WITH the ‘I LOVE LINDEN’ sign almost complete, work on the second phase of the exciting and child-friendly theme park at Linden in Region 10 will soon begin.

Giving an update on the progress of the recreational project, Mayor Waneka Arindell, on Wednesday, said that the sign will be completed within a week and will thereafter be opened to the public.

“We just finished painting the sign and putting on some logos. There are some minor changes that must be made and we are working through that with the contractors to have an area paved so persons can access the sign and that should be done in the next week,” she said.

According to Mayor Arindell, the council has received some support from the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) and Linden’s Tourism Ambassador, Leon Labastide, to execute the first stage of the project, which is the erection of the sign at a cost of some $2 million.

Speaking on the wider aspect of the project, the mayor noted that the council will be constructing the theme park in a phased manner as funding is made available.

In addition to a designated play area for children, there will be a tourist attraction and lounge area for persons to relax and savour the beauty of the town.

“This park is going to be done in phases. [Phase] one would be the beginning works on the left-hand side, where we have some umbrellas for the lounge area,” she said.

She added that the council is currently working to obtain funding for the construction of the playground area for the children.

“We have the children area, which we are still looking into for sponsorship. So that is where we are. We are reaching out to organisations for the child-friendly area.

Hopefully before the month is through, we can get subvention,” Mayor Arindell said.

The entire project is expected to be completed in time for the festivities of Linden Town Week, which is scheduled for April this year.
Once fully completed, she anticipates that the park will become a tourism hub, and a popular spot in the town, since it is in close proximity to the river-front, which is a sight to behold, especially at sunset.

The mayor reiterated her call for both local and international organisations and businesses to invest in and support the project, which aims to boost the town’s tourism sector and overall economy.

“We’ve reached out to Banks DIH [and] we will be reaching out to those major entities to lend us their support. We are calling on any businessperson that can lend some support, in terms of what we have to do. We continue the call…if there is a part that your organisation can play in working with us, feel free to make contact,” she emphasised.