Dust, Rain, Plague new breakfast shed

Diners at the popular eating spot scampered for shelter around midday after a shower accompanied by gusty winds blew into the open-aired facility soaking both patrons and tenants. When Newsday visited the building around noon yesterday, there were still puddles of water in the dining area and tenants were busy sweeping water out of their kitchens.

Bertram Gill, tenant for the past four months told Newsday whenever there is a downpour tenants have to rearrange their kitchens because of the water that comes through the metal mesh around the building. He said the roof leaked terribly and he usually had to sweep water out of his kitchen after even a drizzle of rain. Gill believes the structure was “wrongfully designed” because, he said, it was built to capture the breeze from the Gulf of Paria, however much consideration was not given to the rain which also blew in from the same direction.

One longstanding tenant with the Breakfast Shed told Newsday, she had problems lighting her stoves after they were wet by the rain. She said instead of windows, the building was outfitted with “metal meshes” which allowed the rain, insects and dust from nearby construction sites into the kitchens and subsequently on food. She said the dust had become such a problem that she has to wash her dishes several times during the day, since they become quickly caked with dust coming through the mesh.

Another irate tenant told Newsday an employee had to “put her clothes to dry in the oven” after becoming soaked with the midday downpour yesterday. She said, the government had given tenants “a raw deal” since she believed the shed “was not built for human beings.” She said the open-aired facility allowed birds and rain water into the building and customers occasionally had to run out of the building with their meals in hand.

She said all tenants were being coerced into signing contracts for extension of rents, but she questioned the quality of the facilities offered at the Breakfast Shed.

A group of customers told Newsday, yesterday was the first time they were forced to dine in a small area of the building because of the rain. One regular customer said although he appreciated the “fresh air” he thought the building should be enclosed and air-conditioned to prevent the rain from “disturbing his lunch” and to “keep the flies out.”

Facilities Manager, Helen Rostant, could not be reached for comment.