City parking contract negotiating team begins consultations today

The team from the Georgetown Mayor and City Council that is tasked with renegotiating the metered parking contract is scheduled to begin a series of consultations from today.

The consultations would be held in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall.

Stabroek News was informed that the team, which is headed by Team Legacy’s Councillor Malcolm Ferreira, would first meet with representatives of pressure group Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM), the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) today.

Yesterday, MAPM and the GCCI officials told Stabroek News that they would be present at the consultations. Efforts to contact the PSC were unsuccessful.

In an invited comment, Don Singh a member of the MAPM said that a delegation of ten would be present to engage in discussions with the team. Singh stressed that the group’s position remains and it would be pressing for the contract to be revoked.

During a statutory meeting yesterday, Ferreira informed the council that consultations would be held from today through Thursday, from 2pm to 7pm daily.

“The main objective is to listen to concerns and suggestions on the implementation of parking meters within the city of Georgetown,” Ferreira said.

He explained that tomorrow, the team would be meeting with taxi and minibus owners/operators and the owners/operators of vehicles used for commercial purposes, while on Thursday, it would meet with city residents.

The metered parking project in the city was halted by the government following a public outcry and almost seven weeks of protest organized by the MAPM calling for the contract to be revoked.

Since the team was selected in early May, it has met with Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan, who urged it to negotiate a contract that the entire council can freely support.

The original contract, which was signed on May 13, 2016, was negotiated by Mayor Patricia Chase-Green, Town Clerk Royston King, Chairman of the Finance Committee Oscar Clarke and Finance Committee member Junior Garrett. During the selection of members for the negotiating team, Chase-Green recused herself.

The seven-member team includes councillors Noelle Chow-Chee, Roopnarine Persaud, Ivelaw Henry, Tricia Richards, Carlyle Goring and Heston Bostwick.