$27M to remove zinc fences in Mount Salem, St James

Managing Director of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) Omar Sweeney says some $27 million will be spent on the Mount Salem Zinc Fence Substitution Project to greatly improve the aesthetics of the St. James community.

Sweeney noted that the Government, through the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, is providing $26 million for the undertaking with a contribution of $1 million from the community.

Speaking at a recent meeting at the Mount Salem Primary and Junior High School, he indicated that 1,000 metres of corrugated zinc fences within the Mount Salem Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO) will be removed and replaced with reinforced concrete walls.

He said that the project will be implemented over nine months utilising the Community-based Contracting (CBC) methodology, which will see the Mount Salem Benevolent Society acting as project managers.

“This approach will help to strengthen community leadership and empower community members to have a stake in maintaining the infrastructure of their community,” he pointed out, noting that approximately 100 persons will benefit from employment.

He noted that upon completion, the project will have a positive impact on over 4,000 residents.

Sweeney said JSIF is committed to the complete removal of zinc fences in vulnerable communities across the island as part of an overall strategy aimed at neighbourhood improvement.

Beneficiaries of the programme include Hannah Town, Denham Town, Rose Town, Greenwich Town and Maxfield Park in Kingston and St. Andrew; Canaan Heights and York Town in Clarendon, Steer Town in St. Ann; Barrett Town and Granville in St. James and Russia, Westmoreland.

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