Staff vacate decrepit City Hall building

…allowed to run down by M&CC over decades

The staff attached to City Hall are expected to be relocated sooner than later due to the dilapidated state of the building located at Regent Street, Georgetown.
This was confirmed by His Worship the Mayor, Ubraj Narine during an interview with Guyana Times on Tuesday where he further stated that the City Treasurer has complained of dust dropping from the ceiling and affecting him and other staff members.

Narine also stated that the Mayor’s Complex was also partially damaged, but persons there will not be relocated. Moreover, he confirmed that the entire building is affected by the leaking roof though efforts are presently being made to have it rehabilitated.
As a consequence, he posited that he is looking at alternative measures to ensure the workers are kept safe and healthy.
“We are looking to relocate them [employees] but I don’t know how soon we would be able to move forward with that,” he said.
The Mayor informed that City Hall understands the importance of the issue but will need the requisite financing before moving the workers.
He explained, “Indeed, the Treasurer’s Department ought to be relocated somewhere but at this point in time we are working on it and we do not know how early we can be able to deal with it because these things would include finance”.
Narine did not state exactly how many workers are being affected by the flaws of the building.
Just last week, Guyana Times reported that the rainy season has not only brought flooding to some sections of Georgetown but also a reminder that the City Hall building is currently on its last stride as a recent visit to the building painted a scary picture.
This publication observed that the railings were falling apart, with broken windows and stumbling woodwork that was seemingly attached by a thread.
Speaking with Guyana Times, one of the Councillors, Bishram Kuppen, noted that this severe damage could have been averted if frequent maintenance was carried out. However, the building has been neglected for decades by past mayors and these small problems were mounted into a significant one which is difficult to remedy.
A study was conducted by the European Union, pegging the rehabilitation works at some $400 million.
For now, the Council is awaiting funds to construct a new building next to the existing structure, which will house employees during the rehabilitation period. Over the years, millions of dollars were injected into the Council for the building’s restoration, including some $20 million in 2012.
Last year, it was indicated that proceeds from the Council’s City Week activities were to be used to start the restoration project at City Hall.