Closed sandpit to be converted into green space – Mayor

Plans are on stream to transform Region Seven’s sandpit area at Five Miles, Bartica into a green space. Formerly operated by the Bartica Town Council, the sandpit was, because of safety infractions, issued with a cease work order by Natural Resources Minister Simona Broomes last May.
Bartica Mayor, Gifford Marshall, told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that within another three months, the sandpit will be cleared and relocated to another site, and the vacant space would be transformed into a recreational area.
“The housing area between One (and) Five Miles has no recreational facilities; plus, going east, we have a whitewater and a normal creek. So we will develop the area into a green space, which will entail a playfield and a place for relaxation,”

Marshall explained.
This venture will be undertaken as a partnership between the Council and the business community of Bartica, and is expected to be completed before year end.
Mayor Marshall has said that despite the economic challenges encountered with the closure of the sandpit, this new venture will take the town one step closer to attaining its green agenda.
“It is an economic blow, but we will use that to our advantage, to ensure that good things come out from this; which will be in keeping with our green agenda,” Marshall stated.
Following the sandpit’s closure, the council has managed to correct the major infractions, which include benching of the walls to prevent trucks from driving into them.
The mayor pointed out that following correction of the infractions, the Council was informed by the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) that an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) permit and a Lands and Surveys no-objection order are necessary before the sandpit can resume operating.
Marshall assured that the municipality endorses safety, and, as such, is working to guarantee that safe practices are carried out not only at the sandpit, but generally in the township of Bartica. The mayor also committed to having personnel on site at the new sandpit, to ensure that the site operates within the ambit of the safety procedures.