Tensions between municipal authorities and central government escalated significantly yesterday as City Mayor Alfred Mentore warned that he is prepared to deploy the City Constabulary to halt contractors carrying out unannounced parapet excavations across Queenstown.
Addressing a room of affected property owners and community members at the Herdmanston Lodge, Mayor Mentore revealed that municipal officers were previously dispatched to intervene in similar works in Lamaha Gardens.
“I had to send constabulary ranks to lock up the contractors in Lamaha Gardens to protect residents there, and I might have to do that here as well,” Mentore declared, reassuring residents that their organized stance gives the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) a clear mandate to intervene.
The emergency stakeholder engagement brought residents face-to-face with an engineer attached to the Ministry of Public Works to discuss ongoing works executed under the ministry’s Hard-Shoulder Improvement Programme. Attendees agreed unanimously that all excavation works must be suspended immediately pending comprehensive community consultation and a thorough technical review.
Throughout the session, residents challenged the Ministry’s assertions that replacing grassed verges with compacted crusher-run surfaces is intended to beautify the capital and address growing parking demands.
“How are you beautifying by removing the beauty?” one resident questioned, while others asked whether any Queenstown property owner had ever requested expanded commercial parking in their residential neighborhood.
Long-time residents voiced frustration over what they described as a total lack of respect for the neighborhood’s established culture of maintaining green spaces. Resident Khadidja Bâ pointed out that Oronoque Street was entirely omitted from the initial notice she received, making the sudden arrival of heavy machinery a complete surprise.
Bâ added that despite assurances that established flora would remain untouched, contractors dug up extensive root systems. While the ministry’s engineer stated that workers were instructed to maintain a 15-foot clearance from trees and would return to lay pavers, residents remain concerned that mature trees lining the avenues will die.
“My dogs walk on the grass because the road surface gets too hot,” another resident explained, warning that replacing natural soil with aggregate surfaces inflicts paw burns on pets and strips the neighborhood of its natural cooling elements.
Concerns were also raised regarding structural integrity and public safety. Residents highlighted the risk of damage to parallel water and sewage lines, asking whether cross-contamination had been factored into the project design. Others pointed out that replacing absorbent grassed parapets with compacted stone will accelerate surface runoff and worsen localized flooding.
“Not one bucket of silt has been taken out of any canal,” one resident observed, questioning whether existing drainage channels possess the capacity to absorb additional runoff during heavy rainfall.
In response to the intervention, a formal petition accompanied by a letter dated November 10 was submitted by Sandra Singh on behalf of residents, property owners, and local stakeholders to Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill.
The submission, supported by 386 signatures collected through 319 digital submissions and 67 physical house-to-house sign-offs, requests an immediate halt to all excavations. The petition details critical concerns regarding drainage capacity, underground utilities, road integrity, and pedestrian safety, arguing that converting verges into parking spaces without raised sidewalks will force pedestrians directly into traffic lanes.
The petitioners are calling on the Ministry of Public Works to collaborate on an alternative design that incorporates covered box drains, raised walkways, and the re-grassing of damaged areas to preserve the historic character of the area.
Yesterday’s developments in Queenstown mirror ongoing friction in Lamaha Gardens, where residents submitted a similar petition on October 18 regarding works along Duncan Street. While activities there were temporarily halted, residents continue to wait for a promised consultation date with state engineers.
