Enhancement plan for Vendors Mall taking shape

Jan 19, 2009 News

– City officials

The Vendors Mall situated at Water Street, Georgetown, which is manned by the City municipality, has been reduced to a rubble-filled site.
However, the vendors are not dismayed, neither should customers be, since, according to the Clerk of Markets, Mr Shulder Griffith, plans are taking shape to enhance the facility.
Currently, the vendors assigned to ply their trade at the Mall are being allowed to operate on the western pavement of Water Street.

The current state of the Mall

Deputy Clerk of Markets, Mr Errol Brisport, said that it is expected that by the end of this week the area will be cleared of rubble, thus paving the way for the actual construction of stalls.
According to Brisport, the move comes as part of the municipality’s plans to enhance the Mall with a view to making it more alluring to customers.
The municipality, since last year, had outlined an enhancement plan for the Mall which proposed that the facility be transformed to a double-decker entity and vendors be allowed bigger stalls.
However, according to Brisport, it was recognised that the cost of works would have amounted to about $90M, an amount the municipality could have ill-afforded.
For this reason, a decision was made for vendors to independently rebuild their stalls to an extended measurement of 10 ft x 10 ft, allowing for a 10ft passageway, a development which is well on the way, according to the City officials.
Also, as part of the enhancement plans, the Mall will be shaded by a common roof, as is customary at municipal markets.
It was initially anticipated by the officials that the works would have been completed by last December. However, the plans were brought to a temporary halt when some vendors filed an injunction against the municipality in fear of losing their livelihood.
With the expansion of the stalls and the passageways, it was observed, there would be limited accommodation for vendors.
As a result, Brisport had disclosed, it was decided that persons who had paid their monthly rentals in full and those who owed for less than 12 months would be given first priority.
It was, however, subsequently decided by the council that the vendors’ level of priority should be further broken down into the category of those who pay and sell from the facility and those who pay and use the facility merely for storage.
The latter category was bestowed with secondary priority, which prompted the retaliation of six vendors who, according to Mr Brisport, believed that their stalls would have been broken without their consent. However, that matter was resolved through amicable discussions which were engaged with Deputy Mayor Robert Williams.
And although some vendors still have varying concerns, the City officials are adamant that the process will be completed unhindered.