Cohesion Day prayer ceremony held at D’urban Park – minimal work remains on facility
Georgetown, GINA, May 11, 2016
A national prayer ceremony was this morning held in observance of Social Cohesion Day at D’urban Park where there is minimal work remaining to be done to complete the project. D’urban Park will become a key recreational area in Georgetown.
The event saw representatives of several religious bodies giving praise for unity and peace. These include Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Bahai and Rastafarian faiths. Hundreds of attendees filled the stands, joining in the prayers and enjoying the cultural performances that were also part of the day’s activities.
President David Granger addressing the large gathering, made a stirring appeal for social cohesion. He urged all Guyanese to respect and celebrate the Guyana’s ethnic, religious and cultural diversity.
Both President David Granger and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and their spouses released white balloons in the air to symbolise peace and unity. The event was attended by several other government functionaries.
Jubilee park
Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson on a visit to the park yesterday, noted that the stands are 96 percent completed. With little time remaining, the Minister assured that the park will be completed as scheduled. “Our timetable still remains the same, we would like to be out of here before this weekend,” the Minister stated.
A lot of emphasis has been placed on safety at the venue which has the capacity to hold about 30,000 people.
He noted that a tremendous amount of rehabilitative works has been done to make the stands safe. Chief Works Officer, Geoffrey Vaughn explained that the building codes were strictly followed, adding that the stands are as safe as can be. “We applied the factor of safety three, which is even more than the 2.2 which is required, so we go higher rather than lower,” Vaughn explained.
The VIP stand which is expected to hold about 270 persons is 73 percent completed. Design Engineer, Jeffery Walcott who is in charge of its construction, said that the stand will be completed on time. “The sheeting still has to go on; once we finish with that, the floor goes on completely and then the washroom area because it is dependent on the weather. It is going to take a little bit of time, but we are actually going to finish that off pretty quickly,” Walcott explained.
Additionally, engineer Lawrence Mentis who is responsible for the road works at D’urban Park said that the roads are approximately 90 percent completed and are expected to be completed by Thursday, May 12, 2016. Additional works will be done on the roads to ensure that they are ready for the celebrations.
“We will be doing some final touches in terms of grading and shaping the compound at least to make sure all the surface are level and to take care of all the minor works that are in the compound, ” Mentis stated.