The Mayor and City Council (M&CC) on Monday held a consultation with stakeholders concerning the restoration of City Hall and several organisations have pledged their support towards the initiative.
According to City spokesman Royston King, Mayor of Georgetown Hamilton Green told those in attendance at the consultation, held at the National Library, that the setting up of a restoration fund to manage donations is expected to occur shortly.
In providing alternative ways for funding to the council, representatives from the United States Embassy encouraged the council to apply for funding from its Ambassador Funds for Cultural Development while businessman Roshan Khan and CEO of Digicel-Guyana Gregory Dean indicated their support for the project.
King stated that Green expressed urgency in beginning restoration work, while noting that hundreds of millions will be needed to restore the national treasure. He also told this newspaper that the mayor mentioned that the council will not be involved in the handling of the monies and donations of the fund and that a special committee of civic-minded persons will be responsible for that aspect.
King also told Stabroek News that another meeting is scheduled for later this month to deal with City Hall rehabilitation and that they will be moving into communities to interact with persons and seek their help.
City Hall is currently in urgent need of repairs. Green had said previously that $20 million was allocated to the council last year for repairs to the building but only $5 million was spent. He went on to say that the $5 million was not spent properly and that the council is awaiting a report on the matter.
The mayor had also said that the city is awaiting a work schedule of how the remaining $15 million is to be spent by the City Engineer’s Department and this is one of the reasons why the building remains in its current deteriorating state.
