New office for Guyana Consulate in NY
By Joe Chapman
Guyana Chronicle
November 9, 2003
THE office of the Guyana Consulate in New York has been transferred to Suite 402 on the fourth floor of Penn Plaza, 370 Seventh Avenue, New York.
Consul General, Brentnol Evans said the new office was acquired "despite limited resources” and at considerably less cost than expected.
For the past 15 years, the Guyana Consulate was housed at 866 UN Plaza on 1st Avenue – a location not so convenient for many Guyanese residing in New York.
The Consulate feels it can now better serve the boroughs of Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island and New Jersey.
Evans expressed thanks to President Bharrat Jagdeo for giving the Consulate the ‘green light’ to seek new headquarters. He also thanked Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rudy Insanally, who helped facilitate meetings with real estate brokers and owners.
There are five offices for passport processing, a registry, store and conference rooms and a large waiting area at the new location.
The Consulate renews passports, issues new ones, provides authentication and notarisation of documents, birth certificates, police clearances and character references, among other services.
Executive Officer, Methoolall Mangal said that the main advantage was providing easier access to persons from New Jersey and Long Island.
Mangal said the Consulate also does a lot of community work to promote Guyana and encourage people to visit and invest in this country.
Guyanese Shelly McQuene, who resides in Queens, commented on the new location: "I find they have upgraded and they are offering faster services now. They are very polite and mannerly and professional. All the trains come right here".
Evans noted the office was now easier to access by train, especially during the winter.