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Tendering opens today for $100M cleanup project

Jun 22, 2014 News

Minister of Local Government, Norman Whittaker on Thursday informed the National Assembly that advertisements to attract contractors to work on the 100M cleanup operation at Le Repentir Cemetery will be published from today.
He said that there will be a fully transparent tender process. This was after he was asked by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament Joseph Harmon to provide details on the project.
Harmon’s questions were posed in an oral form and without notice. The Member of Parliament asked too for a detailed breakdown of the cost of the items that will be needed for the exercise, but that was not answered, presumably because of the required specifications which the Minister didn’t have on hand.
A total of $1B was set aside in this year’s budget for a countrywide cleanup of which $500M will go towards enhancing the general physical environment of the City and its aesthetics. The remaining $500M will go towards enhancing the other coastal regions.
Of the $500M set aside for Georgetown, $100M will be put towards giving Le Repentir Cemetery a gravely needed facelift.
The Minister explained to the House that works planned for the area include the cleaning of internal drains, rehabilitation of the internal roads and removal of heavy vegetation.
Whittaker noted that substantial work has already been done on the main drains on the outer periphery by the Ministry of Public Works. The complete rehabilitation works of the burial site is expected to be completed by year-end.
The de-bushing in the cemetery will be done by inmates of the Georgetown Prison.
A Technical Committee comprising representatives from different Ministries and agencies has been established to spearhead the City’s cleanup exercise. Some of the agencies involved include the Ministries of Tourism, Natural Resources, Agriculture, Public Works   and Housing, and the Private Sector, as well as a number of Non-Governmental Organizations and volunteer groups.
The Committee will report directly to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Local Government on the progress of the campaign and strategies of implementation
But Mark Benschop, who will be running for Mayor during the expected upcoming Local Government elections, is urging that there be a feasibility study before the $100M is given for the exercise.
In a letter published in this newspaper’s Friday edition, he opined, “the $100M of the taxpaying public dollars should not be doled out without a feasibility assessment of the cost to get the job done, and if the amount exceeds that which is fair and reasonable for such a project, the remainder should be applied to similar affected areas like Tiger Bay, Houston, Agricola, Alexander Village, Industry, Queenstown, Alberttown, Kingston, Kitty etc.”
The cleaning of these environs, including the cemetery, should not be seen as a one time obligation. There has to be periodic maintenance that ensures that these places, including Le Repentir, are well kept and tidy. After all we are, as a collective citizenry paying for all of this, and at the very least we should receive satisfaction on how our money is being spent
Benschop said that “experts” advised him that the entire project should not exceed more than $30M.
He noted too that the communities in proximity to Le Repentir should at least reap some economic benefits from their tax dollar investment in a project to clean up a landmark location in their community.

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