RESIDENTS of Den Amstel and neighbouring communities on the West Demerara have all applauded the government for its decision to reconstruct the Den Amstel Youth Camp.

But they’re not at all happy about the state of some of the access roads in the villages, as well as the deteriorating state of the village’s sea defence.

The foregoing concerns were raised on Sunday during a Town Hall Meeting with Minister of State, Joseph Harmon. At the meeting also were former Prime Minister and Mayor of Georgetown, Hamilton Green; A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Member of Parliament, John Adams; the Deputy Regional Executive Officer (DREO) Jennifer Ferriera; and the Hague-Blankenburg NDC Chairman, Kenton Hilliman.

Ayola Issacs was the first to stand to her feet. Before raising the issue of the state of one of the main access roads in Den Amstel, she said the decision by the APNU+AFC government to rebuild the Den Amstel Youth Camp is a welcome initiative.

She made the point that in the past, the camp played an important role in molding the minds of youths across the district, and that its reconstruction will certainly be a plus for the region.
Her views were endorsed by many of the residents there, one of whom even suggested that a world-class swimming pool and gym be added to the new structure.

Issacs then moved on to the deplorable state of one of the main access roads in the village, which she said was destroyed by one of the largest construction companies in the country that was doing a sea defence project in the community.
“I am very concerned about this road. When it rains, I have to use long-boots; and I think I have passed that stage,” Issacs told the Minister of State and his team. She said that the road is not an issue to her alone, as it affects many of the senior citizens in the village.

Another resident complained about the sub-standard work that was done on the road at Fellowship. According to that resident, only a part of the road was done.

Yet another resident said: “I wish to know if there is any provision in this year’s budget for sealing the cracks along the sea defence; I have observed a number of cracks that need immediate attention. We in this village would not want to wake up one morning and find ourselves under water.”

MINISTER RESPONDS
In response to all these queries and complaints, Minister Harmon said that although river and sea defences are very expensive undertakings, the government, in its 2017 Budget, did allocate funds for work to be done at Wakenaam and in other areas. In fact, the government has allocated $1.1B for capital works in this area for 2017.

He noted, however, that the cracks alluded to by the residents will be taken into consideration when the 2018 National Budget is being formulated.

On the issue of the deplorable state of the roads in the villages, Minister Harmon said provision has been made in this year’s budget to repair and complete them, including the one mentioned by Issacs and the other at Fellowship.

Turning his attention to the Den Amstel Youth Camp, Minister Harmon said that he, like many other West Coast residents, would have benefited significantly from the facility during his earlier years.
He said that it was because of this, and the “rundown state” in which it was left that the present administration took the decision to reconstruct the camp, but with a modern touch. As such, he said, the suggestion to include a gym and a swimming pool is a welcome one.
The first phase of the project will be completed in November. The government has also rebuilt the Region Three Regional Education Office which was burnt down many years ago.

Meanwhile, in their opening remarks, the political leaders had called on the residents to be patient, noting that while demands will be made, all of them cannot be met at the same time.

The APNU+AFC Regional Member of Parliament said that while the government has been making steady progress, all of the issues being raised cannot be addressed in the matter of two years. He seized the opportunity to announce that the youth camp will be complemented by the establishment of an agricultural school in the region, which will be a model of the Guyana School of Agriculture.

Ferriera, who has demonstrated a passion for youth development in the region and has arranged to meet with youths in her capacity as DREO, said she is here to do team work.

However, she said residents must be cognisant of the fact that many of the issues in Den Amstel and other villages were inherited from the previous administration. “So what we will do is to fix them,” she said, adding:
“We are fixers, but please don’t think that it can fix overnight or in a week; we will try to do what we can.”

Minister in the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, who had attended the outreach, after meeting with residents at Bagotsville, reminded the regional and local leaders that they represent the government, and that contrary to popular belief, this is not a government of some of the people but all. And as such, tremendous effort must be made to meet the demands of the citizenry. She was responding to concerns raised about attempts by the PPP to stymie progress in the region and create division.