$780m City Hall restoration project on track for 2023 completion - Dharamlall

$780m City Hall restoration project on track for 2023 completion – Dharamlall

Dec 19, 2022 News

Nigel Dharamlall

Kaieteur News – Restoration works to the ‘iconic’ City Hall building is on track for its 2023 completion, says Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall.

The $780 million contract was signed on September 24, 2021, with Fidis Guyana Incorporated.

Minister Dharamlall explained Friday that as the work progresses, extensive damage to structural components of the building is being uncovered by the Contractors, making the works ‘intricate’ and ‘tedious’.

He said, “I just want to guard against us forcing them in terms of getting it done as quickly as we would like them to get it done but at the same time, this may compromise the quality of work.”

“I would have liked for more to be done but as they are restoring, they are finding a lot of components of the building that were not visible when we did the bills of quantities,” Minister Dharamlall noted.

The newly restored building will be the main attraction site as Government works towards diversifying Guyana’s tourism.

“It is the intention that City Hall is going to be a production capital where a lot of tourists will possibly go and so, previously, it was used as office space and I think that moving forward, it will probably have to be used more as a town hall and where public activities can be done as well as a site for tourism,” the Local Government Minister noted.

Minister Dharamlall said once completed, the building will benefit all Guyanese.