THE most recent decision by the National Trust to close down the Walcott House on Grass Street where three persons were employed within that sector is nothing more than mischievous and political in nature.
Information received from the National Trust clearly indicated that without the Government subvention, some $2.1 million is received annually from other sources; therefore, targeting three persons makes absolutely no sense at this juncture.
The Mayor of Castries, who has shown the public how much he can achieve, should immediately apply to Government and take over the responsibility of operating the Walcott building.
The Walcott buildings have been in existence for almost twelve months and under the management of the National Trust, most St. Lucians will agree that little or no activities of any consequence have taken place subsequent to the grand opening.
As a matter of fact, various entities have tried on more than one occasion to visit the premises but, unfortunately, the premises always appears to be fully locked down, which indicates the lack of initiative on behalf of the Trust in promoting this investment.
On the other hand, to be fair to the National Trust, few entities/persons are comfortable visiting the area based on the safety factor. It should be noted that Canadian authorities earmarked Grass Street as a hotspot which should be avoided and to the best of our knowledge this advisory has not been lifted. These are some of the real issues surrounding the Walcott House.
It is this kind of pettiness which continues to haunt the National Trust when the hierarchy of the institution should be seeking to streamline the organisation when important economic measures present themselves.