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Le Repentir rehabilitation unlikely – Mayor Green
While the condition of the Le Repentir Cemetery continues to be of major concern to citizens, the restoration of the city’s premier burial ground is seemingly a farfetched reality owing to the constant internal bickering on matters of the municipality by officers of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC).
A section of Le Repentir Cemetery today
The rehabilitation of the cemetery was raised at a recent City Council press conference.
Mayor Hamilton Green detailed that efforts to rehabilitate the cemetery have met with non- compliance from the necessary stakeholders.
“Some time ago the government had set out to restore Le Repentir but the burial ground has since returned to its deplorable state. Private citizens have made suggestions to council and efforts were made to repair the ground but the city lacks the capital to refurbish the cemetery.”
Green told reporters that last year the rehabilitation of the cemetery was billed to cost $17million but the council was only able to raise $1 M for the project.
He said that at this stage the rehabilitation of Le Repentir is unlikely.
“We can’t have a budget of $17 million to repair a cemetery unless the government allows us to broaden our revenue base.”
Past efforts to rehabilitate Le Repentir Cemetery include an endeavour to secure funding for the exercise via an advisory committee within City Hall. The committee is aimed at attracting the financial support of business entities and private citizens for the project.
Le Repentir was once owned by French duelist Pierre Louis de Saffon, who had escaped to exile in Guyana during the 1700s and later became a wealthy land owner.
After he had fought his brother in a duel and killed him, de Saffon dedicated the two of his estates Le Repentir and La Penitence as a lasting memorial of his sorrow for having killed his brother.
However, today Le Repentir Cemetery lies in ruins, overcome with thick clumps of wild vegetation, often times described as a haven for the destitute and thieves.
Le Repentir Cemetery in the 1980s
Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green commenting on the matter of rehabilitating the cemetery told reporter that plans to upgrade the cemetery have been squashed by the lack of consensus between officers of the Mayor and City Council (M&CC).
“In July, 2013, proposals were submitted to the Town Clerk for the clearing of the overgrowth, drains, canals and complete rehabilitation of the cemetery, we are yet to receive a response in this regard.”
Chase-Green explained that an adequate burial site is needed. Such a facility provides an historic focal point for family and friends to link the past and future generations.
“The cemetery is supposed to provide an opportunity for persons to preserve their family heritage.”
“My personal concept for the restoration of Le Repentir Cemetery will cost hundreds of millions of dollars because it will call for some major landscaping, clearing the overgrowth, rebuilding the fence and pavements, replanting of the palms and planting fresh flowers to give it an attractive quality.
This quality will add to the altogether development of the city.”
While addressing the issue of poor drainage at Le Repentir, which delayed several burials last month, the Deputy Mayor called for the involvement and cooperation of stakeholders to restore the historic section of the city.
“Long ago, we had a category of workers set aside for the maintenance of the city but the present Council does not have capacity to manage Le Repentir cemetery on its own. We need the involvement of all the stakeholders. The implementation of a maintenance fee for grave sites might assist with the problem,” she suggested.
Meanwhile, Minister of Local and Regional Development, Norman Whittaker, has said that he is in support of the calls for restoration, but related that “no such proposal has reached the level of the Ministry.”
He however, urges councillors to put their personal differences aside and continue to work towards the future development of the city.
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