Dear Editor,
Is it that the Town Clerk of Georgetown is just plain obtuse and a law onto himself, or is it that he is just simply uncaring for vendors, businesspersons and the citizenry of Georgetown?
Speaking with a number of vendors from the Kitty Market, I was advised of grave concerns they have with the design of the new Kitty Market, which is simply being ignored by the Town Clerk and the Council.
The design of the building does not allow for natural airflow and ventilation as the old design did, and when persons in the architectural field enquire as to why this was so, they were advised by the Town Clerk that this was because the entire facility would have been centrally air-conditioned for the shoppers and vendors, consistent with modern standards of shopping centres and malls.
Alas! The Town Clerk has just given an edict that only the area selling meat and seafood should be air-conditioned whilst everywhere else must be left to swelter in the heat and humidity of a virtually sealed building, as he can no longer afford to control the temperature of the rest of the building! Unbelievable!
Did he not have a budget for the construction of this facility? Is this just his call or is it the call of the entire City Council? What does the City Engineer’s, Markets and Public Health Departments have to say? What does the Central Housing and Planning Authority have to say about this? And the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry? Will all of the vendors whether in the meat and seafood section or otherwise not be required to pay a substantial rent? Does King expect the shoppers to leave the comfort of all the modern supermarkets, malls and stores in Guyana to put up with the discomfort of the hot and humid Kitty Market?
Does King realise that this is a public building and not one of his private homes, all of which incidentally are air-conditioned? What is the vendors union, the Ministry of Business and the Ministry of Communities going to do about this short-changing? What they need to find out is why the cost of constructing the Kitty Market was so enormous, yet so lacking in basic amenities and facilities?
Sincerely,
James Mc Onnell
