The Mayor & City Council (M&CC) yesterday hosted a meeting with key stakeholders to discuss plans to rescue Georgetown, in the light of the 200th anniversary since its naming.
On April 29, the city observed this occasion and the M&CC’s plans for a year-long list of activities specifically focus on the restoration of City Hall, rehabilitation to the markets, mainly Stabroek and Kitty and the cemeteries specifically Bourda and Le Repentir.
In addition to this, clean-up campaigns are being planned for the wards and canals. The Promenade Garden was pointed out as well, with Town Clerk, Yonette Pluck-Cort, stating that its significance has been lost over time and expressing the hope of regular tea parties and such returning.
Also, there was mention of plans to embark on street-naming activities.
Mayor Hamilton Green, in his opening remarks, said he will seek cooperation from the private sector in an attempt to return Georgetown to the title it once had – the Garden City of the Caribbean – as he is confident that this is possible.
In an interactive session, members of the audience took to the microphone and shared suggestions, opinions and views.
Actor and activist Malcolm De Freitas posited that the city is in its current condition simply because there is a lack of respect for time and also for the maintenance value which had been incorporated many years ago.
“During my small days, ever so frequently the city cleaned the drains and the alleyways. That doesn’t happen now. The fact that the city was smaller then is not a part of the problem. The part of the problem is that we did not maintain the good maintenance value that we had started out with,” he stated.
De Freitas further stated that the managerial system of the city is not functioning as it should and the fact that Georgetown has been divided into 15 constituencies is no reason for the dilemma we now face. He suggested that an overseer be appointed to each constituency to take some of the burden away from the Engineer’s Department, which De Freitas concluded is unable to manage the needs of the entire city.
“The cleansing of the drains and the alleyways, making sure they have receptacles for garbage, etc, should be apart of the overseers’ duty, three quarters of the city’s problems would be eroded. It’s a problem with the managerial system,” he finished.
Also present to share his views was US Ambassador to Guyana, Brent Hardt, who stated that a US project, ‘Guyana Shines’ will soon be launched and it aims to clean up Georgetown through a number of activities with local partners.
“Cleaning up the city is not only about what the government does but what people do in communities,” he said, adding that a lot of time will also be spent in schools.
“We welcome support from the city as we engage in this project and we are delighted to be able to contribute as a partner,” he stated.
Dr Harold Peters questioned the strategies used by the council to obtain funding since the requirements appear to be “vast and many”.
“Environmental care, solid waste disposal and the human tragedies we know as junkies are ever the burden of the city council. I believe that the law that is not functional should be written off the books and we have enough laws, if enforced properly that could be adequate to take care of all the needs of our social environment. We have laws against garbage dumping and littering but they are not enforced.
We have laws against vagrancy and they are not enforced and then everyone asks how can the city become a healthier, cleaner place? I would suggest that the city maintains a strong sanitation bureau and a special court should be established to deal with violators of garbage disposal waste management,” Peters noted.
Volunteering her services was Dr Dawn Stewart-Lyken, Co-owner of Lyken’s Funeral Parlour, who pointed out that her main area of concern is the cemeteries.
She suggested that sub-committees be formed to deal with this issue and also that a strategic plan be developed with goals and a timeline so that more can be accomplished.
“I would also like to hear the consequences to the citizens of improper gate keeping of the city. I would like to see some system of ticketing, some system of practices of consequences for bad behaviour,” Stewart-Lyken said.
Another concern of those in attendance was the dismantling of historic buildings which are often replaced with “ugly, concrete structures”. One resident, who only identified herself as Ms Williams, said that this issue really “grieves our hearts” since these buildings serve as major tourist attractions. The St George’s Cathedral, she said, is testimony to her view.
“Another suggestion would be to award the owners of the oldest buildings that have kept their place clean. This will encourage people to maintain their property and building,” she said.
At the end of the session, Green opined that the meeting had been useful and proposed that persons sign onto the sub-committees which were recommended to soon get involved in various activities.
He noted that he has written to President Donald Ramotar seeking the government’s involvement and intends on doing so a second time. “The reality is, even with our best efforts, the city cannot move forward unless there’s support from central government,” he said.
