City proposes MOU to settle construction row between Subryanville residents, Mae’s School

Oct 15, 2025 News

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(Kaieteur News) – The Georgetown Mayor and City Council has recommended the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to settle the dispute between residents of Subryanville, Georgetown and Mae’s School.

The recommendation was made at a statutory meeting of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council on Monday. Town Clerk, Candace Nelson explained that the recommendation was given by the City Works Committee to address the ongoing issues between residents of Subryanville and the school.

Since losing its main campus in Subryanville to a fire last March, the school has been occupying sections of the Eastern end of Farnum Playfield to house its operations and even moved to erect a prefab structure on the playfield.

The move has been much to the annoyance of residents who complained about illegal construction on the open playfield. Residents have been calling for a cease-and-desist order to be issued to stop the ongoing construction highlighting the lack of consultation and permits in the process.

The residents have since threatened legal action to prevent the construction of a prefab building for the Mae’s School on the playfield.

Elisabeth Deane-Hughes, a resident and member of the group, pointed to a number of other issues associated with the construction. She said that these include child endangerment as Mae’s is having school on an active unregulated construction site with welding ongoing.

Additionally, Deane-Hughes pointed out an alleged unauthorised   electrical feed from the burnt site to the construction site. She also questioned whether the school has relevant certificate to operate following the fire.

Members of the Subryanville neighbourhood group were present at Monday’s statutory meeting where recommendations were also made for the Mae’s school to submit their plan or drawing for the new school building and for the project documents indicating the timeline for the completion of the new school building.

The town clerk noted that there was also a proposal that subject to a meeting between representatives of community and Mae’s school including an engineer that there is a one-off payment of $2 million for the use of the playfield by Mae’s school along with a security deposit of $500,000.

However, City Mayor, Alfred Mentore noted that the project which has a 15-month timeline for completion should require at least a $1.5 million security deposit, to restore the playfield after it was temporarily used.

He noted that “The money received will be used for the enhancement of the playground and any other part of the community.”

Although the school is yet to receive authorisation to construct on the playfield and to rebuild, Mentore noted that the council is being sympathetic with the situation.

“We are allowing them because it is a school with about 2000 children that were left without accommodation due to a fire,” the mayor said pointing out that the construction of a new building should be finished by December, 2026.

Despite the recommendations, residents have been adamant that the construction of the prefab building on the playfield is illegal and should not continue.

Deane- Hughes told the council on Monday that questions relating to ownership of the school have gone unanswered.

“We don’t have the prerequisite document of the ownership of the company, ownership of the property we are still to see the agreement of sale. You said you have those documents which we have mentioned, can we see them?”  Deane-Hughes asked.

The resident noted that the community group had requested the information for over a month.

She asserted: “We have not yet received anything and it is roughly a month who really owns this building it is not Mr. Sugrim that is clear. Who really owns it, do you know?”

In response, Mayor Mentore noted that he is willing to share copies of those documents with the residents.

The mayor noted that the transport and the other transfer of the properties were submitted to the council as part of their application process.

“We can send them to you…these are public documents…We have nothing to hide,” Mentore added.

The mayor stressed that all the documents would be in the possession of the Deeds and Commercial Registry.

Additionally, he said other documents relating the construction of the prefab building belonging to Mae’s school on the playfield and new building are also in the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).

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• Alfred Mentore, Elisabeth Deane-Hughes, Mae’s School, Mayor, Subryanville residents

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