THE Region Five administration says despite the current inclement weather, execution of its 2018 capital works programme is progressing well and on schedule.
Some $3.2 billion has been allocated to the region for current and capital works. Current expenditures account for $2.8 billion while capital expenditures amount to $415 million.

The sum of $155M was allocated for public works, $145M for education delivery, $60M for agricultural development, $2.6M for health services and $2.2M for regional administration.
The monies available for expenditure on capital works in the public works sector reflect a 45 per cent increase on the amount allocated for 2017.
The regional administration had invited bids for its capital works programmes for this year and 65 per cent of these projects have been completed to date, with a projection for the programme to be completed by September.

Public works that have been completed and those in the process of completion, include upgrades of several community roads in villages in West Coast Berbice and Mahaicony.
These roads are being upgraded from earthen dams and crusher-run roads to asphaltic surfaces. These will allow residents easy access to the main road and to public and recreational facilities and connecting streets, especially during rainy weather.

In the area of education, sums allocated are currently being spent on the extension of schools, construction of new facilities and rehabilitation of school buildings, reconstruction of the primary school at Champayne Mahaicony and the construction of two new nursery schools.
The regional administration had awarded contracts for these works for education delivery earlier this year, but had deliberately held back execution because the schools were in session.
Now that schools are closed, the works are being accelerated to ensure completion before school reopens for the new school year.

Under agricultural development, work is currently ongoing on the development of the Regional Agricultural Economic Project at Naarstigheid, West Coast Berbice, for which a total of $35M had been allocated.

This project is expected to be launched at the opening of the Regional Agricultural and Commercial Exhibition (RACE) scheduled for September 28.

The rainy weather had negatively impacted the work on community roads and some other projects in general, but work will soon recommence in earnest with the hope of meeting the September completion deadline.