By Clifford Stanley

A TECHNICAL block at the Number 8 Secondary School in West Berbice is among capital works’ projects to be completed this year by the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Five.The proposed facility, comprising a state-of-the-art laboratory and other facilities and workshops for imparting technical vocational skills, is projected to cost in the vicinity of $16M. This sum will come from the $104M that have been allocated for education.

Another expenditure in the area of education is the purchase a 30-seater boat to transport, to and from school, children and residents from the upper reaches of the Mahaicony River. It is projected to cost $11M.

In total, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) has been allocated $2.66B to carry out major developmental and maintenance works in 2016. Of this sum, $390M will be used for capital works, while $2.72B are to be expended on the maintenance of buildings and infrastructure.

According to one regional official, in respect to capital expenditure, most of the $390M will be utilised for public works, such as roads and bridges, and land and infrastructural development. The sum to be spent on such projects amounts to $120M, of which some $75M will be spent on road upgrades and other land development works, and $25M on bridges.

Eight community roads in West Berbice will be upgraded to asphalt-surfaced roads, and two such roads in Mahaicony are also to be upgraded. Six bridges are to be constructed in six agricultural areas in the region.

Under infrastructural development, the region will be constructing a boat-house on the left bank of the Mahaicony River, at Central Mahaicony, at a cost of $8.5M. It will be used to accommodate riverine residents who travel out to the coast by boat for business and other activities.

A further $91M have been allocated to health services, the major project of which will be the construction of a diabetic foot clinic at the Mahaicony Hospital at a cost of $8M.

The remaining amount will be spent on upgrading the buildings and the facilities, including laboratories at the two hospitals in the region, namely: The Fort Wellington Cottage Hospital and the Mahaicony Hospital.

The sum of $57M is to be spent on upgrading drainage and irrigation structures in the Mahaicony area, while the remainder of the budget will be spent on administrative activities of the regional administration.