TOWN Clerk Royston King has signed an agreement with the owner of Mae’s Schools for that institution to use the Farnum Playground and also to repair and upgrade it, without the consent of the Mayor and City Council.

The council has since ordered an immediate cessation of works currently being carried out by the school on the premises. “I want to express thanks to Mayfield Rodrigues of Mae’s Schools who has agreed to upgrade and repair the Farnum Ground at her own expense,” King said during announcements at Monday’s statutory meeting.

But Deputy Mayor Lionel Jaikarran spoke about a group of concerned residents of Subryanville, where the school and ground are located, who approached him about the matter. He said the group was told by the owner of Mae’s that she has permission to do construction work on the land and that she was in possession of a lease.

When the residents asked to see the lease, Jaikarran said the owner refused to show it and instead offered to provide a key to the ground if they so desire one. About one-third of the land is being partitioned by Mae’s, Jaikarran informed Council. King responded that the negative state of affairs at the ground was not conducive to the health and well-being of the nation’s children who use the ground. He said he approached the owner of the school and, being the civic-minded individual that she is, she agreed to lend support to the playground.

The site, King observed, was being used by horses, donkeys and cows and was in a state of disrepair.Despite this, the schoolchildren were using it. Although there is a written agreement that Rodrigues will repair the ground, King said she has no exclusive rights to it. “All she’s asking is that her children be able to use it,” he said.

Councillor Bishram Kuppen said councillors should be afforded the opportunity to see the written agreement that was made because in time, the owner of the school can very well apply for prescriptive rights. “And why are they partitioning the land?

That gives them special rights,” Kuppen argued, adding that the matter should have come before the Legal Affairs Committee, so that the Council will not be taken advantage of in future.

Jaikarran agreed that the agreement should be shared with councillors and that there should be no partitioning of the land. He also recommended that any construction on the land be halted until the matter is considered in detail.

Council agreed that a neighbourhood committee should be formed and that no work should continue in the meantime. The Guyana Chronicle has, however, observed that construction work continued as usual on Tuesday morning in spite of the Council’s decision.