Georgetown: Mayor of Georgetown, Hamilton Green, has announced that plans are afoot to restore the rundown City Hall building to its former glory.
Green said that the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has been in discussions with a delegation from the
European Union (EU) as well as the National Trust Guyana, to decide the way forward for the restoration of the 125-year-old structure.
The Mayor made the announcement as he engaged members of the press at his office on Avenue of the Republic yesterday. This was the first press conference he held since the recent change of administration, with the former government being one the M&CC has severely criticized.
“We can now exhale in Georgetown,” the Mayor reflected, adding that the city had been “stultified” for the last 23 years. Green spoke of works that are currently underway to transform Georgetown.
Once referred to as the Garden City, Georgetown over the years has been dubbed “the Garbage City” by critics and concerned citizens. Speaking of plans afoot to change this negative image, Green told members of the media that the capital’s restoration includes City Hall, an accredited heritage site.
He said that yesterday he and Deputy Mayor, Patricia Chase-Green, as well as members of the National Trust met with a European Union delegation and decided the way forward.
Green said the project is one which would require the “green light” from the Ministry of Finance and the recently sworn-in Minister, Winston Jordan, as well as the head of the Ministry of Communities (formerly Ministry of Local Government) Ronald Bulkan. He said they have already given the go-ahead.
“We are on a new road, a happy road,” Green said, adding that Council is looking at putting together the programme before the end of the year. The restoration of the building is one which will require experts and the EU has promised to help in this regard, according to the Mayor.
Green said another meeting is scheduled with the EU and National Trust on Monday.
Greene took umbrage to the money given by the previous administration last year for “renovation works”. He said “it appears as though the (previous) government and our people here felt that it is just a cut and paste operation: remove a board and replace it.”
The Mayor described City Hall as a unique structure, “one which has very intricate seams and movements, and it can only be restored with the advice of experts who worked on buildings of that kind, like the European Union and the National Trust.
He spoke too of the reluctance of the previous administration to carry out instructions given by a team which offered advice on the restoration of the heritage site.
Two overseas-based consultants, an architect and an engineer from the United States and the Caribbean, came to Guyana and made recommendations to arrest the deterioration of the building.
According to Green however, the former administration was not keen on carrying out the instructions given. He said, however, he is confident that this government will now do what is necessary.
“It’s a massive operation. Georgetown is at best a difficult city, but we think we are up to the challenge now that we have a government that is in sync,” he said. The city Mayor lauded the new Government’s approach to the handling of heritage sites.
Green also mentioned the work recently commenced in the city in areas contiguous to the now renamed Ministry of the Presidency, formerly Office of the President (OP). The project is a collaborative effort by the government, the municipality, private sector and other stakeholders, under the leadership of President David Granger.
The Mayor sounded a call for all to come on board as efforts are being made to “make Georgetown the most beautiful city in the Caribbean.”
“We can’t do it alone. It requires the cooperation of every citizen and we will, very shortly, be having a series of meetings with the business community and citizens to discuss with them how we can work together. The President has shown us the way,” the Mayor said.
At present, the Independence Arch located on Brickdam is almost completely restored, the Mayor reported, but he said it is just the beginning. “It will not happen overnight, because the damage done to this city by the previous administration and Town Clerk was quite severe,” Green said.
He urged the media to assist in persuading persons to not litter, to have them clean their own drains and teach the youth to not stray from the “little culture” in Guyana.
“We’re moving towards beautifying this city and this country,” he said.
The main message, he said, is to mobilize the community members to take responsibility for their areas.
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