-Mentore raises use of City Constabulary
Queenstown residents have petitioned Public Works Minister Juan Edghill to suspend excavation of their grassed parapets pending consultation and a technical review.
City Mayor Alfred Mentore told a community meeting yesterday that he may have to involve the City Constabulary if the works continue.
Mentore said he had 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,” he told the Queenstown residents. He later said that now that they had made their position known, he could represent them.
Residents met with Mentore and an engineer attached to the Ministry of Public Works at the Herdmanston Lodge to discuss the excavation, which is being carried out under the ministry’s Hard-Shoulder Improvement Programme. Those at the meeting agreed that the works should be suspended until the government holds consultations with the community.
The engineer said the works were intended to beautify the city and respond to growing demand for parking. Residents challenged both explanations. “How are you beautifying by removing the beauty?” one asked. Others questioned whether Queenstown residents had asked for more parking.
One woman said she had lived in Queenstown all her life and had never seen residents treated with such disrespect. She said caring for the grassed verges was part of the neighbourhood’s culture. “You guys just showed up and dig it up!” she told the meeting.
Resident Khadidja Bâ said Oronoque Street was omitted from the notice she received and that she was surprised when contractors began work there. She said trees were dug up despite an assurance that they would be left alone. The engineer said contractors had been instructed to keep excavation 15 feet from trees and that the ministry planned to return later to lay pavers.
Residents also questioned how the work would affect drainage. One resident said the capacity of the drains had been substantially reduced and questioned whether any silt had been removed from the canals. “Not one bucket of silt has been taken out of any canal,” the resident said. Another resident suggested that the community work with the ministry on a design that would improve the verges while retaining features residents had maintained for years.
The discussion also turned to what could be done with sections of the parapets already excavated if the project were suspended or revised. Questions were raised about whether stopping the works would have financial consequences for the ministry.
Participants also raised concerns about coordination between City Hall and central government and appealed to the council to intervene. One resident said the concern went beyond the appearance of the verges, questioning whether the drains had enough capacity to carry away water during heavy rain.
The petition
In a November 10 letter accompanying the signed petition, Sandra Singh, writing on behalf of residents, property owners and other stakeholders, asked Edghill to suspend further excavation and meet with residents and the ministry’s technical staff. The letter seeks a review of the likely effects on drainage, road integrity, underground utilities and pedestrian safety. It also asks the ministry to clarify which streets are covered, how the verges will be finished and maintained, and what provision will be made for pedestrians.
The petitioners argue that replacing grass with compacted stone could increase runoff and local flooding, while using the verges for parking without separate sidewalks could force pedestrians into the roadway. They also raise concerns about dust, damage to utilities and the loss of shade.
The petitioners also argued that unsealed crusher run could shift under traffic and develop ruts, and that removing kerbs and support along the road edges could damage the carriageway. They proposed reinforced concrete where shoulders are to be rebuilt, together with covered box drains and raised sidewalks. They called for damaged areas to be replanted and re-grassed, and for repairs to affected drains and utilities.
The petition said tending the verges had long given older residents a way to stay active and neighbours a place to meet. It also raised concerns about increased heat and a possible decline in property values. In the accompanying letter, the residents said they supported improvements to public infrastructure and wanted to discuss alternatives that would preserve established trees, vegetation and landscaped areas where practicable.
Kiskadee Watch reported on November 7 that Mentore had already called for a halt to the Queenstown works, saying residents and City Hall should have been consulted before crews began digging up the verges and removing kerbs. He had raised the need for consultation at the council’s October 26 statutory meeting. Earlier coverage also recorded support from a Queenstown resident who said the works could improve parking and help address flooding if properly carried out.
The Ministry of Public Works has said compacted crusher run would provide a firmer parking surface and that reshaping raised verges would allow rainwater to reach roadside drains. It said the finished surface would remain granular so water could filter through. The ministry maintains that the parapets form part of public road reserves and that it can carry out the works without residents’ permission.
Lamaha Gardens residents made a similar request in an October 18 petition concerning Duncan Street between the Eastern Highway and Bel Air Road. Kiskadee Watch reported on November 7 that the works there had stopped and residents were still awaiting a date for the promised consultation.
Discussion