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Month: February 2022

Port Maria to get ‘Paint The City’ facelift

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PORT MARIA, St. Mary: The town of Port Maria is set to receive a $10 million makeover under the ‘Paint The City/Town’ initiative.

“Port Maria will benefit from the Government’s ‘Paint The Town’ programme through which we will be spending some $10 million to beautify the town over the next couple of months,” announced Honourable Desmond McKenzie, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development.

He was speaking at a special meeting with business operators and residents at the Horace Clarke Transportation Centre in Port Maria on February 17.

The Minister also told the gathering that he has asked a working team to explore the prospects of a warning system for the rural township.

“I have asked the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management to work with the other agencies in putting in a flood warning system and an alarm system in the town of Port Maria. I think that is long overdue, because at least it would give the residents an idea of what is happening,” he explained.

“It has worked in Old Harbour in St Catherine. At Old Harbour Bay, we have an early warning system that helps the residents to be on alert for possible flooding,” added McKenzie.

The parish of St. Mary, and in particular the town of Port Maria, was left flooded with extensive damage to a number of homes and businesses following heavy rains on February 1.

The St. Mary Municipal Corporation is also undertaking mopping up exercises to remove excess debris and clear blocked drains in and around the parish capital.

Minister McKenzie stated as well that river training and other preventative measures are being assessed to help reduce the chances of flooding in Port Maria.

“The National Works Agency is working with the St Mary Municipal Corporation to look at the whole question of river training and all the things that are going to be required to bring some semblance of relief to the area.”

Remedial work, improved drainage system for Runway Bay and its environs

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RUNAWAY BAY, St. Ann: The St. Ann Municipal Corporation and the National Works Agency (NWA) have been tasked to undertake short-term repairs in Runway Bay and its environs to minimize infrastructural damage caused by recent rains.

The multi-agency approach to undertake clean-up and remedial work was announced by Honourable Desmond McKenzie, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Minister during a tour on February 9 to evaluate the damage.

Minister McKenzie also said that the measures will be taken to improve the drainage network along the main road in Runway Bay.

Runaway Bay Square was under water for several hours following the rainfall. The Minister said that garbage was a main contributor to the blockage of the waterways.

He also urged the citizens to become better custodians of the environment.

“There’s a role for the citizens to play and people must now understand that Jamaica is no longer a country that you rely on getting rain at a set point during the year because climate change has put an end to all of that,” stated Minister McKenzie.

“When I look in some of the gullies and drains…we are seeing where people dump old refrigerators and old cars.”

The Minister was joined in St. Ann by Mayor Sydney Stewart as well as other councillors and staff of the St. Ann Municipal Corporation; senior representatives from the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM); National Works Agency (NWA) and the Social Development Commission (SDC).

The impacted communities in St. Ann are Chester, Spicey Grove, Mount Zion, White River and Runaway Bay. The Ministry of Labour and Social Security, the St Ann Poor Relief Department and the SDC are providing support to residents who have been displaced.

Senior Director for Project Implementation at the NWA, Mr. Varden Downer, said that the agency will be expanding the drains at Runaway Bay square to accommodate the volume of water during heavy downpours.

“We are going to look and see how much we can open these [drains] to allow the flood waters to drain away,” he said.

Minister McKenzie began the day with an inter-ministerial tour of flood-damaged sections of Portland, St Mary, and St Ann that were affected by recent heavy rains. He was joined by Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Pearnel Charles Jr, and Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Matthew Samuda.

The special visit was used to assess conditions and pave the way for further interventions to assist affected parishioners.

Rural Water Supply Ltd. hands over water harvesting system to Springfield Primary & Infant School

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SPRINGFIELD, St, Elizabeth: The Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL) has handed over a water harvesting system to the Springfield Primary and Infant School in St. Elizbeth.

The project began last year at a cost of approximately J$5.5 million. It includes the installation of five tanks- two 1,000-gallon; two 800-gallon tanks; and a 15,000-gallon concrete tank.

“We are not just working in communities, but we are in schools, and it is good to know that the introduction of water harvesting in this school will allow a consistent stream of attendance by the students,” said Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Honourable Desmond McKenzie.

“Water harvesting has been a feature of the Ministry since 2016 and RWSL coming into the Ministry has strengthened the capacity of the Ministry to deliver.”

The RWSL, which is an agency of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, is an important component of the Government’s response to communities across Jamaica with limited access to adequate potable water.

“They have lifted the standard in terms of service delivery, and I am looking forward to working with them right across Jamaica to take projects such as this and many more to communities across the country that are in need of water,” he stated.

The Springfield Primary and Infant School Water Harvesting Project will benefit some 164 students and staff.

Mayor of Black River, Councillor Derrick Sangster, welcomed the project.

“What the Rural Water Supply Limited has done is to make it possible that this institution will always have available to them a collection of clean potable water, so that the health of the children here can be protected, and they will all be able to exist in a clean and healthy environment.”

The RWSL is completing a rainwater harvesting system at the Barbary Hall Primary School as well as implementing the Maybole minor water system which includes solar pumping facilities.

Water projects undertaken by RWSL in St Elizabeth in recent times include Top Reading, Burnt Savannah, Park Mountain pipeline extension to the Primary School. It is also collaborating with the National Water Commission on the pipeline installation in Middle Quarters as well as the Whitehall /New Market water system.

Additionally, designs are underway for the Government of Jamaica/Caribbean Development Bank for the Union/Balaclava water system.

Local Government and Rural Development Minister to Lead Special Inter-Ministerial Tour of Flood Damage in St. Ann, St. Mary, and Portland

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Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, will be leading a special Ministerial team that will tour the flood-damaged parishes of St. Ann, St. Mary and Portland tomorrow, Wednesday February 9, to assess conditions and pave the way for further interventions to assist affected parishioners.

“This team will be comprised of the Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, and the Hon. Matthew Samuda, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation. It will also include the Members of Parliament from the Constituencies in these parishes, Mayors of the parish capitals and representatives from a number of Agencies including Mr. Varden Downer, Senior Director of Project Implementation at the National Works Agency.

“The Ministry of Labour and Social Security is already active on the ground in providing relief supplies, and one of the objectives of the tour is to see what more can be done to complement the work being done.

“Our visit will also help us to quickly devise targeted interventions to help the affected sectors in these parishes, such as agriculture. We will commence tomorrow’s activities in Portland, then move on to St. Mary and then to St. Ann.

“This Administration is highly cognizant of the disruption that the rains have caused in these parishes, and our response has, and will continue to reflect joined-up government in the delivery of support to our citizens.”

 

Recreational Centre opens in Olympic Gardens

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A J$16 million recreational centre has been handed over to the community of Olympic Gardens in West Central St. Andrew.

The centre, which has been coined the ‘Andrews Mews Health and Recreational Centre’ was officially opened on Friday, February 4 by Member of Parliament and Prime Minister, Most Honourable Andrew Holness.

“This investment belongs to the community, and it means that your responsibility in maintaining this project is going to be very crucial,” the Prime Minister M said during the opening ceremony.

The recreational centre, which was funded through the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, features a walking/jogging trail for physical activity; bathroom facilities and a green space where residents can relax and socialise.

The project forms part of an ongoing plans to enhance and further develop the community. The intention is to create an urban space, almost like a town centre, which is functional for the residents.

Prime Minister Holness had also disclosed during the February 2021 groundbreaking ceremony that the transformation of his constituency includes the construction of another infant school as well a golden age home, which will be done through his Positive Jamaica Foundation. He said that two other parks will be built- one more in the Olympic Gardens Division and the other in the Seivwright Gardens Division.

“We are trying to identify the lands for them, and we have some housing developments that are slated for this area as well.”

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Honourable Desmond McKenzie stated that the construction of the park will foster community unity and urged the residents to safeguard the facility.

The handing over ceremony was also attended by Mayor of Kingston, Senator Councillor, Delroy Williams; Chief Executive Officer of the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC), Robert Hill; and Councillor Caretaker for the Molynes Gardens Division, Glendon Salmon.

Top Aberdeen gets water supply project

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The community of Top Aberdeen and in North East St. Elizabeth now boast its own reliable supply of piped, potable water.

The J$111 million water supply project was handed over to the community by the Rural Water Supply Limited – an agency of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development – during a ceremony on February 3.

Portfolio Minister, Honourable Desmond McKenzie described the initiative as another tangible marker of the Government’s commitment to improve living standards by ensuring access to basic utilities.

“It reflects our recognition that all Jamaicans, not only those in our two cities and town centres, need this access to improve their own lives in the pursuit of prosperity. It is also one of the major projects implemented since the Ministry was reshaped as the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development in the last financial year,” he said during the commissioning of the Top Aberdeen Water Supply Project.

“A pumping station has been built. New distribution and transmission pipelines have been installed. A new water storage tank has been constructed. To reduce operational costs and improve efficiency, a solar pumping system has been installed. All of this has been done at a cost of J$111 million, and over 1,600 residents of Top Aberdeen will benefit from this project.”

The St. Elizabeth Municipal Corporation will be the custodian of the facility. Residents must apply to the National Water Commission (NWC) for the connection of the water supply to their homes.

Member of Parliament for North East St. Elizabeth, Delroy Sloley, has encouraged residents to sign up for their supply in short order with the NWC, which will grant a 50 per cent discount on connection fees to the first 50 residents who apply.

Minister McKenzie also stated that his Ministry is committed to the implementation of projects and programmes to expand minor water supply across Jamaica, in keeping with its responsibilities under the National Water Sector Policy and Implementation Plan.

“The Top Aberdeen Water Supply project is one important component of the work scheduled for this financial year under the Rural Development Programme. A total of $325 million was allocated to provide water solutions, including water shops, for a range of communities across six parishes (St. Catherine, St. Ann, Clarendon, St. Elizabeth, Portland, and St. James), and while the pace of work has been affected by COVID-19, we are determined to deliver.”

Malicious, Reckless and Unfounded – McKenzie

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“…reject the baseless allegations and conspiracy theories being bandied out in the public domain by the irresponsible few”.

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Hon. Desmond McKenzie has rejected claims that the Government undermined the national football programme by preventing spectators from attending the last two World Cup qualifying matches at the National Stadium.

Mr McKenzie was firm in his rejection of the allegations, “This is completely malicious, reckless and unfounded. The Government of Jamaica is facilitating the responsible return of sport and social life in general, in line with the COVID-19 indicators. There is no policy to promote one sport while restricting the other”.

He continued, “The review of applications for sporting events is made by a clearly designated range of Ministries and Agencies, including the Ministry of Health and Wellness and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, and this process, which is grounded in consultation and partnership, includes at all times the representatives of the stakeholders who make the applications. The most decisive factor in all cases is the rate of infection at the point at which the review is being made”.

Minister McKenzie says the rules have always been clear, “The policy of having a limited number of fully vaccinated spectators at sporting events was publicly introduced by me at a news conference on November 1, 2021 to facilitate fans attending the first World Cup qualifying home game between Jamaica and the United States on November 16, 2021. The online Events Authorization System was unveiled and endorsed by my colleague Ministers of Health and Wellness and Culture, Gender and Sport, as well as the President of the Jamaica Football Federation at this news conference”.

He explained that, “The reality is that the rising COVID-19 infection rates caused by the fourth wave of the virus drove the decision to have the remaining home matches played without spectators. This reality was not limited to the football programme. Permission was initially granted to the Jamaica Cricket Association to have a limited number of fully vaccinated spectators for four limited-overs matches between the West Indies and Ireland held at Sabina Park between January 8 and 16, 2022. The rising infection numbers resulted in this permission being revised to have the matches proceed without spectators. Again, the review process involved the Ministries, Agencies and cricketing stakeholders”.

Minister McKenzie is asking members of the public to reject the baseless allegations and conspiracy theories being bandied out in the public domain by the irresponsible few. He asserted that, “This Administration continues to gradually reopen the public space by facilitating sporting events, including premier league and schoolboy football. while I fully understand the disappointment of fans of any sport who wish to turn out and give their personal support, I must re-emphasize that the ability to do so depends entirely on the COVID-19 indicators and nothing else. I therefore urge all well-thinking lovers of sport to.”