City Hall restoration project should be completed this year – Mayor

The restoration of the iconic City Hall building is expected to be completed this year, fulfilling the commitment of preserving its history while modernising the infrastructure.

Georgetown Mayor, Alfred Mentore on Thursday said the $780 million project is moving apace despite several delays before. He noted that the project is being co-managed but the majority of it is being done by the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development.

“We provided the feasibility study which was financed by the European Union which was to the tune of £250,000 [approximately GY$64 million]. They financed that study which was used by the Ministry to finance [it],” Mentore said.

Despite the uncertainty of the exact completion date, Mentore said he anticipates its completion this year as it is an election year and government may want to have this project completed at soonest.

Mentore mentioned that in January, he was accompanied by Councillor Clayton Hinds, and the European Union (EU) Ambassador to Guyana, René van Nes and his delegation during a visit to project site.

The delegation toured the City Hall edifice assessing its current state and discussing the renovations and timeline of completion.

“I haven’t been back there [met with the project team] for three months now but I will take another visit to establish when it should be ready,” Mentore said.

The restoration of the building was originally slated for completion in March 2023. The project was awarded in 2021 to Trinidad-based contractor, Fides Limited, and initially had an 18-month timeline.

A major task for the team is to balance the structural integrity of the building and preserving the historical value of the three-storey building. Surmounting these challenges required meticulous planning and manual labour, further extending the project timeline.