After 10 years of continuous use, the Arthur Chung Conference Centre will undergo extensive repairs internally and externally but not at the expense of tax payers.

In a statement, the Public Telecommunications Ministry disclosed that the repairs will be facilitated using a grant aid from the Government of the People’s Republic of China through the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation. The current arrangement is similar to the one that resulted in the construction of the facility between 2004 and 2006. Guyana’s only financial contribution is the provision of security services on site, the Ministry pointed out.

According to the Public Telecommunications Ministry, the rehabilitative works are necessary.

“After ten (10) years of continuous use, wear and tear coupled with the vagaries of natural elements including shifting foundations and saline breezes from the close by Atlantic Ocean, took a toll on sections of the ACCC.  The concrete stairways and upper level floors and ceilings are cracked in some places.  On the ground floor, the foundation and walls are also showing widening cracks. Many of the three-inch thick ceramic floor tiles have come loose as a result of structural movement and undulation,” the Ministry pointed out.

In addition to the structural works, the ACCC’s back-up power generating system that stopped working some years ago will be replaced as well as the entry gates, the fire alarm and first response systems, the driveway and much of the plumbing, the Ministry added.

It was explained that there are indications that the heavy flow of traffic in the Liliendaal area may not have been factored into the design specifications ten years ago.  “In any case, continued use of the center, as is, for any purpose, is tantamount to courting the high probability of accidents and physical injuries,” the Ministry stated.

From December 1, 2016, the Arthur Chung Conference Center will be closed for approximately eighteen (18) months.  This schedule was crafted by the signatories to the agreements surrounding the donation and maintenance of the Conference Center.

“We regret the inconvenience this closure will cause to the many organisations that utilize this facility on a regular basis.  In the same vein, the Government of Guyana again expresses our gratitude to the Government and people of China for their most generous donation,” the Ministry said.