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City Engineer to cover worrying Albouystown manhole by 4pm today
City Engineer, Kenson Boston, was yesterday given a deadline of up to 16:00hrs today by Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine, and Councillors to cover a manhole at James Street, Albouystown, Georgetown after he fumbled to provide a valid excuse or explanation why it hasn’t been done. This happened at yesterday’s statutory meeting.
City Engineer Kenson Boston.
The manhole in question has been a topic of discussion at quite a few statutory meetings but all Boston could have come up with yesterday were “flimsy excuses”. The Mayor as well as the councillors expressed their frustration at the Engineering Department and its lack of efficiency.
At previous meetings the Engineer had indicated that 41 manhole covers were constructed but they needed curing time of 18 days. The curing period has elapsed but there are a number of manholes still left open. It is also unclear if any were covered at all since the Engineer seemed to be providing Council with inaccurate information.
Boston also found it difficult to explain how many covers he had in his possession, how many are being constructed and how many were actually installed.
Councillor Heston Bostwick inquired what was going to be done since the open structure was a public safety and health hazard and should have been rectified ages ago.
He said that “The manhole situated at James and La Penitence Streets Albouystown… I reported to this honourable house three children fell into that manhole and it attracted media attention [but] unto this day [it] hasn’t attracted the attention of the City Engineer and hasn’t been covered.”
He went on to say that Boston had made a commitment to treat the matter as priority and yet it remains in the same state. Bostwick lamented this should be rectified before there is a disaster.
Boston proposed that the covering be made from 1×12 planks of wood, since he didn’t have enough materials to get it a permanent cover as yet. This was met with loud heckling as Councillors felt that this was neither sufficient nor safe in keeping the public’s best interest at heart.
A suggestion was made to use one of the covers he already had, as long as it would fit. At this juncture the Mayor inquired if said action could be taken by 16:00hrs and Boston agreed. “Can we take that as a decision of this Council? That this will be fixed by 4PM tomorrow [today]? We all put that time line in place that once it can fit it will be installed.” The entire Council agreed and the deadline was set and sealed. Boston gave his assurance that he will meet this deadline.
In May of this year Councillor Bostwick told the Council that three children fell into a manhole at James Street, Albouystown.
The councillor complained that it was “due to our negligence, limbs can be lost.”
In response to enquiries from the Council, City Engineer at the time Colvern Venture said that there are some nine manholes around the city currently without covers.
“You know something named fed up? The Mayor is fed up of the Engineer’s Department,” Mayor Narine had said in responded.
This was not the first time that the Engineer’s Department has come under fire for manhole incidents. The M&CC has received a number of requests for compensation from citizens, claiming millions of dollars in damages as a result of falling into manholes.
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