School, church, tourist attractions housed on disputed property

A PUBLIC school, at least one church, several tourist attractions and a public cemetery are among the many well-established operations on a disputed property in Little Bay, Westmoreland.

The property is registered to Kathleen Eugster and her late husband John, and has been the subject of a long-running legal battle with the owners desperate to evict the squatters or sell it.

But even though it has registered owners, a state-run school, Little Bay Infant and All-Age, has been set up on the property which is several miles off the Negril main road.

When The Sunday Gleaner visited the property last Monday, school was already dismissed for the day and the children, girls dressed in their green/plaid blouses and solid green skirt, and boys in their khaki uniforms, were seen walking home in the deep-rural Westmoreland community.

Located on the land side of Little Bay, the school, painted in bright yellow, appeared to be fairly new and had immaculately kept grounds.

Member of Parliament for Westmoreland Western Dr Wykeham McNeill, in whose constituency the property is based, said the school was built before he became the political representative for the area.

“It was certainly before my time, and that would mean more than 20 years,” said McNeill.

Chairman of the school’s board of directors, Cliff Reynolds, in a brief telephone conversation, said despite its name, the school is a primary one with 116 students on roll and seven teachers. It also has a technology room with two persons based there.

“The school is at least 30 years old. I have that information but not with me,” said Reynolds.

He argued that more than $25 million has been invested in the school so far, but McNeill said the investment could be much more, based on the infrastructure that is in place.

In addition to the school, several small bed and breakfast businesses and other tourism operations are based on the disputed property, which has a magnificent beachfront section.

A building which houses an Assemblies of God Church was also pointed out to our news team, with residents claiming that at least three other churches are based on the property, which also houses a public cemetery.