-public tendering to start next week
The public tendering process for the rebuilding of Buxton’s historic Tipperary Hall is to be done next week, with the administration hoping to start building by December.
President Bharrat Jagdeo met representatives from the community in a close-door meeting on the issue yesterday at the Office of the President. According to information from Presidential Advisor on Community Development Odinga Lumumba, the tender process and evaluation should last about two weeks and they wanted to start building in a matter of weeks.
“Within two months would be a safe bet,” Lumumba said.
One of the attendees at the meeting, who asked not to be named, said they also spoke about how the facility would be managed and President Jagdeo expressed the view that he would like it to be managed by the Buxton/Friendship Benevolent Burial Society, whose headquarters it had been. The source said they also discussed other projects which the president had pledged to help with when he visited the community in August. At that time, the Tipperary Hall assistance was mentioned. According to the individual, they also spoke of how the steel pans given to the community were being utilised; the progress on setting up a practical instruction centre; and extra lessons and feeding projects to be launched soon.
At the August meeting, Fitzroy Younge, a member of the Restoration Committee, had pointed out the importance of the Hall to the community. “The descendants of the former slaves were fussy about the way their loved ones were buried. This benevolent burial society ensured that you had a proper funeral.” According to Younge, many decisions taken by the PPP back in the 1950s were done at the Tipperary Hall.
All that remains of the historic venue is brick stumps on land overrun by vegetation.
