Minister of Local Government and Community Development Hon. Noel Arscott, officially opened recently rehabilitated parochial roads at Springvale in Bog Walk and at Kelly Pen in Old Harbour Bay today.

This 1.5 km Springvale Road, which falls in the constituency of North-Central St. Catherine, was rehabilitated under the Parochial Roads Programme of the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, and funded by the Ministry and the St. Catherine Parish Council. The project cost J$27 million, and involved earth works, drainage and pavement works inclusive of double surface dressing.

In commending the work done to restore the road, Minister Arscott said it holds great significance for the people of Springvale, as it is the main route out to neighbouring communities such as Content and Cameron. The Minister noted that the Springvale Road had deteriorated over a 40 year period, and said that this had negatively affected the economy and social development of the area, as farmers struggled to get produce to market and transportation providers largely avoided it, leading to the near closure of the Springvale Primary School.

The Minister of Local Government expressed confidence that the economy of Springvale will significantly improve because of the rehabilitation works.

The message was that of community care for public investment, when the Minister toured and officially opened the road at Kelly Pen in Old Harbour Bay, which falls in the constituency of South-West St. Catherine. The area, which features livestock rearing as its chief economic activity, is also the official route for moving people out from Kelly Pen, to Port Esquivel to Freetown, should the threat of disaster or an actual disaster occur.

The works for the .652 km Kelly Pen Road project included Site Clearance and the Resurfacing of the roadway, at a cost of J$14 million. This project was also financed by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development and the St. Catherine Parish Council.

In stating that the road improvements demonstrated tax dollars at work, Minister Arscott urged full Property Tax compliance. “Property Taxes are critical to our Ministry’s efforts to fix roads like these all over Jamaica, under the Parochial Roads Programme. Over the last three years we have spent over J$6 Billion to repair over 520 kilometres (327 miles) of road. We have cleaned 3,475 kilometres (2,159 miles) of drains, and we have done bushing works along 2,256 kilometres (1,401 miles) of road. We have a Property Tax target of J$7.26 billion to meet this year, and collections are just over J$5 billion. We want to close the revenue gap, so that you can receive even greater service from us.”

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Noel Arscott, is scheduled to open the debate on the Constitution (Amendment) (Local Government) Bill in the House of Representatives today.

The Bill seeks to insert provisions for the system of Local Government into the Constitution of Jamaica, and is seen as a critical part of the Local Government Reform agenda. The Bill was originally tabled in the Lower House on September 30, 2014. In keeping with the requirements for amending the Constitution, the minimum three month period has elapsed between the initial tabling and the start of today’s debate.

At the end of today’s debate in the House, another three-month period must pass before the Bill can be approved by the House. Two-thirds of the membership of the House of Representatives and also of the Senate will have to pass the Bill, for it to be placed in the Constitution.

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Noel Arscott, is hailing the Black River Market as a shining example of continuity across political administrations. In Officially Opening the market in St. Elizabeth’s capital on Wednesday December 10, the Minister said the market project “is part of a wider, major redevelopment programme, which will involve 25 critical markets across the island. When completed, these markets will look nothing like what we have been accustomed to. Instead, they will have proper waste management systems, sustainable rain water harvesting facilities, and solar panels for electricity”.

The Minister noted that the Black River Market started under the Administration formed by the Jamaica Labour Party in 2007, was completed under the current Administration formed by the People’s National Party, and involved a range of public and private sector partners. These included the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP), and National Continental Bakery.

Tank-Weld Limited built, transported and installed 170 vending stalls, in keeping with the terms of a J$16.7 million contract with the Local Government Ministry.

In describing the Market as a prototype of what the modern, spatially efficient and multi-dimensional market will look and feel like, Minister Arscott declared that “this is not just a market upgrade, but a transformation of public space, and a driver of efficient economic activity. This Market will contribute to a major improvement in public order, as vendors and other entrepreneurs will now be in a defined area, instead of offering goods and services on the streets, and contributing to chaos in traffic management. The design of the Market accommodates the needs of vendors as well as those of consumers. That is why this facility reflects clearly identified areas, adequate parking, bathroom facilities, and food service areas.”

Minister of State in the Ministry of Local Government, Hon. Colin Fagan, has challenged the leadership of the Social Development Commission (SDC), to develop a special social programme to dramatically raise the levels of civic consciousness and personal responsibility in Jamaica.

The Minister was speaking at special Awards and Retirees ceremony, to recognize the employees of the SDC.

In noting that the SDC has firmly established its social presence through sport, Minister Fagan said the Agency will have to do even more, to positively intervene in, and shape the attitudes of the Jamaican society.

“The attitudes our young people form early in life will determine whether their Life Chances…their prospects for being good, noble and productive citizens of Jamaica and indeed the world. Our problems of unemployment, underemployment, crime and corruption are all tightly tied to the kind of society we have encouraged over time.”

Minister Fagan said initiatives are needed to ensure a better quality of mother, by shaping her attitudes as a child, and initiatives for boys, to ensure that the vast majority of men become fathers who cherish and nurture their children, rather than breeders of women.

He also stated that initiatives are required which will, throughout the lives of children and young people, mould them into socially conscious, productive, curious adults with a profound moral compass.

“If we start with the infants of today, that would be a twenty-year project. That is a medium-term project in economic terms. It is critical to our efforts to develop our economy and to our chances to meet our Vision 2030 goals in a real way”.

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Noel Arscott, has expressed thanks to the Government of Japan, for its donation of two Fire Trucks and two Ambulances to the Ministry. The trucks and ambulances will be used to bolster the Jamaica Fire Brigade’s fire and emergency response infrastructure in the parish of Westmoreland.

At a special handing over ceremony on Friday, December 5, 2014, Minister Arscott noted that the assistance was provided by the Grant Assistance for Grass-Roots and Human Security Project, in partnership with the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Diplomacy.

Minister of State, Hon. Colin Fagan, noted that residents and businesses were negatively affected by a high yearly average of 474 fires in the parish, along with an average of 460 emergency cases per year.

He said the Ministry, along with the Divisional and Constituency representatives, was driven by the desire to serve the needs of the people of Westmoreland. In his response, Japan’s Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Yasuo Takase, noted that the Government of Japan was driven by its desire to assist economic and social growth in developing countries, and to promote international cooperation.

Out of these complementary objectives, the Project for Improvement of Ambulances and Fire Trucks of Emergency Response in Westmoreland was born, and a Grant of just over US$81,000 provided by the Japanese government.

Mayor of Savanna-La-Mar, Councillor Bertel Moore, and Member of Parliament for Eastern Westmoreland and State Minister for Agriculture & Fisheries, Labour a& Social Security, Luther Buchanan, expressed gratitude for the donation, stating that it will ensure that the people of Westmoreland will work and live with a greater sense of assurance.

They also asked that the vehicles are meticulously cared for, not only by the Jamaica Fire Brigade but by the ordinary citizens.