| Efforts to restore the Le Repentir Cemetery have ground to an indefinite halt and it is certainly not due to a lack of vision on the part of the municipality.At least, this is according to City Mayor Hamilton Green, who revealed yesterday that much needed assistance from a wide cross section of city residents has been all but forthcoming. He acknowledged, though,Devonta Freeman Falcons Jersey, that there are some citizens who have already indicated their willingness to aid the cause.The growth infested cemeteryIt was in the first quarter of last year that City Hall had engaged a plan to include city residents in the restoration of the cemetery.However,Phil Simms Giants Jersey, with the current level of assistance, the Mayor is concerned that much cannot be done at this time. “We haven’t had the flood of response that we had expected. There are persons who are willing to help but it is just not enough to have a significant impact.”As such, he noted that a more conscious effort would be made this year to solicit direct support from persons whose departed loved ones are accommodated at the cemetery.The Mayor said that he will seek to make contact with residents both here and overseas. During a planned trip overseas which will see him visiting New York, Atlanta and Miami, the Mayor disclosed that he intends to reach out to Guyanese there in order to solicit their support.In the meantime,Joe McKnight College Jersey, though,Dexter McCluster Chargers Jersey, he noted that the municipality, even with its limited resources has been trying to maintain the integrity of the cemetery. “We know that the cemetery is in an awful state so we are hoping to get as much support to change the situation of the cemetery.”And there is an urgent need to improve the state of the cemetery. Based on observations made by the municipal Medical Officer of Health, Dr Bizuayehu Jeffrey, last year she was able to deduce that “we are lucky that we have not had a medical outbreak here.”Medical Officer of Health within the Georgetown municipality, Dr Jeffrey was tasked with making a presentation to accentuate her medical perspective during a meeting held last October at City Hall.The meeting saw the attendance of city councillors, municipal officers and concerned residents, all of whom made up a Cemetery Committee which was geared at working toward streamlining and implementing plans to restore the cemetery.In her presentation, Dr Jeffrey categorically underlined that the cemetery is a health hazard. According to her, it is a known fact that when the rainy season comes, the burial site would flood and remain in that state for a period, a situation which could undoubtedly cause an outbreak.“Overseas we notice they keep burial grounds on high lands because water can drain easily unlike the case of Guyana…”And this is important, Dr Jeffrey noted, as the human body, after death, releases a lot of chemicals,Chris Doleman Vikings Throwback Jersey, bacteria and viruses which enter the soil. Once the cemetery becomes inundated, the flood water will become contaminated and therefore is classified as a public health threat. “People are in the habit of going into the cemetery without shoes; children go there and they might have cuts on their skin through which the contaminated water can affect them.”Dr Jeffrey had expressed optimism that the work proposed by the Committee and the City Engineer’s Department, in particular, will be long term and serve to reform the cemetery to an acceptable state.But though the urgency is realistic, nothing to eliminate the health threat is likely to be engaged in the near future. However, the City Mayor said that it is expected that the matter will be discussed at council level before further public pronouncement is made.Efforts to clear overgrowth in some sections of the cemetery commenced last April through the municipality’s collaboration with the Prison Services, an alliance which saw the municipality paying modest remuneration to prisoners who with manual labour undertook the tedious task.City Engineer, Gregory Erskine, had outlined the proposed plans for the site including the erection of a fence to aid security and even the rehabilitation of vandalised tombs to improve the appearance of the facility.Some of the suggestions that have been made to restore the facility also included the need for the creation of sub-committees including public awareness and fundraising committees. Earlier this year, a restoration fund was proposed in order to secure funding for the rehabilitation of the cemetery.It has since been disclosed that the municipality is contemplating a cheque or savings account,Carlos Beltran Astros Jersey, a means through which the members of the public could offer their financial support. However, assistance of other kinds will also be accepted toward the restoration of the cemetery.In the meantime, the cemetery remains overwhelmed with burgeoning weed. |
