By Shauna Jemmott

AIMING to make Bartica a model destination for all, Mayor-elect Gifford Marshall has outlined part of a massive plan to transform the new town.That plan includes construction of a state-of-the-art Town Hall, replete with underground parking facilities among other modern conveniences.

At a press conference held recently at the Ministry of Communities in Georgetown, Mayor Marshall said his Town Council is prepared to begin working on the restructuring of Bartica soon after its official declaration as a township this Saturday.

Marshall told the media that President Granger has wisely named Bartica “a model town”, and its administrators have their eyes set on making it a unique state, both physically and socially, with its first projects being centred on environmental protection and the establishment of a model education sector throughout Region Seven.

“Our waste disposal situation in Bartica remains a major bother for us…. This is an issue that we definitely have to fix, because if (we’re) gonna become a ‘green’ community, then we must fix our waste disposal situation,” Marshall explained.

As to the habit among many in the business community of disposing of their garbage in the Essequibo River, Marshall said the Council had just recently had to censure a major player for engaging in such a practice.

“We had to communicate with them and let them know that that would no longer be tolerated. It is very unfortunate to see what some of our major companies in Guyana are doing in Bartica, and contributing towards this waste situation,” Marshall said, adding: “But these are not things that we should be looking into, because everyone should know, especially companies, that they have a corporate responsibility, and their responsibility is to ensure that Bartica remains clean and ‘green’.”

A CENTREPIECE
But garbage disposal problems aside, Marshall said one of the first things the council intends doing is to start working on the town hall.

“It is hoped that, a hundred years from now, this building will still be a centerpiece — an artefact of who we are as a people,” he said, noting: “We intend to go the route of underground parking, because when you’re passing that building, we don’t want you to see those vehicles and so forth out there.

“We want you to see a beautiful park; we want you to see a beautiful space, with trees and plants and so forth.”

Stressing that such an exercise doesn’t come cheap, Marshall said, “It is very, very expensive, but we will develop Bartica; and we’re gonna use that building as a centrepiece, or as an example for others in the Caribbean.”

Plans are also afoot, he said, to do away with asphalting when restructuring the town’s roads, and instead use either concrete or some other building material.

“If we’re gonna become a ‘green’ town,” he reasoned, “we must consider if asphalt is the best product to put on the road. If we’re gonna consider being a ‘green’ town, then we have to consider either concrete or some other building material; and we have to restructure in such a way that we have cycle lanes, we have proper walkways and the like.”

OTHER PLANS
Equally important to the whole ‘greening’ concept, he said, is the construction of a hospice to facilitate the proper care of the township’s senior citizens, many of whom would have contributed to the development of Bartica.

A municipal airport is also on the cards, and Marshall said his administration will work closely with Linden, Lethem and Mahdia to ensure the network of roads is properly maintained for a proper hinterland connection.

Mayor Marshall is, however, gravely concerned about the high rate of unemployment, school dropout and teenage pregnancy affecting youths in the new town. He said policies will be drafted to ensure the future of Bartica and Barticians is secure.

“We have a major responsibility, and that responsibility is to ensure that our future is secure. And in order for our future to be secure, we must invest in our young people. So it is very much important that the council put together policies that will guide us forward on that,” Marshall stated.

MODEL EDUCATION
The administration is also seeking support of the business community in sponsoring all Fifth and Sixth Forms throughout the region.

“We want to have model families, and we also want to have a model education system,” Marshall said.
“If we’re gonna become a model town, we don’t want to just boast of infrastructure and our financial resources, because these things will pass.

“We want to boast and have pride in our education system, and we also want to boast and have a lot of pride in our families. It is our intention that we will be able to set a standard for the rest of the country, and by extension the Caribbean,” he added.

Major regional and international religious tourism forums are also on the cards to help boost the region’s economy, and the Council will also undertake fixing First Avenue to accommodate more

parking of vehicles.