Not cheap to maintain gardens
I REFER to a letter by Cherket Jerry regarding a proposal by Forestry Minister Belden Namah to build a hotel at the Lae Botanical Gardens.
I made the proposal to the minister and I am glad that he has included it in his plans.
My proposal was based on the National Capital District Commission’s experience in maintaining the city’s botanical gardens.
The issue is one of sustainability.
The revenue generated from the city’s botanical gardens (through gate takings and bookings for picnic places) is totally inadequate to meet the maintenance cost.
At its height, the commission had to spend almost K4 million a year to maintain the gardens to a high standard.
I am sure the same issues affect the Lae gardens.
It could be that the hotel proposal is not a good one but we are all challenged, including the minister and the National Forestry Authority, to devise means by which we can sustain the gardens and also restore them to their glory days.
This is the rationale behind my proposal which the public in Lae need to appreciate in their commentary.
The Lae Botanical Gardens is bigger than the one in Port Moresby, therefore it would need more funds to maintain and sustain it.
I do not believe the National Forestry Authority has the necessary funds.
It is for this reason that I am supporting the minister’s proposal to not only outsource the management of the gardens but to also allow the building of a hotel within it as a means of generating funds.
I am confident that the gardens and hotel can co-exist to the mutual benefit of all.

Powes Parkop, NCD Governor
Letters