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The unimpressive balance sheet of the City Council

Jul 31, 2016 Letters

Dear Editor, 
When work began by the contractor at the Merriman’s Mall, visitors were so happy that they joined in to help with this restoration initiative and the creation of a play park. However, like everything else the City Hall does, they dropped the ball. The opportunity was squandered along with hundreds of millions of dollars the City now owes the contractor.
It is clear that City Hall does not have a viable, realistic and integrated plan for this area. Rather this initiative is a just hotchpotch of uncoordinated activities resulting in the area becoming a jumbled mess, or a heterogeneous mixture of activities and structures that now make the area look like a squatter settlement of improvised structures and interests.
We start off with The Indian Immigration Monument bordered by Church & Alexander Streets, North Road & Camp Street, which is a remarkable reminder of our nations’ history, with a magnificent replica of the ‘SS Whitby’, the first ship which arrived on Guyana’s shores with the first batch of immigrants. It is sculpted of bronze, and surrounded by low walls, which are layered with calligraphic and other symbolic scenes, its outer surface has murals and carvings which give insight into the lifestyle and culture of sugar cane labourers. Of course this was an initiative of the private sector
However, moving a little east here enters the City Council where we run into rows and row of little ugly square concrete buildings from which every conceivable item is sold, a most unattractive shopping area. But moving further east it gets even worse as we encounter rows and rows of what appears to be dog kennels, probably initially designed for the proposed petting zoo but which is now being rented to wholesale vendors  for astronomical amounts.
But if you think you had seen it all, moving along in the same direction one encounters a most unhealthy situation not to mention how dreadful a picture it presents of dozens of flimsy tents occupied by barbers, hairdressers, cosmetologists and tattooists.  There could be no greater public health violation than this, with hair and nails flying all over the place whilst there is no running water or other hygienic resources. One wonders how these persons became licensed. And finally we run into the Presidential Park, a white elephant that seems to have been abandoned. Is this city planning?
Deodarie Putulall

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