Holness wants redesign of Washington Boulevard

Prime Minister Andrew Holness is lamenting the state of the Washington Boulevard corridor, noting that the area is in need of attention, not only to address traffic concerns, but to improve the look of the entrance to the metropolis.

“ ... As you come off the overpass coming to Washington Boulevard [from Mandela Highway] and look to your left over by New Haven, that is not what you want to see greet you as you enter your city,” he said, while addressing a groundbreaking ceremony for Maverley Park in St Andrew on Tuesday afternoon.

The park is located at the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Molynes Road.

Holness said that mechanic shops and other operations that lined Washington Boulevard and interfered with the free flow of traffic should be “back-office” operations.

“Something has to be done,” Holness told the gathering, adding that dialogue on mobilising state resources to address the situation had already started with Finance Minister Dr Nigel Clarke.

“The plan is that we have to do a total re-engineering and redesign of Washington Boulevard as the entrance to the city,” he said, as he also pointed to Three Miles and the Spanish Town Road corridor.

“When you visit other countries and you get on to their main thoroughfares, the entrance to their city, it is deliberately beautiful. They spend time and effort to make a statement not just to visitors, but for every single citizen passing every day that sees it,” he said, noting that this can evoke a sense of pride and uplift spirits.

Turning to the park being developed, he said that there needed to be proper management of the activities allowed on the grounds once the work has been completed.

“When we build the park, we must ensure that everyone can have the enjoyment of the park. So yes, you’re going to want to keep entertainment events at the park, but the park cannot become exclusively a dance hall,” he asserted.

Therefore, those who wish to use the space for exercise, to conduct prayer meetings, a church service or even an art exhibition should be allowed to do so, he said.

Holness said that the Government is aiming to build at least one major park in each parish, which would later include the Portmore municipality, once it has been declared Jamaica’s 15th parish.

An overwhelmed Gregory Spencer shed a few tears of joy as he watched the ceremony.

“As you can see, we happy. We happy,” he said of himself and the scores of residents of the St Andrew community who turned out for the event.

Spencer said that it had been a long time since the park had received any attention, noting that it was no longer safely enclosed or equipped with amenities to allow children to play. It had, over time, deteriorated into a wide-open area of loose soil with patches of grass where goats grazed.

Getting children off the street

Spencer, the father of a 10-year-old boy, said that the park helps in getting more children off the street and offers community members a safe space for physical and recreational activities.

He said that it would also help to foster peace in the community, which is known for the sporadic flare-up of gun violence.

“Mi happy mi alive can see this and [that] me son can benefit,” he added.

Clarke, who is also the St Andrew North Western member of parliament, pointed out that the building of parks generally gives communities an economic and social boost.

He is anticipating that the restoration of Maverley Park– once known as Flowers Park because of the flower shows held there in the past – will also improve the value of real estate for homeowners.

“Everybody wants to live in close proximity to a park, and so when you advertise the house to rent or the room to rent, you [are] going to put in the ad ‘close to the Maverley Park’, ... and you can get a little more for the room,” Clarke told his constituents.

He also noted that familial bonds would be strengthened as people would no longer have to travel to the Emancipation Park in New Kingston or to the Duhaney Park recreational park to spend quality time together.

Andrew Harris, councillor for the Hughenden Division, said that the park would also serve residents along Washington Boulevard and members of the Hughenden community.

While he did not disclose the sum being spent on the project, Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie noted that some 16 other parks would receive attention over the next two years.

“I am here to tell you that the Ministry of Local Government [has] the funds in hand for the construction of the park. I am not going to tell you how much, but if you look at the size of the property, it tells you that it will take a lot to restore and to give this location the kind of feel that we have been doing across the country,” he said.

The yearlong project will also see the planting of 100 trees at the facility, nine of which have already been positioned.

asha.wilks@gleanerjm.com