City Councillors and Mayor Ubraj Narine on Monday expressed their frustration with the City Engineer’s Department only being able to install nine manhole covers around the city.
Chief City Engineer Colvern Venture reported to the City Council’s statutory meeting that they would have made 23 manhole covers but would have installed nine, while the remainder have to be properly cured before they are installed. Albouystown and Bel Air Park are among the areas where the manhole covers were installed.
Councillor Heston Bostwick challenged what was stated by the engineer and questioned if it was acceptable that only nine manhole covers could have been provided within a period of one month. Venture, however, noted that for one of the manhole covers, they would have had to go into their own pockets to obtain the materials. He added that when the covers are cast, they require a 21 to 28-day period before they can be put in place. He said that if they are installed before the completion of the curing period they would break.
“What the engineer is saying, I really can’t gather that from an engineer’s point of view. I am asking the question if we must accept that in one month you put nine covers to cure, because it’s how much you prepare within the month,” Bostwick said. The councillor added that it was unacceptable that the department only put nine manhole covers to cure within that one-month period.
Bostwick told the council that the covering of manholes in the city should be treated with a level of priority and asked that the city treasurer make funds available for the necessary materials required to cover manholes in the city. “I think the covering of manholes in the city should be treated with some amount of priority… I would be very grateful if it finds favour in every councillor here that this council should so direct to move that the city
treasurer make funds available that the materials that need to be acquired can be so done so that those manholes can be properly covered,” he added.
Mayor Narine said based on his several reviews of the engineer’s department, there appears to be a deficiency in management. “I believe the management of the City Engineer is lacking—not only minor lacking but very huge—and I urge madam Town Clerk, take up my advice and sort things out at the Engineer’s Department” Narine said. The mayor went on to say that he would not want to say that he is “fed up,” as he would have said at previous meetings, but he noted that he is tired of excuses from the Engineer’s Department.
