The Georgetown municipality last Friday went ahead and signed a contract with a private company, National Parking Systems, to install parking meters across the city, although a deal was already in place with a previous firm.
The announcement was made at Monday’s statutory city council meeting by Mayor Patricia Chase-Green.
The contract was inked on Friday after lengthy discussions with the company and other stakeholders.
Chase-Green had told Stabroek News that talks began with the investors last year under the previous council.
She also announced that the Town Clerk Royston King is currently addressing the issue with the previous company that had been engaged for the project. The former council in 2007 had inked a deal with Saratu Phillips, an overseas-based Guyanese investor, to install parking meters around the city.
Phillips told Stabroek News that he was invited to meet with the Town Clerk and discuss the way forward. “I want to sit down and listen to what he has to say since I have a valid contract I want to hear what he has to say… I don’t feel anyone did anything wrong; me nor the council, they were not given the go ahead to have the meters there,” he said, while noting that the then central government never granted the city council permission to earn revenue independently.
He said in 2007, his company, Astrolobe Technology Incorporated, spent ten months working with the city council developing the project. After the ten months period, he was awarded a contract by then Town Clerk Beulah Williams and the City Council.
He said that he that he has been in contact with all the Town Clerks after Williams and has been discussing the installation of the parking meters but there was never a green light from the government.
The areas where meters will be installed by National Parking Systems are the same areas that were cited in the contract between the city and Phillips’ company.
According to a National Parking Systems brochure, which was seen by Stabroek News, the parking meters should be installed later this year. The company is looking at a six months planning phase to finalise all steps before the meters are installed.
The brochure explained that the company will include information systems designed to provide the Mayor and City Council with objective data it needs to assess the project’s success or failure and measure its effectiveness in the city.
The meters are to be located in the central business district of the city along the Avenue of the Republic, Camp, Carmichael, Main, Church, Regent, Robb, Water, Middle, Quamina, Longden, and America streets as well as North Road and Brickdam. It is unclear how many parking meters would be installed. The parking meters, once installed, would be effective Monday through Saturday from 7am to 7pm, excluding holidays, the brochure stated. The company has proposed rates of $125 for every parking rotation. It says the rate ensures maximum availability of parking spaces in the central business district. It was also stated that parking spaces on one street can generate between $30,000 and $60,000 daily.
The company also stated that residents would be granted residential parking permits to allow them to park on the street between certain hours in the evening and throughout the night free of cost.
Further, it stated that convenient options will be provided for long-term monthly parking within the commercial district.
The installation of parking meters in sections of the city is being done to ease traffic congestion and generate greater revenue for the city.
