Dear Editor,
I would like to add my two pennies to the Georgetown restoration project. A lot has been printed in the newspaper about the project, but it is being written about in general terms and there is not much detail. Maybe I missed something in the newspaper or on television, and if I did, I apologise in advance.
I would like to know:
1. what the boundaries of this Georgetown project are;
2. what the time-frame is ‒ one year, two years, ten years…?
3. what the substainability plan is after the project has been completed;
4. what rules and regulations are being put in place to ensure that once an area is restored or cleaned, it does not go back to its previous condition a week later;
5. which canals will be re-opened (restored) ‒ for example Lamaha, Princes Street, Independence Boulevard, Front Road;
6. whether there are billboards around Georgetown showcasing what the city might looks like afterwards;
7. whether pictures will be taken before and after and shown on the big screens in Georgetown and on TV so people can see the work in progress;
8. whether they are going to hire hurdreds of people to work on a daily basis to clean and restore the city;
9. where all the extra trucks (equipment) will be coming from to clean and restore the city while still maintaining the daily tasks;
10. whether some of the work of cleaning and restoring the city will be undertaken in the evenings or at night;
11. whether there are proper lighting systems to ensure things are done correctly and safely;
12. whether with the hundreds of people who will be hired, all the necessary personal protecive equipment will be purchased and used;
13. Whether all those dumpsites around the city, for example, La Penitence Market, Bourda Market will be cleaned and covered with sand and/or crusher stone or grass, so they look presentable, clean and tidy.
I remembered that when I was young and living in Princes Street, just opposite the Incinerator compound, each morning I saw hundreds of people coming out and many trucks and tractors. The parapets were kept clean, and the gutters and sidewalks were all clean, unlike today, even though we have more modern equipment and tools to do a better job. What went wrong?
All the trees on Main Street were painted in white and lights were on them; the avenues in Hadfield, Main and Camp Streets were clean and one could sit and relax; there were public toilets around the city to use. Most of those things do not exsist today ‒ what a shame.
I wish I could see those things again, but I doubt it. Guyana is a small country, George-town is part of the country and it would not take a lot to clean and restore it. If we have the proper people to manage and sustain it, if we put the proper rules and regulations in place, if we educate and uphold the laws we put in place, then possibly it might be better than it is today.
Please invite Guyanese to share their input or possibly create a website so people can type in their suggestions for the restoration project.
Yours faithfully,
A Whyte
