GOVERNMENT has allocated $75M for an administrative building within the compound of City Hall to allow for the urgent renovations of the entire structure.

This was stated by Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan on Thursday during his ministry’s 2019 budgetary allocation in the Committee of Supply. “The necessary repairs for the historic building cannot take place simultaneously whilst it is being used, as such relocation of staff is being catered for in the sum of $75M,” he said.

He said that the European Union had funded a detailed architectural drawing that was submitted to City Hall. The cost, he said, was US$3M (GYD $600M) that was expended on the architectural design; this sum was obtained through a grant by the European Union.
Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira asked the minister what would be the cost to restore the entire building, to which Minister Bulkan replied that it was the responsibility of the National Trust.

Bulkan explained that the principle responsibility for addressing the state of City Hall’s building falls under the responsibility of the Ministry of Social Cohesion, since it’s a heritage building. “There has been offers from external sources and I am not referring to the EU at this stage, but by countries in the Middle East that will allow for restoration of that building, so the central government is not only looking towards its own resources, but it is looking for multilateral assistance to save the historical and iconic building,” Minister Bulkan said.
In July last, City Hall, along with the engineer’s and mayor’s buildings, received a digital copy of the architectural design for the restoration of the 19th-century building. The assessment was conducted by overseas-based specialist conservation architects, Francis Maude and Ed Morton.

Key findings indicated that the building can be restored in single or multiple phases, and that income can be generated for commercial purposes such as a gallery or museum. Its use, as the seat of the city council, should be retained and a maintenance and repair programme must be implemented and adhered to.

Ambassador of the European Union delegation, Jernej Videtic, had noted the importance of preserving cultural heritage: “Through cherishing our cultural heritage we can discover our diversity and start an intercultural conservation about what we have in common; as it is applicable to the EU, so it is for Guyana.”