Local Government and Community Development Minister Hon. Desmond McKenzie has signed a J$190 million contract with HDB Construction Limited, to facilitate a modern Administrative Building for the Portmore Municipal Corporation.

The construction of an official Municipal Building for Portmore, was one of the commitments given by the Minister in his contribution to the 2017/18 Sectoral Debate in April.

In his remarks at the contract signing ceremony held at the Ministry, Minister McKenzie noted that, apart from the need for improved security, as well as to end the payment of rental for its current premises, the Municipal Corporation “ought properly to be housed in its own space, which reflects its own identity, and that space must be a modern symbol of civic pride and enhanced service delivery.”

In noting the national impact of the recent rains, the Minister said “this is a wake-up call to all of us, about how and where we build structures. This new building will be a potent symbol of your authority, which you must exercise thoroughly and fairly. The decisions and actions that come from the elected representatives and the administrative officials, can silence all critics who believe that Local Government is irrelevant or inefficient.The quality of your stewardship will determine the kind of regard in which you are held, and by extension, the system of local government.”

The Local Government and Community Development Minister also announced that:

• The new 22-thousand square foot facility (22,654 sq. ft.) will be a modern, stand-alone building, which will be located on 4 acres of Government land in the vicinity of the Braeton Parkway and Municipal Boulevard. This is near to the South St. Catherine Division Police Station (popularly called hundred-man police station).

• The J$190 million cost of the project will be financed from the Equalization Fund, as well as the Municipal Corporation’s funds.

• Construction is expected to last for twenty (20) months, beginning on June 1, and the intention is to execute the project in sections, so that the Corporation can move in and use the space during the period of the works. It is expected that the building will be completed by February, 2019.

• The building will feature a ground floor, first floor and attic floor, and will have energy-efficient features such as solar street lighting and LED lighting. The overall development plan also includes landscaping, adequate car parking and water harvesting.

The contract signing was also addressed by Member of Parliament for Southern St. Catherine Mr. Fitz Jackson and His Worship the Mayor of Portmore Mr. Leon Thomas, who both described the development as a welcome and eagerly anticipated lift for the elected and administrative servants of the people of Portmore, as well as the residents of Portmore themselves.

Ground has been officially broken for the construction of a female Ward at the St. James infirmary in Albion, Montego Bay.

The St. James Municipal Council, which is spearheading the initiative, has already raised J$10 million of the projected $28 million to complete the works.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, Denzil Thorpe, delivered a strident appeal to corporate Jamaica and philanthropic citizens for sponsorship to raise a portion of the remaining $18 million required to construct the ward. “It is a price worth paying for the benefit of completing a project that will emphasize the human face of Montego Bay and its environs. This ceremony is a great reminder that this is not just a tourism centre. There are great institutions here, and great individuals here, who are passionate about the welfare of human beings in their own right.”

In his address, Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Glendon Harris explained that over the last two years, women at the infirmary, which sits on a six-acre property, had to be housed in the chapel and storeroom due to the derelict state of the female ward which was built over a century ago.

Construction of the new ward is expected to be completed in 18 months.

On completion, the Ward will have 11 triple occupancy rooms; bathroom facilities, common areas, an examination room and a Reception Area.

The Infirmary currently accommodates 48 male and 12 female residents.

Minister of Local Government and Community, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, has announced new Market and Infirmary infrastructure projects for this financial year. In making his contribution to the Sectoral Debate today, the Minister announced that J$135 million will be spent to build new Wards at the Manchester and Portland Infirmaries. According to Minister McKenzie, Male and Female Wards at the Portland Infirmary will be designed to house 55 residents in a private home setting, which will also feature a Nurses’ Station and an Examination Room. “Grab bars and ramps will be placed in all appropriate locations, to ensure access to all mobility aids, while energy efficiency will be promoted by the use of solar power and LED Lighting. This facility will cost approximately J$80 million. With this state of the art facility, the optimizing of residents’ privacy and dignity will be assured. The Female Ward at the Manchester Infirmary will have the same features, will house 43 residents, and will be constructed at a cost of J$55 million. These funds will be sourced from Property Taxes and the Equalization Fund, and will not be a charge on the central Budget.” The Portfolio Minister also advised the House, that refurbishing works will begin at the Buff Bay Market in Portland, and completion works will continue at Clarks Town market in Trelawny. The Buff Bay Market is expected to provide accommodation for one hundred vendors, and feature among other things: Low and renewable energy technologies such as LED lights, solar panels and solar water heaters. Water harvesting systems, modern bathroom and showering facilities for vendors. There will be spaces for commercial offices or stores. This will make the market more attractive and suitable to other types of businesses and customers. Work will also be done at the Port Maria Market, at an estimated cost of J$40 million. This two-storey facility will be built at the location of the present market site, opposite the Parish Council building. It will house approximately seventy vendors on the ground floor, while the first floor will facilitate business spaces for entrepreneurs.

Local Government and Community Development Minister, Hon. Noel Arscott, has officially opened the Male Ward of the St. Thomas Infirmary.

At a special ceremony held to mark the event in November, Minister Arscott hailed it as “a critical signpost on our journey to provide tangible social protection to the vulnerable people of our country. It is one of the most important duties of care we have, and we are charged to ensure that we do our very best to make effective social protection the common experience in our country.”

The current facility emerged out of the urgent need for a suitable residential space to accommodate the male residents. The Ward was in a deplorable condition and presented a serious health risk to its occupants.

The work to create the new facility dates back to 2009, when the then Department of Local Government worked with the Board of Supervision, the St. Thomas Parish Council and the Fund for Culture, Health, Arts and Education (CHASE) to construct a new male residential ward at the St. Thomas Infirmary. The initial construction works were completed in March 2011 at a cost of $19.9 million.

Additional works involving the construction of a new sewerage system, carried the total project into this year, at a cost of $10.8 million. This new ward, which will house an additional 31 male residents, features double occupancy rooms, a general bathroom, a doctor’s examination room, matron’s office and space for visitors.

The Minister stated that this project reflects the Government’s drive to transform the physical spaces through which social protection is delivered. That was the signal given by the Prime Minister, during her contribution to the 2014/2015 Budget Debate. It was announced at that time, that the National Housing Trust (NHT) will be using $280 million of the surplus normally used for grants and subsidies, to provide assistance in three main areas. These include:

1. The improvement of infirmaries – $80 million.
2. Assisting with the provision of shelter for street persons – $74 million.
3. Assisting with the maintenance of indigent housing – $72 million.

The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, which has portfolio responsibilities for Infirmaries, Street Persons and Indigent Housing, has been working with the NHT to implement the initiative in collaboration with the Board of Supervision and the Local Authorities.

Infirmaries requiring urgent assistance have been identified in St. Elizabeth, Manchester, Portland, St James and Clarendon.

The Minister also announced that in relation to the provision of Shelter for the Homeless, a number of projects have been identified in Clarendon, Kingston & St. Andrew, Westmoreland, Hanover, St. Ann and Manchester. These include the Refurbishing of a Building to be used as to Drop in Centre, the Acquisition of a building to develop a transitional facility for the Homeless, repairs to existing transitional facilities, and the construction of new ones.

HATFIELD, Manchester: Two more indigent homes, which were conceptualized under the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development’s Municipal Social Assistance Programme (MSAP), have been handed over in the parish of Manchester.

The studio units were constructed at a cost of approximately $6 million by the Manchester Municipal Corporation. The local authority will be reimbursed by the Ministry.

“I am proud of the Manchester Municipal Corporation. This project was financed from own source funds specifically sub-divisions and building fees,” shared Mayor of Mandeville, Councillor Donovan Mitchell.  “We intend to refurbish a third structure on the property and upgrade it for its occupant who is visually impaired.”

He also said the local authority will be looking to undertake repairs to dwellings occupied by those in need across the parish.

Minister Desmond McKenzie on April 25, 2019 officially presented the furnished units to beneficiaries Mr. Denroy Rowe, who was given temporary housing at the Manchester Infirmary, and Mr. Clifton McPherson, a street person.

The Minister said the men will be monitored weekly by the Poor Relief Department.

“We do not give them the units and leave them on their own. We have to ensure their safety otherwise they would be placed in the infirmaries and treated there so the houses are an extension of the infirmaries and we are committed to ensure that we maintain a very high standard,” he explained.

“We have more under construction and by August we would have completed the first round of 28 that were committed and then we will roll out more than 50 more across the country in the new financial year.”

To date, 11 housing solutions have been constructed under MSAP.

Mr. Rowe, who is also physically-challenged, was a loss for words.

“No one has to ask me if I love it (the house)…I feel it in my heart,” he said.