Latest update November 21st, 2024 1:00 AM
Municipal vendors clash with contractor over stall money
Three disgruntled vendors outside the incompleted stalls
Even as six vendors of the Vendors Mall have engaged the courts against the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown, five more are contemplating similar action against a contractor who they believe has swindled them out of thousands of dollars.
Speaking to Kaieteur News on Thursday last, three of the aggrieved vendors explained that, as part of the enhancement plans for the mall, they had secured the service of a contractor.
According to the enhanced plan for the mall, several snackettes will be constructed along the back of the Water Street facility, an undertaking which the vendors have to engage at their own expense.
The five vendors, who have been occupying the mall since it came into being some five years ago, are among those who intend to occupy the snackettes.
According to three of the vendors — Taramatie Lackan, Joan Primo and Marshall Whyte — they are prepared to take whatever action is necessary against the contractor, who they claim has been ignoring them and does not intend to refund any monies, although he has not completed the job.
According to Deputy Clerk of Markets, Mr Errol Brisport, he was aware that the vendors had secured the services of a contractor named Haynes, who had submitted an estimate to build a block of stalls which the vendors could occupy.
He said that, initially, the contractor had informed the vendors that he could do the job for $125,000 per stall.
The vendors, however, requested that breakdown of the estimate to determine how their monies would be spent.
This saw the cost per stall mounting to more than $200,000.
They grumbled about the increased amount, which caused the contractor to realise that he had not estimated for the correct size of the structure.
The municipality, however, allowed for an increased size of stall.
The vendors and Mr Brisport claimed that the contractor said he would only charge an additional $9,000 per stall.
The final estimate saw each of the vendors being requested to pay $184,000, which they did.
But, according to Mr Brisport, the vendors became frustrated when they saw little work being done. The work commenced in the second week of August.
The contractor was expected to have completed the job by mid-September.
The municipality was, however, forced to intervene in the matter by having the contractor sign an agreement that he would complete the stalls by October 12 last, an assurance he has since breached.
As such, the vendors claim, they will have the matter placed in the hands of the police. They added that they are willing to take the matter to court, even though the cost could be astronomical.
The contractor, in an invited comment, said he had promised the vendors to complete their stalls, but he did not have the requisite sum to do so.
He further pointed out that he had not ignored the vendors, but they had in fact told him they would find another contractor to complete the stalls.
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