Assistant City Engineer, Rasheed Kellman said he envisions the new Kitty Market to have a “supermarket arrangement” where the products are nicely packaged and displayed.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Communities, the City Council is aiming to construct a two-storey edifice to house a modern market with offices in the upper flat.
“We’re hoping to have a supermarket arrangement where the meat is nicely portioned and packaged and placed in freezers. We don’t want to be operating in the same manner when this market is finished. So we don’t want vendors to have the meat hanging in the stalls exposed to flies and the elements,” Kellman is quoted as saying during a recent tour of the worksite.
Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan was accompanied by the Head of Projects Department, Naeem Khan and Municipal Services Officer, Nandranie Harrichan during the visit.
The Assistant City Engineer; City Constabulary Inspector, Peter Livingstone and other officials from the City Engineers Department guided the Communities Minister on the site visit during the inspection of works.
The statement said Kellman reported that the first phase of the works is about 70% completed for the upper flat and 45% for the lower flat.
He disclosed that the Council is trying to preserve the architectural design of the building and has contracted the services of labourers within its employ to carry out the works.
Kellman explained that the works have been stalled due to the unavailability of funds to source materials and as such works are carried out in a phased manner.
The project is expected to cost in the vicinity of $25M and the scope of works include the construction of 15 external stalls, the sanitary block and the administrative office inclusive of a revenue collection section, the Ministry said.
The initial project caters for the construction of over 100 stalls including fresh fruits and vegetables, a fish/meat section and clothing and grocery vending.
The Ministry explained that the sizes of the stalls vary with the largest measuring 12 by eight and the rent assessed based on square feet.
In addition to the stalls, the building is already designed to include the Public Health Department, Clerk of Market, Revenue Collectors and a concert/conference hall which is expected to serve as a rental facility for community events.
The City Council intends to equip the market with solar energy to power the electricity supply needs of the vendors with the central air conditioning being powered by the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc.
The contingency plan also includes an electricity generating system that would power the market whenever there is an outage.
The market became defunct in April 2016 after vendors were forced to move due to concerns for their safety.
The Assistant Engineer explained that because of the dilapidated condition of the upper story vendors operating on the lower flat were relocated to an area outside.
Subsequently, works were undertaken by the City Council on the market structure but because of the unavailability of funds, the project stalled for several months.
The Council reached out to the Ministry of Communities for assistance and works on the first phase of the project began.
Under the Georgetown Restoration Programme, another $50M has been awarded to assist the Council in completing the works.
