Silvera backs Davis’s call for transformation of downtown Mobay
MONTEGO BAY, St James
President of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry Janet silvera has come out in support of calls from minister of state in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development Homer Davis for the expansion of the downtown Montego Bay business district and improvements in the aesthetics of the resort city.
“Downtown Montego Bay needs a makeover. The aesthetics of the town needs revisiting. Business operators and business owners need to be more aware of their space and seek to make it more appealing to customers and visitors alike,” said Davis, who served as mayor of the city from 2016 to 2020, during his address at the Kiwanis Club of Montego
Bay’s virtual installation ceremony last Thursday.
Yesterday, Silvera expressed similar sentiments.
She told the Jamaica Observer West that the chamber has met with current mayor, Leeroy Williams, twice within the past year to see how best to develop the city.
“We met with the mayor’s office twice within the past year to speak to the issues that have plagued the city of Montego Bay and how we need to fix up our town,” said Silvera, adding that “we went further as a chamber and have named a chairman for the rebirth of the Montego Bay community.”
“She is supposed to be going to meet with the mayor to see how we can work together towards fixing up downtown Montego Bay,” Silvera stressed.
She added that the chamber has already started to meet with the stakeholders in downtown Montego Bay “because we believe also that downtown
Montego Bay should take on that renaissance that part of downtown Kingston has taken on.”
She was referring to the installation of murals and for business places to repaint and bring their business up to standard.
Silvera was, however, quick to point out that, “we see where the new mayor is trying his very best to leave his own legacy of getting vendors in order and now I see wherein the police... and this is something that we have been calling for and we met with the minister [Davis] who was the former mayor in relation to the buses that were causing all of that traffic on the Howard Cooke Highway.”
“So yes, Montego Bay does need an urgent facelift. You can’t say that you are the tourism capital and we don’t see that reflected in downtown Montego Bay. What are we bringing tourism to if not to a city that stands out, that looks
good, and is well, and is a little more orderly than what it is at this time,” questioned Silvera.
Davis argued that idle lands owned by the Government through the Jamaica Railway Corporation (JRC) should be used to create more space for the city and to expand the Montego Bay Transportation Centre.
“The railway lands, lands that are owned by the Government within the city of Montego Bay should be used to expand downtown Montego Bay and to offer more space for a modern transportation centre,” said Davis, who is also the Member of Parliament for St James Southern.
The JRC lands located on Railway Lane houses an old railway station building. It was closed in 1992 following 97 years of train operations.
Silvera told the Observer West that she also agrees with the suggestion of using the railway lands for the expansion of the transport centre.
“In order for us to reduce the congestion on the highway, it is a necessity. But, there really needs to be a transportation centre that can accommodate
the number of busses because the city has expanded considerably, you know. We have far more people living in Montego Bay than we did years ago,” Silvera explained.
“In order to meet the demand of the number of vehicles that are now in, we need to ensure that we have a transportation centre. We have all these people that have moved into the city, but we have not expanded where that is concerned.”
Davis also called for attention to be given to the Old Shoe Market on South Street, which he said needs to be transformed into a more modern facility.
“The Old Shoe Market on South Street has been on the back burner for far too long. These areas need to be transformed into a modern multi-storey building and this is where I think the central government, local government along with the private sector should form an alliance to upgrade that area,” stated the state minister.
Added Davis: “There is a need also to look at Harbour Street Craft Market to make it into a multi-storey craft market with access to the upper floor by elevators along with adequate parking facilities.”