Curfews have delayed the MoBay Fire Station completion – Sweeney

WESTERN BUREAU:

The nightly curfews in Montego Bay, which is a part of the COVID-19 health and safety protocol, is being blamed for the delay in the completion of the new multimillion-dollar headquarters of the Montego Bay Fire Station, which has now fallen behind schedule.

This was expressedby Omar Sweeney, managing director of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), which is overseeing the projectbeing financed by funding from the World Bank.

“One of the challenges we have had is the nightly curfews for COVID,” Sweeney told The Gleaner. “The contractor had intended to catch up the time lost due to COVID by working night shifts. However, they were not able to work at night, so we have fallen back on the schedule.” The initial construction phase of the new fire station was originally set for June. However, that timeline was shifted to November after the coronavirus was discovered in Jamaica in March, which forced a partial lockdown of the country to contain the spread of the virus.

New year’s gift

In responding to The Gleaner’s query about a possible completion date, Sweeney said the new fire station will come as a new year’s gift to the people of St James, as the facility’s new completion date is now set for January.

According to the JSIF boss, the plumbing and tiling, alongside some of the basic aesthetic, of the building are among the scope of outstanding works. He further noted and that despite the delays in completing the project, he still expects that it will be completed within the allocated budget.

“We have looked at the schedule, and we feel comfortable with the end of January (deadline) so all being well, we should be ready,” Sweeney added.

The original Fire Brigade building, which had become dilapidated after serving the parish for over 50 years, was demolished in 2006 after it was deemed to be structurally unsound. It was also considered to be badly sited, being located at the regularly congested Barnett and Harbour streets.

However, with efforts to find a new location coming to naught, the old site will once again serve as the home of the parish’s fire services. Upon completion, the Montego Bay Fire Station will house dormitory facilities to allow for the smooth deployment of firefighters across various shifts, with adequate administrative facilities and parking bays for five fire trucks and an ambulance.