Gov’t commits $200M to City Hall rehab

Government has approved over $200 million for the rehabilitation of City Hall, Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon announced yesterday.

Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green welcomed the announcement but hoped that the central government would seek to engage those with the technical know-how to undertake the renovation.

The $200M could be a major boost for the crumbling 1889 masterpiece designed by Father Ignatius Scoles.

At a post-Cabinet briefing yesterday, Luncheon announced that given the current state of the building and that it can “collapse at any time,” the Donald Ramotar administration is eying a comprehensive renovation and has strongly resolved to fast-track interventions into rehabilitating the historic building.

However, Luncheon did not state when the renovations will begin but he did add that interest in the building surfaced recently. The city council and many members of civil society had been appealing for years for the government to do something about City Hall.

In an invited comment yesterday, Green said that the idea of the restoration is a “welcome one.” “The restoration requires a certain skill,