A month after being commissioned, the Westminster Multipurpose Centre is still to be put to use and it is already falling apart.
Yesterday when this newspaper visited the West Bank Demerara community, the building was locked but it was clear that vandals had been at work there. Several windows were missing louvres, while one window had more than half of its panes missing. A security light at the side of the building was dangling by its electric wires. The field the building overlooked was soggy from the rainfall.
When enquiries were made about the building, nearby residents said they did not know who was in charge of the building. However, many of them said they remembered the building being commissioned last month.
Meanwhile, an official from the Ministry of Housing explained to this newspaper that following the commissioning, the building was handed over to the Ministry of Local Government and it was more than likely that the Neighbourhood Democratic Council that Westminster falls under is responsible for the building’s maintenance.
On February 14, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Housing Emil McGarell and Ambassador of the European Commission Geert Heikens along with government officials commissioned the $29.5 million facility.
The building is one of four multi-purpose buildings erected under the EU/LIHP programme.
The establishment of multi-purpose facilities is seen as a way to promote social cohesion among the residents in these new housing areas, a Government Information Agency (GINA) release issued on the opening of the building had said.
According to GINA, another aspect of the EU/LIPH is the implementation of skills training and capacity building to facilitate job creation and small-scale income generation in an effort to boost residents’ standard of living.
Contracts to have the building fenced are supposed to be out.
