$103M Wismar market commissioned
by Joe Chapman
Guyana Chronicle
February 3, 2004
WISMAR Municipal Market, rehabilitated at a cost of $103 million under Government's Urban Development Programme, is fully opened to the public after last Saturday's formal opening by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds.
Chairman of the Linden Town Council's Interim Management Committee Orrin Gordon, Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development Phillip Hamilton, and Vice Chairman of Region Ten (Upper Demerara/Berbice) Joy Walton also officiated at the opening ceremony, outside the market.
Prime Minister Hinds recalled going to Wismar Market in the late 1960s while living in Linden, and said the reopening was "a step in the process of development and it was a progressive step." He said he was pleased with what has happened in Linden over the weekend, with Linden Nite and the end of the ten-day LEAP 'Starting Your Own Business' workshop, which he also attended.
Mr. Hinds said IDB assistance must not go unnoticed as the contributions come from other countries out of taxes and revenues, which their people pay to their governments. He said Guyanese should recognize that other people in other countries are helping Guyana to go forward in development.
He congratulated the new IMC and the young people involved in it, such as the Wismar Market Committee Chairman, Winston Smith, for facing up the challenge of hastening the town's development.
The original estimates to repair the Wismar Market was G$100,118,150 but actual costs to rehabilitate the market reached in excess of G$103M. The contract was executed by Courtney Benn Contracting Services Limited.
The work included having the area of approximately 4,500 square yards enclosed. Among the other works executed were the rehabilitation of the roof, windows, doors and structural steel frames, along with the existing sanitary block and the construction
of a new one, the construction of 54 new general stalls, four butchers' stalls and four large
grocery stalls and fish tables, installation of fire fighting equipment, a four-face market clock, painting, installation of security lights and electrical power to stalls, the construction of northern and back fences, the installation of rainwater facilities and the construction of concrete pavements.
Under the Urban Development Programme, there are three components: namely, institutional strengthening and capacity building, property tax reform and the rehabilitation of infrastructure works.
The Programme is funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (US$20M) and the Government of Guyana (US$5M).