17 projects completed; six new ones slated for 2024

THE recently completed construction of a new bridge at Taylor’s Creek, St. Cuthbert’s Mission in Region Four is the latest addition to a series of successfully executed projects in the community, made possible through the assistance of the parliamentary supplementary fund, according to Toshao of the village, Timothy Andrews.

The community has witnessed the completion of 17 projects in recent years, all of which were carried out under the supervision of the latest village council. Among the most recent and most impactful is the new concrete bridge at Taylor’s Creek.

The newly constructed bridge had an estimated cost of $3.8 million and will now function as a significant entry point to the community.

The labourers responsible for constructing the bridge were villagers from St Cuthbert’s Mission. Remarkably, they completed the project in just 16 days. During an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Timothy Andrews, Toshao of the village, asserted that the newly established infrastructure will have a profound economic influence on the community.

He stated: “The projects are also helping to develop our economic sector. It is providing jobs because the workers are from the village. The funds are going directly into the village. Except for us purchasing materials, the labour and rest of funds are going directly into the village. So, it helps on the economic side of things as well.”

Despite the completion of all major infrastructure work on the bridge, Toshao Andrews has informed that a curing process will be carried out and the bridge will be open to traffic by the end of January.

He explained: “The project is being funded through the supplementary fund allocated in 2022 that was allocated by the government. The bridge is completed. It is made of cement and it is on our main public road; so, it will have to be cured for 21 days. The use of the bridge will start from the 18th of this month.”

Apart from aiding in traffic, the bridge also solves major irrigation issues the community faced previously. The Toshao explained: “The bridge is one of our major access roads. One of the main reasons we built that bridge is because when we have excess rain, it would be a main creek head and it would wash away from time to time. And it causes a lot of hazards with traffic in and out of the village. That is why we prioritised that project.”

With the work completed throughout the previous years, the community has big plans moving forward. New projects are well under way, while several others are about to begin.

Funding has already been allocated for various projects, including the enhancement of both play grounds in the village and the development of two small water wells. Funding has been acquired through the LCDS programme, as well as the Covid grant funds, while certain projects have been funded through private individuals and multiple nonprofit organisations.

In accordance with the Toshao, he and his community possess a sense of optimism as they progress forward, primarily due to the robust backing provided by the government. He made reference to the road project, valuing $89 million, which was successfully concluded last year. He emphasised that the project was pledged by His Excellency, President Dr Irfaan Ali and executed under the supervision of the Ministry of Public Works.

At present, the community is engaged in the completion of a mile-long stretch of road, alongside the construction of culverts within the community. Toshao Andrews stated: “Apart from the building of that bridge we are also building some cement culverts in the village in our access road. We are also in the village working on some cement culverts. We are building up one mile of our road leading up into the village as well.”

He went on further to explain that the only issue hampering construction is the arrival of heavy-duty machines, stating that, “We are depending on heavy duty machines and as of right now heavy-duty machines are what are is delaying the process to an extent. We are awaiting the arrival of machines such as a roller, because we already have an excavator on the ground.”