Following several reports in this newspaper about its closure and debate at the city council on Monday, the Promenade Gardens was yesterday reopened to the public.
However, the hosting of events and taking of photographs inside the gardens still requires prior approval from the Mayor and City Council.
On Friday, September 8, 2023, Stabroek News investigated the situation after a post on Facebook stated that the gardens were closed and an entrance fee was being enforced due to ongoing COVID-19 restrictions. It was revealed that the gardens were indeed closed. The guard however allowed the reporter in for 30 minutes. Several subsequent visits by this newspaper revealed that the gardens were indeed closed though security personnel gave varying reasons.
On Monday at the city council’s statutory meeting, Mayor Alfred Mentore emphasized the necessity of reopening the gardens. It came to light during the meeting that the guards at the facility were apparently unaware that COVID-19 regulations were no longer in effect. It is unclear why the city’s administration had not been in touch with the security guards.
In a Facebook post on August 11, 2023, Nirmala Ramroop-Ter Welle questioned what was happening with the garden. In her post, she said, “What is up with the Promenade Garden? Is this now a private garden? It is definitely not open to the public. I read on the internet that the garden belongs to the M&CC but nothing about opening times, entrance fees, etc., only that you can use it for events. The place is locked up, and no one can visit this garden unless you pay $2000 per person to the guard to have a look around.”
She added: “While I support paying to visit the garden to help with the upkeep and maintenance, it doesn’t augur well with me to pay a private person to visit a facility owned by the people of Guyana. Something is not right! Maybe someone can enlighten me.”
