THE administration of Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) last week acquired a bitumen sprayer and a pneumatic roller with the aim of reducing costs of repairs and maintenance to roads in communities throughout the region.

The two pieces of equipment were acquired at a cost of $22M. Regional Executive Officer Mr Ovid Morrison said: “There is the saying that a stitch in time saves nine. So our aim is to give ourselves the capability to execute preventative maintenance works to avoid deterioration that would later on require major capital investment from the national coffers.”

With the new equipment he said staff of the region will be able to undertake minor road-repair works on community roads on requests from any of the 10 Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDCs) within the region, or on assessment by the Engineering Department, as to which areas, road-maintenance works were urgently needed.
He added that the acquisition of the machines would help the NDCs in the region to save money for other projects; they would no longer have to spend large sums on contracts for their community roads maintenance programme. He disclosed that the region already has in its fleet a mini excavator and a bob cat, that are also essential equipment for repair and maintenance of community roads
The administration is currently looking at the possibility of employing an experienced road works foreman to supervise the use of the machines, which will be put into operation next month. Morrison added that the administration has set its sights on the acquisition of a grader which will serve to complete its fleet of roads and maintenance equipment. He is optimistic that funds for this piece of equipment for the region will be allocated in the 2020 budget.