Denbigh showground rehab on track
Published:Monday | July 10, 2017 | 12:00 AMChristopher Serju
Rehabilitation work at the Denbigh Show Ground in Clarendon to address serious public health breaches which must be corrected in time for the August 5-7 staging of the annual agricultural industrial and food show is progressing apace, according the chief medical officer, Dr. Winston De La Haye.
“We are feeling more so, now that we have the commitment," he told The Gleaner yesterday.
Work has been going so well that the show committee, comprised of members of the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), requested that the July 28 completion deadline set by the Ministry of Health be brought forward by at least a week, so confident are members. However, Dr De La cautioned against getting too emotional.
“We would be happy to facilitate that but the decision as to whether the show will be on or off is not based on feeling but on objective evidence and at this time we can say it appears that the group at Denbigh is motivated to get the job done. In all of this, our job is to ensure that the public is protected, that’s the bottom line,” the chief medical officer disclosed.
CAN'T COMPLAIN
This was confirmed by Dr Scarlette Campbell, medical officer of health for Clarendon.
“Things are going so well I can’t complain right now. They are trying to work with us so I am happy with what’s going on so far. They seem to be taking us seriously,” she said.
Meanwhile, efforts to get a comment from a member of the JAS executive proved futile. Chief executive officer Christopher Emanuel was out of office and president Norman Grant is scheduled to return to the island from Canada today. He returns in time to chair the 122nd annual general meeting of the JAS, which is schedule to take place at the show ground tomorrow morning, starting at 10:00.