Part 2
Solid waste
Collins told this newspaper that they are using the excavator to desilt the main drainage, starting from the outfalls. This she said would take some time to complete owing to the volume of work.
The TC is “trying to maintain the infrastructure” and is also “constantly battling with the solid waste collection; we are working towards improving that.” It is also trying to acquire a Bobcat loader to assist with clearing the road shoulders and other areas of garbage.
She mentioned the restoration committee that was recently launched to rehabilitate the tower on the TC building which was in a deplorable state.
Work is also being done to enhance the conditions at the municipal abattoir. The amount of animals that were slaughtered at the abattoir has reduced drastically, the town clerk said.
A new abattoir which the Local Government Ministry constructed a few years ago was said to be too small and was never used. Vandals have since removed the roof and fittings.
That building is expected to be renovated so that pigs could be slaughtered there separately.
The Town Clerk related that zinc sheets on the old building had to be strapped with steel rods to prevent vandalism. A water facility is also being installed.
She explained that the TC is also maintaining the dumpsite so persons can have easy access to it and avoid dumping in the drains and road shoulders. There is also a problem with persons of unsound mind emptying garbage bins that are placed in front of the market and on the pavements.
The council is appealing to residents to pay up their taxes because it is “limited with the collections.”
Acknowledging that street vending is a major hindrance to businesses, she said the council is in the process of renovating the “back market” to accommodate the vendors. Work on that section, she said, started last year and should be completed this year.
Meanwhile, another building that the TC constructed several years ago along the stelling road as a ‘Christmas in April’ project has remained a ‘white elephant.’ This was due to a court battle with a businessman over ownership of the land.
Business in the old days
A prominent resident of the town, Gregory Rambarran of Dave’s Television (DTV) Channel 8 of Main and St Ann Streets remembered the “good ole days” of some business places.
He reminisced that “those were the days when you could have walked into a restaurant and get a bowl of soup or rice for free.” You could have also gotten a little butter for your bread, if you asked.
Like other residents, he mentioned that A. Ally & Sons General Store which has a large warehouse and four branches across Berbice is the most prominent business in the town.
Other main businesses include furniture stores, boutiques, restaurants and fast food outlets like Demico House, Chesters and Church’s Chicken.
He pointed to an old building across the road that belonged to the Coddettes and where a popular snackette was operated called ‘Mommy Coddette Parlour.’ That snackette which was the first to obtain machines for popcorn, parched nuts and ice cream was also famous for burgers and peanut punch. It also had the first bingo and lottery machines.
The Coddettes also operated the Circle Sea Bar in a separate building at the back. After that was closed the La Carib Diner, owned by Albert De Nobrega was opened there. That restaurant later relocated to a roadside spot and the building now houses the Jokwesan Creole Restaurant. That was named after the Williams’ family members, John, Kwesi and Sandra – a former home economics student. Homemade bread is also served at the restaurant.
Opposite DTV 8 is a branch of Courts Furniture Store and according to Rambarran, the Chu’s Furniture Store and later Geddes Grant used to be housed there. He also recalled that the building which Metro Office Supplies occupies was once the Gaiety Cinema.
Further, he said St Ann Street. was referred to as ‘Chinee Lane’ because a number of Chinese Nationals lived there.
The DTV 8 building was owned by Haa Yun who operated a printery. A section of the building also housed Khan’s Racing Service which had a pinball machine.
His father, David Rambarran, the founder of Dave’s Portrait Studio relocated to that spot in 1966. David was a pioneer in black and white portrait photography, and he also processed photographs in his lab. He later started adding colour to the pictures by hand through a technique called ‘photo tint.’ The elder Rambarran specialized in family, especially toddler, photography and also made postcards.
Rambarran, an artist and former teacher along with his brothers assisted their father in running the business. He started adding graphics to photos by hand until the advent of computers. He also started video productions in 1983.
The DTV Channel 8 station was opened in December 1993 but in 1991 he voiced the first local video commercial that was aired on Little Rock Television Station in Berbice. That, he recalled was for a committee to restore the old New Amsterdam Hospital which has now fallen to pieces.
In January 1994 he started and anchored the first local newscast. He also produced a monthly review and then the weekly review one month later followed by the daily New Digest. According to Rambarran his daily newscast was started one month after the Evening News that was aired by VCT, while LRTV started one month after him.
He also produced local documentaries, featuring famous landmarks in Berbice including the old hospital. The same year (1994) he transmitted the first live show in honour of the first anniversary of Courts Furniture Store.
