The Government is providing more than $8 million to assist small business operators in Port Maria and its environs who suffered losses due to severe flooding in the coastal town earlier this year.

An initial 35 flood relief cheques were handed over on Wednesday (March 30) at the St. Mary’s Anglican Church Hall.

The cheques are disbursed in values of $25,000, $50,000, $75,000 and $100,000, based on the level of damage sustained, as determined by a Social Development Commission (SDC) assessment.

Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, who handed over the cheques, said this initial disbursement is intended to assist the operators to begin the path to recovery.

“What we are doing is offering some level of assistance, especially to the small business community,” he said.

A total of 209 business operators in Port Maria and surrounding areas, such as Jack’s River, will benefit from the support.

More than 90 per cent of businesses and homes in the town were impacted by the flooding.

Minister McKenzie informed that a technical team has been established to address the problem of flooding in the town.

The team involves representatives from the National Works Agency (NWA), the St. Mary Municipal Corporation, and the Ministry through the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).

“The long-term programme to sustain Port Maria and to help to mitigate… levels of flooding is in progress,” he noted.

Mayor of Port Maria, Councillor Richard Creary, in his remarks, urged the recipients to put the funds towards the recovery of their businesses and to implement measures to make their establishments more resilient.

“It is something to assist you; it is not to replace all you have lost… . We want to try to help you to strengthen those businesses to what they were before,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security is aiding approximately 800 affected homeowners and more than 100 arcade vendors impacted by flooding.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

LUCEA, Hanover: The rural townships of Lucea and Hopewell in Hanover are to benefit from the Government’s $300 million ‘Paint the City’ project that is being spearheaded by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development.

Hanover is among five parishes participating in the project aimed at generating employment through beautification, mural painting, street sign installation and improvements to selected markets.

“For Lucea, it will entail painting of the transportation centre; painting of the stalls in the market; painting the exterior of the market; painting the walls, and painting the police station and post office,” said Minister Desmond McKenzie during a press briefing in the western town on Friday, January 21,2022.

“We are going to put in a recreational park just in front of the Hanover Municipal Corporation building and give the place a facelift, so it can lift the spirits of the people and give some energy and life to the town.”

The beautification project, which was announced by the Minister of Finance and the Public Service during the 2021/2022 Budget Debate, forms a part of the Government’s plan to drive the development of rural Jamaica and is to be executed over a three-year period.

“Rural development cannot be done overnight. We have to know what it is we are up against, and that is why it is important that we conduct the surveys and then move in to do the development over a period of time,” stated Minister McKenzie.

“This project represents the effort of the Government to put our people to actual, productive work. It is about generating hope through increased employment as we pull free from the grip of the pandemic, and restore activity, life, and vigour to our towns and parish capitals.”

The town of Hopewell will see improved sidewalks and murals to complement an  ongoing multi-million rehabilitation of its market.

The Minister also disclosed that the plans are being explored to alleviate thetraffic congestion in Lucea.

“We are also looking at converting the one-way in Sir Alexander Bustamante Square into two lanes of traffic as a means of alleviating the traffic congestion in the town of Lucea,” he noted. “I want to use the opportunity to urge the residents of Lucea to be a little patient with us. What we are doing is going to take some time, but for now there are some low-hanging fruits that we can pick.”

The ban on parties and related gatherings as per the Disaster Risk Management Act (DRMA) will remain during the holiday period.

“I wish to reiterate that the ban on parties and related gatherings, such as round-robins, gate parties and so on, are still in effect,” stated Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Honourable Desmond McKenzie during a recent address in the House of Representatives.

“No permits will be issued for any such events by the Municipal Corporations or the police. Any breaches will be dealt with in keeping with the Disaster Risk Management Act.”
He noted that the public health emergency created by COVID-19 cannot be ignored despite the decline in the positivity rate and the number of people hospitalised with the virus.
“I therefore appeal to everyone to be responsible, and to remember that after Christmas, comes the new year. We want the New Year to continue on the trajectory of improvement, so Jamaica can continue the process of returning to normal.”

The ban was placed on the staging of parties and events in 2020 as part of the Government’s measures to reduce the transmission of COVID-19.

Last December, Minister McKenzie revealed that more than 300 illegal events were still being held weekly across the country in breach of the health and safety protocols. There were also venues registered as restaurants operated as nightclubs, in addition to nightclubs being run under the disguise of restaurants.

KINGSTON, Jamaica: The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) will boost its operations with additional sweepers as well as private dumper and garbage trucks, in anticipation of the increased volume of solid waste during the holidays.

“The Ministry will be allocating an additional J$20 million to the National Solid Waste Management Authority. The NSWMA will be assigning an additional 500 sweepers to clean town centres across the island. Moreover, 300 private dumper trucks will be deployed throughout the country to assist in this public cleansing drive, which will include the removal of bulky waste.”

The announcement was made by Minister of Local Government and Rural Development on December 14. He was speaking in the House of Representatives on measures being implemented to ensure public order across the island as it enters the Christmas season.

“It is expected that these measures will also help to further reduce the backlog of solid waste that our citizens are experiencing in some parts of the country. Significant work has already been done to decrease the volume of accumulated waste, and this initiative will accelerate that process, as well as ensure that whatever is generated during the holidays is properly managed,” the Minister added.

“This special initiative is receiving the personal attention of the Executive Director of the NSWMA, who is spearheading the cleansing of mini-dumps in a number of areas, including Montego Bay and Downtown Kingston. These dumps will be opened until midnight, and in a number of selected areas, garbage will be collected up to 11 pm.”

He also acknowledged the patience of the many citizens, who have been inconvenienced by the pile-up of garbage. Minister McKenzie also appealed for persons- especially business operators – to be considerate and responsible in the disposal of their litter.

“I am warning the commercial sector that we have the mechanisms in place to identify where the garbage is generated and we are prepared to take the strongest actions to ensure that we get full compliance,” emphasized the Minister, whose portfolio responsibility includes the NSWMA.

The Minister mentioned too that work has commenced to obtain new garbage trucks, subject to the availability of funds. It is expected that these new units will be on the streets in the latter part of next year.