All upcoming works to the Arthur Chung Convention Centre (ACCC) will be financed through a grant provided to Guyana by China, says Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Telecommunications, Derrick Cummings.
On Tuesday, Stabroek News reported that the facility will be closed for an 18-month period, in order to facilitate US$6.7 million (approximately $1.4 billion) in repairs to its interior and immediate surroundings.
It also reported that while the rehabilitation works will be a joint initiative between Guyana and China, the topic of financial contributions to the project by the Government of Guyana was unclear.
In an exclusive interview with Stabroek News yesterday, Cummings said that all funds for the rehabilitation of the ACCC will be provided by the Chinese in the form of a grant, however the Government of Guyana will be expected to bear the cost attached to the provision of security for the Chinese team and the project site during the period of renovation. This was further confirmed by documents seen by this newspaper.
In response to the query if any work had been carried out on the facility since its commissioning by former President Bharrat Jagdeo in 2006, Cummings stated that while it was known that the facility had many structural problems, no major work had been undertaken.
“The centre has grown in popularity, we have moved from doing just formal ceremonies there, to hosting weddings, training programmes and so on, but no major works were ever carried out,” Cummings said.
He further stated that there were a lot of local technical professional people who supported the recommendations of the Chinese Company with regards to the suggested renovations to be undertaken at the centre.
This group included, an engineer from the Work Services Group of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, an electrician from the Ministry of Business, a System development officer, and an Administrative Officer, along with the General Manager of the ACCC.
He also pointed out that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also played an integral role in the agreement with the Chinese. While the Ministry is still trying to work out with the Chinese team which is the area of first priority, based on the review, he believes the ground floor of the structure is of the highest priority since the entire floor would have suffered structural movement over the years. With this in mind, it was recommended that the entire first floor be reconstructed.
Other areas of the building to be rehabilitated include the ceilings which would have deteriorated over the years due to salt air entering from the open ventilation, the roof and staircase. Additionally, a transparent canopy will be installed at both sides of the courtyard, and the arch glass on the first floor will be replaced.
With regards to the general infrastructure, the non-functional and deteriorated entrance gates will be addressed, along with the replacement of what are said to be substandard underground pressure pipes.
It was noted that because the concrete driveway was not built to withstand heavy vehicular traffic, repairs will have to be effected to the broken driveway.
In terms of the electrical and other equipment, several features have to be replaced; these include the non-functional emergency power supply for the conference room, deteriorated electrical panels, non-functional air conditioning units, and several television sets in the conference rooms, as well as more than a dozen computers.
Additionally, it was recommended that the current fire hydrants installed at the ACCC be replaced since they are incompatible with local firefighting equipment.
The fire alarm system also needs replacing, and at the same time, the staff of the facility should be trained in its usage. The elevators are also expected to be upgraded, and a diesel generator will be installed to supply power to the elevators in the event of a power outage.
The temporary closure of the ACCC was first confirmed on Monday by several ministers of the government who were informed of this development by way of letter from the Ministry of Telecommunications.
It was further noted that the scope of the rehabilitation works will raise questions about the facility’s initial construction, and its upkeep since it was handed over to the then PPP/C-led government, by the Government of the People’s Republic of China on February 16, 2006.
The ACCC, initially named the Guyana International Conference Centre, was built at a cost of US$8 M through a series of grants from China. It features a main conference hall, with a seating capacity for 372 persons, five meeting rooms and a business centre in the adjoining buildings.
The construction of the centre began in September, 2004. It was scheduled to be completed in October, 2005 but was delayed by the Great Flood in January and February of 2005. The China South West Architectural Designs and Research Institute designed the buildings, and the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation was responsible for its construction.
Over the years, the facility has hosted major national and regional functions, most recently, it was the venue for the 37th Regular Meeting of the Conference of the Heads of Governments of the Caribbean Community in July.
