The city hall, which used to host international and local conferences and for the staging of concerts and other functions, would be demolished this Saturday.
The acting Mayor of the Freetown City Council (FCC), Herbert George Williams, said the council made an advertisement for bidders for the demolishing of the hall, adding that Sierra Construction System won the award for the contract.
He added that a sum of Le972 million given to the council as development grant from the government would be used to demolish the building in ten weeks’ time.
Mayor Williams disclosed that the new structure would be bigger and unique than the previous one and that there would be two storeys for car park.
The acting Mayor maintained that the city hall used to be the Mayor’s office but during the war the hall was burnt down leaving the FCC to use the current building which was inadequate for their administration. Councillor Sam Franklyn Gibson, chairman of security works and public utilities, said the hall would be demolished because of structural effect. “The structures beam are not solid and the pillars are not strong any longer,” he said, adding that the new hall when built would accommodate up to 1000 people and a parking space for about 200 cars.
Councillor Gibson maintained that the new hall would be different from the old one in terms of style and wider space. Councillor Abdul Salam Lewally, chairman development planning committee, said in the negotiations made with the contractor, Kamal Nassar the managing director of Sierra Construction System, the building would be undertaken by phases.
“The first phase,” he said, “617 million will be given and the balance will be paid at a later date”.
By Abibatu Kamara
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