The barbecue hut outside of the St. Pius X Church on Cemetery Road, La Penitence, Georgetown, which has been marked for demolition is still in place with the Mayor and City Engineer at odds over the issue.
A month ago, the Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine, had instructed City Engineer, Colvern Venture, to remove the hut, however, a fully intact BBQ hut was seen yesterday when this newspaper visited the location.
Two weeks ago Stabroek News contacted Venture and asked about the demolition of the hut. “The demolishing of the hut cannot happen just like that, it is a decision/vote that would have to be made by the council and not the mayor alone,” responded Venture who was in quarantine at the time.
This newspaper also spoke to Narine yesterday and he informed that instructions had already been given to Venture to demolish to structure so it is up to him to now carry out his task. “He is a statutory officer and so he has to abide by the laws of the council.”
A Stabroek News article dated December 13, 2021, stated that the structure was brought to Narine’s attention sometime in September 2020.
Narine later issued a letter to Venture bringing the matter to his attention. In the correspondence seen by Stabroek News, the Mayor stated that he reported the matter to Town Clerk (Ag), Sherry Jerrick, who then gave instructions for Venture to have the structure removed. The Mayor also noted in his letter that since then, it has been made into a permanent concrete structure.
