• Latest
York House 2021

Uglification of our capital city – our diminishing Grenadian identity  

7 months ago
Weather Bulletin: Tuesday, 28 June 8 am

Weather Bulletin: Tuesday, 28 June 8 am

2 mins ago
Olympic Day Celebrations 2022 a success

Olympic Day Celebrations 2022 a success

2 hours ago
Weather Bulletin: Tuesday, 28 June 2 am

Weather Bulletin: Tuesday, 28 June 2 am

2 hours ago
International Lightning Safety Day 28 June

International Lightning Safety Day 28 June

2 hours ago
Traffic Notice for Pure Grenada Music Festival

Traffic Notice: Dusty Highway, St George

3 hours ago

NAWASA on water supply: Tropical Storm warning

11 hours ago
Tropical Weather Outlook: Monday, 27 June 2022 (8 pm)

Tropical Weather Outlook: Monday, 27 June 2022 (8 pm)

12 hours ago
RGPF Reports 77% detection for 2014

Transmitting false information violates Electronic Crimes Act

12 hours ago
National Cleanup Begins Friday

Grenada under Tropical Storm Warning

14 hours ago
NHC: Key messages for Tropical Cyclone 2

NHC: Key messages for Tropical Cyclone 2

15 hours ago
Vacancy: Plant Engineer

Vacancy: Brand Manager

15 hours ago
Government of Mexico announces scholarships for OECS Nationals

Government of Mexico announces scholarships for OECS Nationals

16 hours ago
NOW Grenada
  • Front Page
  • Categories
    • General News
      • All
      • Agriculture & Fisheries
      • Arts & Culture
      • Business
      • Education
      • Environment
      • Health
      • History
      • Lifestyle
      • Law
      • Politics
      • Technology
      • Travel & Tourism
      • Weather
      • Youth
    • Sports
      • All
      • Athletics
      • Cricket
      • Football
      • Watersports
    • Community
      • All
      • Tribute
    • Crime
    • Features
      • All
      • Today in History
    • Opinion/Commentary
    • Press Releases
      • All
      • Advertisements
      • Notices
  • Video
  • Notices & Vacancies
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Front Page
  • Categories
    • General News
      • All
      • Agriculture & Fisheries
      • Arts & Culture
      • Business
      • Education
      • Environment
      • Health
      • History
      • Lifestyle
      • Law
      • Politics
      • Technology
      • Travel & Tourism
      • Weather
      • Youth
    • Sports
      • All
      • Athletics
      • Cricket
      • Football
      • Watersports
    • Community
      • All
      • Tribute
    • Crime
    • Features
      • All
      • Today in History
    • Opinion/Commentary
    • Press Releases
      • All
      • Advertisements
      • Notices
  • Video
  • Notices & Vacancies
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
NOW Grenada
No Result
View All Result

Uglification of our capital city – our diminishing Grenadian identity  

This story was posted 7 months ago
18 November 2021
in Arts/Culture/Entertainment, Environment, OPINION/COMMENTARY, Politics, Travel/Tourism
4 min. read
York House, Church Street view. Photo: SLCT
Share

by Norris Mitchell

Several times in the past, the Willie Redhead Foundation through the Sentinel, which is its official mouthpiece, has brought to the public attention the deplorable state of our capital city with special reference to the ongoing disfigurement of the Market Square together with the decaying District Board building which forms part of the (Market Square) complex, the Abattoir buildings restoration – not to mention the collapsing Museum balcony and the loss of Huggins Farm and Garden balconies on Granby and Halifax Streets in the heart of our capital city – a living testimony to the continuous uglification of historic St George’s, with no indication for a positive change in the absence of progressive leadership.

The above list is just a few of the derelict structures in St George’s which our visitors photograph and take away as a memento of Pure Grenada. But when I received a copy of a letter from Ms Sandra Ferguson dated 2 October 2021 to the Hon. Peter David about his legacy, as the long-time (18 years) parliamentary representative for the town of St George, I was constrained to put pen to paper in solidarity with the cause which she expounded for the protection of St George’s as a tangible representation of our national identity.

There is a school of thought which espouses that there must be legislation in order to protect our built heritage, but how could one expect the current crop of legislators who do not appreciate our heritage, to pass legislation to protect it? In any case – protection of our heritage is a patriotic duty – not requiring legislation but public suasion by the powers that be, by showing an example in a planned building restoration programme as part of our economic development strategy.

The Georgian capital city of St George’s – “lying between the mountain and the sea” – has long been recognized both globally and regionally as the prettiest little town in the Caribbean – the envy of its Caribbean neighbours, which was declared in 1988 by the Organisation of American States (OAS), “A monument of the wider Caribbean”. 33 years have passed and this accolade no longer applies, as witnessed by the continuous decline under the prevailing mediocrity-post independence, from 1974 to the present (2021).

The Market Square in a city or town is usually a civic open space for public intercourse where a country’s cultural expressions are displayed, experienced, and are exposed to the public. This facility has long been taken away from us by our post-independence politicians, who apparently have no appreciation for open green spaces which serve as the lungs of the city and is a necessary part of a healthy and spiritually uplifting environment – echoes of Queen’s Park, the Esplanade, the Botanical Gardens, and more recently the attempt to deprive Grenadians of Camerhogne Park on Grand Anse beach.

Ms Ferguson’s letter to the parliamentary representative was particularly concerned with the considerable amount of funds (EC$4.4million) – that are being utilized in creating an unfinished ghetto as part of his legacy – after so many years in this capacity, and to query whether the Chinese pagoda on the Halifax Street access to the market had received the people’s approval, or is it just another official symbol of Chinese colonialism in honour of “the people who feed us”, as we continue to witness our diminishing Grenadian identity.

Architectural alternative design for newly proposed St George Market Square by Norris Mitchell Associates chartered architects

Another concern of Ms Ferguson is the work being undertaken as the “St John’s River Flood Control project” – and enquires whether an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was done, in order to inform the design process in a most sensitive river-rain project in an area that has potential in my view for an upscale riverside development. In a recent television interview, the Chief Agricultural Officer indicated that in order to effectively manage and reduce the flooding at River Road, the development (urbanization) in the upper region of the river must be controlled by reforestation of the river banks in order to significantly reduce the current river velocity after rainfall.

As Ms Ferguson opined, “A river is a living entity”. This reality has manifested itself recently and on many previous occasions when the river overflows its banks and the residents of River Road are left at the mercy of the elements. The purpose of the project is to prevent this from occurring in the future, and Ms Ferguson is not convinced, based on the experiences of other countries, that this would be achieved under the present construct, and fears that part of the river would become a big concrete drain rather than a design to enhance the function of an organic entity.

Like Ms Ferguson, I am sure that there are many other Grenadians both at home and in the Diaspora asking themselves the same question – “What is the legacy of Hon. Peter David“ to his constituency in the town of St George – and by extension the Grenadian public, after his long and inauspicious portfolio? Perhaps my opening paragraph would be the record for the history book of the town which would highlight an opportunity that was lost to retain our historic capital city as “a monument of the wider Caribbean”.

The above scenario provides a bird’s eye view of the continuous uglification of our capital city and the unobtrusive erosion of our Grenadian identity. This state of affairs can be halted and reversed if we the people take control of our destiny and usher in a new dispensation that abhors meritocracy and corruption, and which forever relegates us to an impoverished and underdeveloped 3rd world country.

NOW Grenada is not responsible for the opinions, statements or media content presented by contributors. In case of abuse, click here to report.
Tags: heritagelegislationmarket squarenorris mitchellpeter davidriver roadsandra fergusonsentinelst george'sthe willie redhead foundationthe willie redhead foundationthe willie redhead foundationtwrf
Next Post

Hartman University Town moves to Phase 1

Comments 12

  1. Tammy says:
    6 months ago

    No offense but the town desperately needs cleaning up. The smells are gut wrenching near the fish market, especially in the gutters. Why aren’t the streets washed down daily? Can’t the government donate different colors of paint or give sizable discounts on paint to the businesses so the town can at least look beautiful. Give the tourists something to remember accept how dirty and smelly the town is.

    Reply
Next

Comment on post Cancel reply

Please enter your valid email address.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

© NOW Grenada. All Rights Reserved. Published by Aqua Design Inc. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

No Result
View All Result
  • Front Page
  • Categories
    • General News
      • All
      • Agriculture & Fisheries
      • Arts & Culture
      • Business
      • Education
      • Environment
      • Health
      • History
      • Lifestyle
      • Law
      • Politics
      • Technology
      • Travel & Tourism
      • Weather
      • Youth
    • Sports
      • All
      • Athletics
      • Cricket
      • Football
      • Watersports
    • Community
      • All
      • Tribute
    • Crime
    • Features
      • All
      • Today in History
    • Opinion/Commentary
    • Press Releases
      • All
      • Advertisements
      • Notices
  • Video
  • Notices & Vacancies
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

Copyright NOW Grenada

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings. Visit our Privacy Policy | Terms of Use.

Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Visit our Privacy Policy | Terms of Use.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.