of the council told this newspaper.

It was Councillor Ranwell Jordan who initially raised the matter, urging that the market be closed for cleaning and removing of flood waters. He pointed out that notices will have to be issued so that stallholders can be properly notified about the closure.

“We need to return to the practice of closing once a week or once a fortnight, so that the market can be cleaned,” he observed.

This prompted Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green to question why the practice of regularly closing the market for cleaning was discontinued.

Clerk of Markets, Simone McKend, subsequently explained that the practice was discontinued due to a court case that established that nothing in the by-laws stipulates the closing of the market on Wednesdays. There will have to be an amendment to the by-law before Wednesday closures can be reinstituted, she noted.

Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green stood up to recommend that a public notice be immediately placed in the newspapers about the closure today due to the emergency situation at Bourda Market.

Councillor Oscar Clarke supported the temporary closure of the market, and noted that this will be sufficient in the interim. Councillor Junior Garrett similarly supported this recommendation, and observed that it is a good thing that an epidemic has not as yet been started. “We have to arrest the situation immediately; we can’t wait on the by-laws,” he said.

“Let’s nip it in the bud. Why are we waiting?” other Councillor Hector Stout commented.

Mayor Green noted the consensus achieved to proceed with cleaning the Bourda Market today, and observed that legal advice will have to be sought for a long-term decision to be put in place so that the market can be closed each week for cleaning. He is also rooting for the same system to be put in place at all of the other markets.

Bourda Market has, for years, been susceptible to flooding, with stallholders often complaining about damage to their property and loss of goods.

(Telesha Ramnarine)