Chairman of Cummings Park, Eugene Lewis says that there is a list of activities earmarked for the recently commissioned Cummings Lodge multi-purpose building.
The building located in what residents call ‘E’ Field, Sophia was commissioned by Housing Minister Irfaan Ali in February and cost some $29.5M to construct.
The project is a joint venture between the European Union and the Government of Guyana.
When this newspaper visited the location yesterday, the building was locked and louvre panes from the windows at the top flat were missing. According to nearby residents, the project has not yet been completed.
Lewis, who is in charge of the centre, told this newspaper that the area is actually called Cummings Park which is part of Cummings Lodge, hence the building was named after the community.
She says that the centre is expected to greatly benefit the community, especially the children. Lewis pointed out that on Monday, a library will be opened at the bottom flat of the centre. “It’s going to benefit the community well,” she said.
However there are some works to be completed at the centre, she said. The works include furnishing the inside, securing the perimeter and hiring a guard to protect the building. Lewis pointed out that children in the community have removed three louvre panes from the building already.
A decision was taken by the committee to hire a guard to work through the night to prevent vandalism of the building. According to Lewis the guard will occupy a room in the centre until a hut can be built for him. Addressing critics of the building, Lewis said, “Rome was not built in a day…”
Meanwhile other proposed plans at the centre include a health outreach programme later this month. Lewis said that a dozen doctors will be at the centre on March 11 and 12 to carry out a medical outreach in the community.
The women’s group in the area is also expected to hold sewing classes and a play group at the centre.
Lewis said further that the Housing Ministry, which is the supervisor of the building, will assist in making the playfield more useable. But Lewis stressed that all of these plans will take some time to be enacted.
Meanwhile, some residents of Cummings Lodge are upset that the centre carries the community’s name but is not located in the community and many believe it will not benefit their community.
According to one resident of Cummings Lodge, Mohamed Khan, he was born and raised in Cummings Lodge and the area the centre is located in is not Cummings Lodge.
Khan pointed out that Cummings Lodge is located between the University of Guyana Road and Industry on the East Coast of Demerara. The man believes that if his community will not benefit from the centre then the centre should not carry the community’s name.
The distance to the centre also makes it impossible for residents of Cummings Lodge to be able to benefit from the facility, Khan said.
