THE South Ruimveldt community now boasts four spanking new bus sheds, replete with solar-powered LED lights, courtesy of a community-led organisation. The sheds, the construction of which cost over $500,000 each, are all located on Aubrey Barker Road, but near the Plaza Bridge, the Tucville Bridge, the Johnny P Supermarket and at ‘Last Entrance’.

At a simple ceremony at the shed at ‘Plaza Bridge Corner’, Deputy Mayor, Mr Sherod Duncan commended the South Ruimveldt Community Management Group, the organisation at the helm of the project, for what they have accomplished in their quest to enhance their community, and urged that they keep up the good work; make South Ruimveldt a model community.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle after the commissioning ceremony, Project Coordinator, Dr. Godfrey Washington said the group usually embarks on a project based on the needs of the community, which in turn, are firstly determined by the residents themselves.

He said the group first consultated with members of the community, and together they came up with a number of projects, one of which was the construction of the bus sheds.

“From the request of the community, the group embarked on the project and sought the necessary financing,” Washington said, adding that with the assistance they got from the Caribbean Development Bank-funded Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), they were able to collaborate with the local firm, Pyramid Shelters and Outdoor Branding to construct the sheds.

He said too, that with what little money they realised from fundraising activities and what they got from the BNTF, they were also able to renovate a recreational facility and playground in the community, as well as build it a multi-purpose civil centre.

According to ‘Pyramid Shelters’ Mr Kwame Mentore, his company redesigned the sheds to fit the group’s budget, and that it is currently conducting tests to make those sheds Wi-Fi-ready, through the government’s E-Government programme.
“The base is concrete and the structure steel, with polycarbonate walls and corrugated roofing material,” Mentore said of the sheds, adding that ‘Pyramid Shelters’ will be seeking to construct 20 more such bus sheds on the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara in the coming year.