Georgetown Mayor calls for private, public help to restore City Hall

One of Guyana’s most historic and iconic buildings is falling apart and Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine is making a stronger appeal to private and public agencies to help restore the once picturesque structure.

Upon his re-election as Mayor a few days ago, Mayor Narine told the media under leaky roofs within the City Hall building, that the structure which has been neglected over the years is in dire need for repairs, especially since some sections of the structure are labelled unsafe.

A recent study by the European Union has pegged the rehabilitation of the building at over $400 million but as time goes by, the cost increases.
However, since then, no significant work was done towards the restoration of the building.
Nevertheless, at an event last week, the Mayor appealed to both the private and public sector for aid in restoring the building.
“The iconic building, the historic building of this city, it is falling apart which is City Hall. I alone cannot do it as the Mayor, my Council alone cannot do it, we need the Private Sector to play a part, we need private partnership. We need all Guyanese to play a big part to restore City Hall and the only way we can do that is to put our shoulders to the wheel and move forward” he asserted.

Most recently, the City Council announced plans to establish a Trust Fund whereby persons can make donations towards the rehabilitation of the building.
Speaking to this newspaper on the plans, Mayor Narine conveyed that the fund is currently being established and the City Council is hoping to launch the initiative before February 2020.