Beachgoers enjoy newly renovated Macqueripe

BEACHGOERS loved the new decor and appreciated the refurbished Macqueripe beach facility. The beach was closed for two weeks for refurbishment and reopened on Thursday.

“Everything looks nice. I did not see how it was before, but now that I see it, it is really nice,” said Luzmry Tovar, a newcomer to the beach.

“Everything was clean. We didn’t get any trouble going down the stairs.

"The water was too cold, though. They should have put in a heater,” joked Imtiaz Mohammed.

The only complaint visitors had was that for some reason several large rocks have appeared on the beach, making it difficult for some to enjoy the water.

“It is nice what they did with the area, but there are a lot of large stones on the beach,” said Nicholas Mathura, who came with his family. Mathura, who goes to the beach every week, complained that it was harder to bathe in the water because of the rocks.

“I went in for about two minutes and one of my relatives got a cut on her toe. I got a cut on my foot,” he said.

Contractors for the Chaguaramas Development Authority refurbished the beach by replacing and repainting wooden railings, power-washing the steps leading to the beach and general beautification.

Before the closure and renovation, Newsday’s Mark Lyndersay highlighted the beach’s condition, making note of slippery stairs, dilapidated and damaged railings and fences and a massive hole in a retaining wall caused by consistent erosion by the waves.

While the hole has not yet been repaired, the area was cordoned off and a sign put up to warn visitors away from that area.