Locations identified for St James sanitisation project
AWESTERN BUREAU:
LTHOUGH THE St James Municipal Corporation (StJMC) is yet to receive any money from the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) for sanitisation work in the parish, the corporation has identified several rural communities and key locations in Montego Bay that they plan to target.
Speaking at a press conference in Montego Bay last Wednesday, the western city’s mayor, Homer Davis, who also chairs the StJMC, listed Montego Bay Freeport, the roadway to the Fairview Shopping Centre, and small townships such as Anchovy and Adelphi, as being among the targeted locations for sanitisation.
“The areas we are currently looking at for this project includes, from the bottom of Dead End Beach (at the end of Kent Avenue) all the way to Fairview, plus all of Barnett Street, St James Street, and all streets running off from them. We will be looking at rural townships like Anchovy, Cambridge, Somerton, and Adelphi. We also will be focusing on all the bus and taxi parks, where there are gathering of persons, including out by the clock (along Barnett Street), and we’ll be doing down by the port,” said Davis.
The sanitisation project for St James is part of efforts to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, which, to date, has resulted in 626 infections and 10 deaths across Jamaica.
While an estimate for the cost of the work was sent to the TEF following the StJMC’s monthly meeting on May 14, Davis admitted that the expenditure is still being reviewed and discussions with the TEF are still ongoing. However, he said that Caribbean Cement Company Limited and Jamaica PreMix Limited will sanitise sections of Montego Bay free of cost.
DISCUSSIONS TAKING PLACE
“A document was sent recently and now we are perusing the expenditure, so in another couple of days we will be able to give an update as to the expenditure. We haven’t received any money from the TEF, but we have been in discussions to have a total sanitisation done, and we were hoping we would have had it done before the opening of our ports, but that is not to happen at this time,” said Davis.
“I can inform you that Caribbean Cement Company and Pre-Mix have agreed to sanitise a few streets in Montego Bay for us, and that will be at no cost to the municipality. When that is to be done, the media will be informed,” the mayor added.
Davis’ comments about the expenditure for sanitisation in St James comes in the wake of an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the procurement process for a J$46million contract awarded by the St Ann Municipal Corporation to Rahim’s Cleaning and Trucking Limited for sanitisation work to be done at eight locations in Ocho Rios.