Follow Bartica’s lead -President at annual regatta, boardwalk commissioning

Apr 03, 2018 News

President David Granger today interacted with visitors and residents of Bartica at the annual Easter Regatta on the spanking new boardwalk.

President David Granger on Sunday charged the Mayor and Town Councils across the country to follow the lead of the Town of Bartica, in pursuit of initiatives, which not only promote the ‘green’ agenda, but also add to the aesthetics of the environment.
The call was made as he commissioned the first boardwalk in Guyana and the town at Golden Beach, Bartica, Cuyuni-Mazaruni (Region Seven), according to the Ministry of the Presidency.
The area, which is lighted by solar electricity and has a number of seating areas drew the usual large crowd for the annual Bartica Easter Regatta, where President Granger said that the facilities that they are now enjoying should be replicated across Guyana.
“Bartica is dear to my heart. You are now a town, something that should have happened more than 100 years ago but it is now irreversible and unchangeable and you can look around and see the changes that the Town Council has made in two brief years.
“Mayor [Gifford] Marshall and his deputy set out to establish a clean, ‘green’ and safe town and they are well on their way to achieving that objective. This is a model and I wish that every other town should emulate this example. Most of them are waterfronts and this is a joy to see.
“Bartica is a model and I am vindicated in making Bartica a town and giving Bartica the name, ‘a clean, ‘green’ town’,” he said.
Mayor of Bartica, Mr. Gifford Marshall, in his remarks, said that the Mayor and Town Council is working assiduously to ensure that it achieves the mandate of becoming the first ‘green’ town in Guyana and the Caribbean. Importantly too, he said that Bartica has a role to play in tourism in Guyana if it continues on its current developmental trajectory.

President David Granger along with (left) the Regional Chairman of the Cuyuni-Mazaruni, Mr. Gordon Bradford and (right) Mayor Gifford Marshall taking a stroll along the boardwalk

“Bartica can become the tourism capital of Guyana. We are working to ensure that our true potential is met. We are working to ensure that we enforce a ‘green’ agenda. We are working to ensure that there is a good life for all. Let us continue to work for the development of our town and most importantly let us work for a better Guyana.
“We have unveiled our first boardwalk. Next year, we will add an extension and His Excellency will declare open the extension. These projects are here to show not just what we can do but it is a pillar of development. It places us on the centre stage of the Caribbean and the world,” Mayor Marshall said.
Roxanne Jardine, a resident of Bartica, in an invited comment, said that like the Head of State, she too is pleased with the developmental works that have been taking place in Bartica.
“This is a great and big change for us here in Bartica; this boardwalk. We feel different. It’s less crowded and confusing out here and cleaner and we welcome all of the infrastructural works. This is a real change in 2018 from the time that I lived in Bartica, and I definitely look forward to seeing more changes in the near future,” she said.

The crowd at the boardwalk, beach area on Sunday.

Meanwhile, President Granger, referencing the regatta events, said that the sport has continued to grow from year to year, with it now being a national and international event. However, he noted that it is his desire to see the participation of the villages in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni region.
“Regatta is moving from a local festival to a global festival. I want to see more participants from all over the region, all coming to make this a more massive festival. Let’s have swimming, canoeing, boat racing and all the other water sports we have,” he said.
Rod Henson, Country Manager for ExxonMobil Guyana, who was in the region to partake in the festivities, said that he was impressed with what he has seen so far, even as he noted that he was encouraged by friends to go to the event.
“This is my first time, but I am having a blast. It is absolutely a great environment and great people and lots of sun so it’s a great day for racing. When I got the opportunity to come and see, my wife and I decided to come and it is fantastic and I wish many more people could come out and see this,” he said.
Nazir Baksh, who is visiting Bartica with his family from Canada, said that while it is his first time, he too is impressed with what he has seen over the weekend. “It is my first time in Bartica. It’s really good. We are enjoying this, the seating and the accommodation, the boardwalk… We are definitely encouraged to come back,” he said.

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