During the 18 months that it will be closed from December 1st, 2016, major works will have to be done on the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC).
A release yesterday from the Ministry of Public Telecommunications said that ten years of continuous use, wear and tear coupled with the vagaries of natural elements, shifting foundations and saline breezes from the Atlantic Ocean, took a toll on sections of the ACCC.
The release said that concrete stairways and upper level floors and ceilings are cracked in some places.
On the ground floor, the foundation and walls are exhibiting widening cracks. Further, many of the three-inch thick ceramic floor tiles have come loose due to structural movement and undulation.
During the period, the ACCC’s back-up power generating system which stopped working some years ago will be replaced as well as the entry gates, the fire alarm and first response systems, the driveway and much of the plumbing.
“Indications are that the unaccustomed heavy flow of traffic in the Liliendaal area may not have been factored into the design specifications ten years ago.
In any case, continued use of the centre, as is, for any purpose, is tantamount to courting the high probability of accidents and physical injuries”, the statement said.
The Ministry reiterated that just as the Conference Centre was constructed and funded entirely by the government of the People’s Republic of China through the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation between 2004 and 2006, this rehab project will be financed entirely by the same means – grant aid.
The terms and conditions for repairs to the structure were written into the agreements that were signed in 2004, the ministry noted. The agreements state that the same construction firm will effect repairs to the interior and exterior of the main and adjoining buildings at no cost to Guyana.
Guyana’s only financial contribution is the provision of security services on site.
