By Alva Solomon
As rehabilitative works continue on the Kitty Market, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has seen an increase in vendor applications to vend at the facility.

This was disclosed on Tuesday by Deputy Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green when the city official toured the facility to inspect works which are ongoing at the site at the corner of Alexander and Barr Streets, Georgetown.

According to the top City official, there is heightened interest in the market.

“You have a whole host of application for stalls in the market,” she noted. “So people are now coming back… everybody is saying – look, we want back our stall in the market we give up 20 years ago because we didn’t able,” she added.

There are 46 vendors at Kitty Market, if all are operating at the same time, she said. Since there is the increase in interest by persons to vend there, she said preference will be given to those persons who were selling from the inception. She said the priority will be done in an orderly fashion.

“Some people were there before, they were still selling,” she said.

Chase-Green noted that some would have opened their stalls once in a while in keeping with the laws of the City which stipulates that a stall should not be closed for seven days or more continuously.

As regards the works, the Deputy Mayor said she is satisfied at the pace and scope of the works completed so far.

The Deputy Mayor noted that she felt satisfied that staffers of the Council are working on the project.

“To know that it is our own City Council workers that have been lying dormant for so long are now able to put their skills out that the

public can see that we are capable as a Council,” she said, adding that there are very skilled persons under the employ of the Council.

Her visit was to ensure that the workers are properly protected while on duty as she had received reports that they were not properly attired as regard wearing protective clothing.

While she was pleased in this regard, she was not fully satisfied with some of the men’s attire but the situation was expected to be corrected Tuesday.

As regards the timeline for works to be completed based on assessment thus far, Chase-Green said while ideally the plan is to have the structure ready in time for this year’s Independence celebrations in May, if the works are not completed in time, the project will continue to ensure it is satisfactorily completed.

As it relates to the the style and finishing touches to the building, Chase-Greene said the beautification of the market will be done on a “step by step” basis. The City Council will meet with the vendors to discuss each party’s plans for the market when it is completed.

These include fees and other areas under the mandate of the municipality. Payment of fees to vend at the market varies, according to the type of merchandise being sold.

SIT DOWN

“We are working with the vendors so when we sit with the vendors and we say what our plans are, they will say what their vision is,” the Deputy Mayor noted.

“The change (rehabilitation) is not to displace anybody… it is to make sure everybody is conformable,” she added.
At the moment, several vendors sell their goods aback the current structure at a location which was set aside for them. Others vend opposite the structure.

Vendor, Jean Mc Andrew told this newspaper that persons are “highly-motivated” at the works being undertaken. She said the vendors are all very happy and they expressed hope that additional business can be undertaken when works on the market are completed.

Mc Andrew has been selling mainly food at the market for some seven, and plans to expand her business in the months ahead.

The Deputy Mayor operates a reasonable sized stall which she inherited from her mother. Another vendor, who sells clothing, noted that customers have been trickling back to market in recent months, and according to her, there are those faithful customers who support the businesses there.

The vendors told this newspaper that they anticipate an increase in business when the works are completed.
The market is being rehabilitated at an estimated $240M and the Council is working along with Government to offset the cost. Chase-Greene noted that the municipality has been able to work now with the Government which she believes has a vision for the Capital City.

She said too that the Council puts its plans on the table and what it can financially undertake, it pursues.
On the contrary, if unable, the Council approaches the private sector, the diplomatic community and other stakeholders/groups.

“They are coming on board with us,” she said.

The Council has a number of projects which it plans to pursue. These include the rehabilitation of health centres, including the Albouystown Health Centre. In addition, it had announced plans to rehabilitate the Stabroek Market Wharf and the boardwalk there while plans are in the pipeline to renovate the abattoir on Water Street.

The Deputy Mayor noted that the City’s only abattoir has been in a deplorable state for years and the Council was unable to carry out its mandate to rectify the situation in the years gone by.

“So by the end of the day, it will go beyond…. We want to make Georgetown a model City… every community a model community,” Chase-Green said.