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.

Honourable Noel Arscott, Minister of Local Government and Community Development along with Executive Director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority and other officials visited the Riverton Landfill on Monday May 5, 2014. Residents have been inconvenienced by smoke resulting from the recent fire at the landfill – allegedly by arsonists. Monday’s visit provided an opportunity to look at the work in progress and examine some possible steps that could yield improvements for the landfill.

Executive Director of the National Solid Waste Management Authority, Jennifer Edwards reported that the entire area of the landfill that was on fire has been covered. Ms. Edwards made it clear that they are very determined to meet as many of the requirements laid out by the National Environment and Planning Agency. They have already begun the water quality testing process and they are working along with NEPA and other entities to look at air quality monitoring. The Executive Director also pointed out that approximately 25 acres of the landfill has already been covered and once the rest is covered they will re-cell the site and; dependent on the resources they will do a weekly or monthly coverage. She further went on to say that in light of the difficulty to meet some of the requirements set out by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the NSWMA is lobbying the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development and other entities to see how they can assist them to comply but in the interim they will use the $61million in the budget to start the process.

Minister Arscott explained that the government is actively pursuing the possibility of the waste to energy facility which will result in proper management of the landfill and a reduction in the risk of fires. The Ministry is collaborating with the Ministry of Science, Technology, Energy and Mining and the Ministry of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change to have this facility established. They are also trying to source enough funds to properly cover the area that in case another fire should occur, it will be easily contained. The amount of plastic containers observed on site was a cause for concern; the Minister took the opportunity to point out the need for more persons to reduce, reuse and recycle so as to lessen the amount of flammable waste that gets into the landfill, thus minimizing the possibilities of frequent fires. The Minister has promised to provide details of a more comprehensive approach to be taken when he speaks in the 2014/2015 Sectoral Debates.

The Honorable Colin Fagan, Minister of State in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, last week, delivered on his commitment to have the Portmore Fire Station house the pilot for a Resource and Outreach Programme, which will seek to transform fire stations across the island. The official opening ceremony which was held at the Portmore Fire Station on Thursday, May 1, was well attended by residents of Portmore and representatives from the various stakeholder groups.

This project was realized through collaboration between the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, the Jamaica Fire Brigade, the Social Development Commission, community volunteers, and the Universal Service Fund. The collaborative efforts between these entities saw the provision of twenty (20) computers, other technology learning devices, corresponding software, internet service and internal adjustments to the Portmore Fire Station, located in Waterford. The Centre is expected to:

• Provide skills training to community and development area members
• Improve literacy, computer skills and over all academic performance for young people in the community.
• Utilize technology as a tool to foster educational development with lifelong (adult) learning.
• Facilitate access to the internet and communication by residents.

The State Minister, in his main address at the function, urged residents to use the Centre with caution, while taking advantage of the opportunities that the Centre provides, as it was established with the aim of improving the lives of residents in and around Portmore. The Portmore Resource and Outreach Centre is a pilot project that is expected to be a leading example of community development initiatives that will be adopted and replicated around the island.

The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development and the St. Elizabeth Parish Council, in partnership with Ministry of Tourism and Entertainment and the Tourism Enhancement Fund, signed a contract for the construction of 170 stalls at the newly rehabilitated Black River Market. The contract was officially awarded to Tank Weld at an official signing ceremony held at the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development on Wednesday, April 16, 2014. This signifies the start of Phase 2 of the rehabilitation process, as Phase 1 was recently completed at a cost of $31.5 million

The Ministry has been collaborating with the local authorities to identify and develop key strategic markets across the Island. The parochial markets, which are operated by the Councils and centrally positioned across the parishes, are critical for the support of a number of stakeholders who rely on these facilities to improve their economic and social well-being. 25 key markets have been identified for rehabilitation, and will be undertaken by the Ministry, in conjunction with the respective local authorities. The project in Black River is the first to be implemented.

At the contract signing ceremony, Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Honorable Noel Arscott, reminded persons of the importance of maintaining the country’s infrastructures. He affirmed that ‘we have to understand how important the improvement and maintenance of these infrastructures are to the sustainable growth and development of the local economy. After the Technical Team has done their part, it is up to the necessary stakeholders to preserve the physical and organizational structure of the market.’

The final phase of the project, comprising of the construction of proper sanitary convenience and the meat and fish market, is expected to begin as soon as Phase 2 is completed.

On Tuesday March 11, 2014 the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) handed over computer equipment, valued over $4 million, to the Ministry Of Local Government and Community Development and the various Local Authorities, in an official handing over ceremony held at the Ministry. The equipment were procured under the Access to Services component of the Inner City Basic Services Project (ICBSP).  This component of the ICBSP is wherefunding is allocated to support the procurement of basic equipment and the provision of technical assistance, to strengthen management and operations at the local level.
Minister Noel Arscott, who delivered the main address at the ceremony, expressed his appreciation and explained how the computer equipment, specifically the CISCO router will help to improve the development application process; ‘The CISCO routers will enable the different local area networks of the AMANDA LAs to communicate and share data and information securely. All the equipment being handed over today is expected to help strengthen productivity and efficiency in the development approval process. It will integrate with the AMANDA software leading to the development of a helpdesk throughout the Parish Councils, and therefore allowing for greater compliance.’

At the ceremony, Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) handed over ten (10) CISCO Routers, Seven (7) desktop Computers with Office Suite, one (1) HP Designjet T520 Colour Plotter and one (1) All in One HP Laserjet Pro 500 Printer. As a result of this investment by JSIF ten Local Authorities will be positively impacted.