The Association of Local Culinary Ambassadors (ALCA) and Port-of-Spain Mayor Raymond Tim-Kee have reached a mutual agreement on vending at the Savannah.
A release yesterday said after a cordial meeting at the mayor’s office and much discussion, a satisfactory conclusion was reached with ALCA president Neal Thomas and Tim-Kee shaking hands to seal the terms of the agreement for vending at the Savannah.
It said: “Over the past few weeks, sanitation issues in the area used by the group of small entrepreneurs were brought into focus as the Health Department of the Port-of-Spain Corporation had deemed that the area posed a possible threat to consumers who purchased food items in the area.”
At the meeting, Tim-Kee shared his vision for the small entrepreneur who provided food services at the Savannah, advising that the vendors should re-brand to improve on their offering to the public, embracing opportunities for training and money management.
He even suggested that they be uniformed in clothing which would identify them as “The Savannah Strip Vendors.”
Tim-Kee pointed out that while the Savannah had been maintained by the Ministry of Agriculture, it fell under the purview of the corporation, hence his involvement in the issue.
Both parties fully discussed the existing MOU between the Ministry of Agriculture and the vendors, and it was agreed that this must be strictly adhered to.
This included that ALCA would be responsible for daily garbage collection within the designated area and they must remove their property after sales each day.
The corporation will continue its daily cleaning of all public areas to ensure that the public is protected from illnesses related to sanitation issues.