Dear Editor,
The Mayor and City Council is pleased to announce that over 500 youths across Georgetown have benefited from city cleanup programmes. The Georgetown Municipality has been able to provide employment for those persons through small community cleanup projects that also provided them the opportunity to work with larger contractors.
As the Municipality goes forward with its infrastructural and developmental agenda, we are involving young persons, who were otherwise involved in “strange activities.” Many of the young people drawn from the different communities were unemployed and many times left idly dwelling within their neighbourhoods.
The Council has provided them with honest employment. Clean up contracts were provided to small community leaders, groups etc. These persons were asked to apply to the Council to clean specific parts of their communities. Based on applications received and the requirements, they were awarded small contracts. They, in turn, hired available community residents, with the majority being young people below the age of 35.
Contracts that required heavy machines and other equipment were given to larger contractors who also hired young people from the areas in which works were carried out.
I must reiterate that there is very much more that has to be done for Georgetown and we are eager to scoop from our available pool of young, talented residents. The Municipality is continuing what it has started but this is impossible if the Council has no money. It is impossible to build and repair buildings, clean and maintain areas, and provide excellent services if citizens do not honour their civic duty to pay their rates and taxes, to the city.
We earnestly urge all citizens to get on board with the green Georgetown agenda; let us make our city the cleanest and greenest in the Caribbean and let us adhere to the rules and regulations that will push us to greatness.
It is sad, that the Municipality should have to make the case for its taxes and for residents to observe the law and make their contributions to the Municipality. We cannot overemphasize the fact that there is much to be done in the Capital. Overhead walkways, roundabouts, overhead and underground parking facilities are just a few of the long term ideas of the Council. It is worrying to think of these changes when the Council is already experiencing much difficulty in garnering the due finances necessary to provide basic services to our local communities.
The Mayor and City Council, once again, calls on all property-owners and other individuals to do their part, making the necessary payments to the Council for the much needed and deserved programmes and projects to go ahead in the city.
Yours faithfully,
Royston King
Town Clerk of Georgetown