Bong Town leaders urge Rep. Cole to demolish his unfinished town hall

Published: August 11, 2025

BONG COUNTY – Local authorities in Gbarney Town, District 3, are calling on Representative Josiah Marvin Cole to demolish an unfinished town hall they say has been left to deteriorate for more than four years.

The skeletal structure, described by town leaders as a “death trap,” has stood idle since 2020, with no visible progress toward completion. They accuse Cole of neglecting the project and failing to account for funds allocated for its construction.

A General Auditing Commission (GAC) report notes that during the 2020 County Development Sitting, $10,000 was earmarked for the town hall, and $8,000 was reportedly paid to Bong Engineering Construction Company to begin work. However, the project, which broke ground that same year, has since remained dormant.

Former Town Chief James Hallowanger, who held office when the project began, expressed frustration over the lack of progress. “If you give me $2,000, I will build a better structure than what Rep. Cole started,” Hallowanger said. “The work done doesn’t match the money he received.”

Quarter Chief Amos Suah Kollie, a former campaign chair for Cole, said repeated appeals to the lawmaker have gone unanswered. “We have gone on the radio, we have called him, but he doesn’t listen,” Kollie said. “Now we hold meetings outside, and rain often disrupts them. He hasn’t come back to see what our needs are.”

Responding to the allegations, Cole’s political affairs officer, Eldorado Keamue, acknowledged that the current structure is substandard but denied claims that the lawmaker has abandoned the project. “Rep. Cole ordered the contractor to demolish the flawed structure and rebuild it,” Keamue said. “The town’s people’s claims are misleading and meant to tarnish his reputation.”

Keamue added that Cole’s office has already provided cement to mold blocks for a new building, but the project has been delayed due to political disputes in the House of Representatives, as well as what he described as a lack of cooperation from the town. “They want to politicize the project, and that will only deprive them of development,” he said.