NA Mayor hails 2025 a success

Jan 08, 2026 News

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…says advancements more than setbacks 

(Kaieteur News) – New Amsterdam Mayor, Wainwright McIntosh has lauded the success of the council in 2025, noting that the administration has seen more advancements than challenges throughout the year.

In a recent one-on-one with Kaieteur News, McIntosh summarised the highs and lows that characterised the last year of the municipal body, and also offered insights on what is expected as the council commences its 2026 agenda.

“For the year 2025, we were able to better achieve the goal of better sanitation services with regard to garbage collection. We were able to increase the frequency with which we service residential and commercial bins. We improved significantly in that area,” the mayor told Kaieteur News.

The department tasked with garbage collection was bolstered with the acquirement of three compactor trucks, two of which are in “good working condition,” while mechanical works are being done on the other.

Regarding projects outlined for 2025, the council honored its commitment to paving the walkway of one of the town’s most iconic sites- Esplanade Park. Within the park, the children’s corner underwent an upgrade with repairs to recreational structures, in addition to sand-filling and fencing the designated parameters. The Esplanade Park is also now outfitted with a canteen, for which tenders were issued. It is expected to be in operation soon. Furthermore, the council had fruitful collaboration with the Retired Teachers Union, which generously facilitated the fencing of the Cenotaph at the park.

He also detailed supplementary plans for the recreational ground.

“The Esplanade Park, we will continue to enhance our facility. We will be installing lights around the park.”

These endeavors will be advanced by the $1.8 million earnings from the 2025 Town Day activities.

Meanwhile, McIntosh explained that the council took on the challenges posed by flooding.

Pitt Street, despite being one of the main commercial hotspots, has been flood-prone for decades. The M&TC implemented systems to mitigate this situation, which yielded much success owing to a comprehensive plan for the central part of the township.

“We were able to undertake a massive drainage programme within central New Amsterdam, where interlock drains were desilted within the central New Amsterdam area…namely, the interlocks between Pitt Street and New Street, all along the Strand area, those front drains were desilted….as a result of undertaking that project, we would have seen the minimising of flooding when it rains.”

The drains were strategically covered with galvanised materials, as opposed to concrete, allowing for easy access to the drains, when necessary, works arise. Concrete drains were also constructed along Trinity Street.

Maintenance works were conducted on the New Amsterdam Market, the mayor mentioned.

A major 2025 highlight for the council was its representation of the town of New Amsterdam and the wider Guyana for the first time at the 27th  InterAmerican Conference of Mayors and Local Authorities held last September, which was attended by the mayor himself, his deputy and the town clerk.

The conference created avenues for municipal co-operation and technical exchange in the areas of waste management, tourism and youth empowerment, etc, but a key takeaway from the two-day event for the mayor was effective waste management as a top priority for sustainable development.

He noted that the M&TC is mulling a garbage recycling plant for the town, modeled after such innovative initiatives presented at the conference by other participating countries.

“In this new year, we will be exploring partnership with like-minded investors who wish to invest in a recycling plant, which will have myriad benefits.”

The council will also be pursuing other sources of revenue “to ensure services are rendered to our citizenry.”

The side wall of the administrative building, which is in need of rehabilitation, is a priority focus, to afford staff a sense of comfort while at work. The mayor disclosed that the local government commission had issued the council a letter advising that an assessment be done for works needed to the administrative building. Acknowledging the dilapidated wall as an eye sore, McIntosh said the council will explore all possibilities to ensure that it is reconstructed.

The health department, which oversees solid waste management and also inspects food houses and supermarkets, came in for strong commendation by the mayor.

Challenges

Mayor McIntosh highlighted the sore issues of garbage disposal and littering within the town. He said these issues are not isolated to 2025, but have been a perennial plague, which the council seeks to cure through policies, initiatives and engagements with town constituents. Strides have been made in addressing the concern, but McIntosh acknowledged that more can be done, not only by the council, but by civic-minded individuals.

“For the most part, citizens would have contributed to those challenges, and as mayor of New Amsterdam, I believe collectively we can rise above these challenges. In the area of littering, to date, some persons continue to liter indiscriminately.”

This comes amidst the major decline in dumpsites around the town, and the mayor has issued a “conscious call” for residents of the town “to show care and love for the environment,” by simply locating a bin in which to deposit their garbage.

Another concern noted of 2025 was that of cattle negligence. The mayor said cattle owners have been leaving their animals unsupervised, which would frequently venture onto the public roadways and create immediate hazards to road users, and causing loss of life.

“I’m calling on cattle owners to show keener interest in the way these animals are being reared, and not to have these animals roam the streets of New Amsterdam. It is very dangerous.”

Addressing the matter of roadside vending, the mayor lamented the continued encumbrances created along the road shoulders by the erection of stalls and other structures. In this regard, the mayor will be monitoring the custom with the aim of keeping citizens within permissible practices while not denying them the opportunity to secure their livelihood.

“If persons (are) coming out to vend, all we ask is for those structures not to remain on the road shoulders…..we understand the bread and butter issue, and the need for persons to make a livelihood for themselves. We will not stop that. All we ask is for you to remove your stall, your stand, your tent at the end of the exercise.”

The mayor expressed his intention to work together with central government on many of the initiatives which he believes will advance New Amsterdam, even as he lauded the work of the council over the last year.

“In my view, as a municipality, the year 2025 was pretty much a successful year for the town of New Amsterdam. We will continue to ensure we deliver quality service to every citizen within the town of New Amsterdam.”

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• 2025, New Amsterdam, tourism and youth empowerment, Wainwright McIntosh

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