| In recognition of the fact that the Le Repentir Cemetery not only poses a health threat during flooding situations but has the potential to serve as a haven for criminal elements, the Mayor and City Council has placed its transformation on a priority list of concerns.In fact Public Relations Officer (PRO) attached to the municipality, Mr Royston King, said yesterday that the condition of the cemetery has been raised at a number of statutory meetings as a matter of serious concern.A section of the Le Repentir CemeterySo disturbing has been the state of the cemetery that City Mayor Hamilton Green had on numerous occasions proposed that Council acquire lands outside of the city to cater to the ever-growing burial needs of residents.The Mayor,Air Max 97 Undefeated White, according to King, had also alluded to the possibility of developing a crematorium and had even engaged several persons in this regard. The municipality has over the years embraced several other measures to improve the cemetery which even saw the establishment of a Cemetery Restoration Committee. The Committee had seen the involvement of a number of overseas-based residents who were expected to help chart the way forward. Though some works were done, which included the clearing of a section of the cemetery by prison inmates, to date not much has been done to transform the burial facility to an acceptable state.However, King insisted yesterday that the municipality is certainly not deliberately neglecting the facility. He made reference to the cash-strapped state of the municipality, adding that “given our present situation we are doing the best that we can…at the moment we are facilitating limited maintenance and we recognise that there is a drainage problem when it rains and that is certainly gaining our attention.”According to King, the Council is currently seeking the assistance of Chairman of the Municipality’s Implementation Committee,Cheap Air Max 97 Trainers, Keith Burrowes, to address the existing state of affairs. “We are not ignoring the situation…our limited resources compounded by the burden we have in terms of the number of services we offer has been preventing us from doing more but we are doing our best at the moment.”Burrowes, according to the PRO, has been giving immense assistance to the municipality in a number of crucial areas aimed at helping to improve its operation. However, he noted that “at the end of the day we are still the agency that must provide services to the city and we don’t feel very proud about our limitations.”King disclosed that some of the challenges of the city entity extend beyond its control such as the inability to implement avenues to earn additional revenue. These avenues such as paid parking and a portion of the environmental tax, he related,Nike Air Max 97 Buy, require Government’s approval before they can be realised,Cheap Nike Air Max Wholesale, a courtesy that has not been extended to the municipality.The municipal financial state has seen it month after month being unable to pay wages and salaries in a timely manner, the past month being no exception.However, while City Hall continues to grapple with its financial predicament, Burrowes has revealed plans that will help to address the state of the cemetery. He revealed during a forum last month that “I am getting businessmen to help us clean out that cemetery. I have always argued that the state it is in, is disrespectful to the dead, and I have held that position for a long time.”Alluding to excessive overgrowth,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, Burrowes likened the cemetery to a forest even as he pondered over who or what could be living within its confines. The existing condition,Cheap Jerseys, he said, has also served to prevent family members from visiting the tombs of relatives who have passed in order to pay annual respects. “If you want to go and put some flowers on a tomb some particular day you can’t get in there,” Burrowes lamented.In order to clear the “forest” – an area stretching from the old Princess Street Mortuary to the western border of the now decommissioned dump site – Burrowes said that in excess of $40 million will have to be raised. Once cleared the cemetery could remain in a kempt state by recruiting the services of inmates of the Prison Services, Burrowes suggested.However, the problem does not end with the clearing of the overgrowth, as according to him the Princess Street canal is relatively higher than the cemetery thus a situation of flooding is inevitable when it rains. “The problem is that the water is running on and not off so that is definitely something we need to look at and it is a health hazard…I can tell you that.” |
