St Elizabeth DAC bemoans loss of Black River community centre, MP offers hope
Published:Wednesday | June 22, 2022 | 12:05 AMCecelia Campbell-Livingston/Gleaner Writer
In the middle of the Newtown housing development in Black River sits the community centre, no longer a picture of what it used to be since it was built in the 1970s on land donated by the National Housing Trust.
The large building, which houses approximately seven washing machines, two big industrial ranges, an industrial mixer (pastry), and lots of chairs stacked into a room with computers, was a community effort between the residents and the Social Development Commission (SDC).
Today, as you make your way into the centre, you have to get past grazing cattle, giving the suspicious eye, to behold the contents of the building with half of the roof leaking, the inside filled with water, debris and looking unkempt.
Juliet Johnson, who is a part of the Black River District Area Committee (DAC), said it is the desire of members of the community to see the restoration of the centre which played a great role in not just those from the area, but those farther afield in the parish.
“We used to do sewing, crocheting, straw work, which was started by the SDC,” she shared, adding that they offered additional courses such as hospitality to students coming from communities such as Goshen, Santa Cruz, Balaclava, New Market.
Informing that she was a beneficiary of the training initiative in 1996, one year after the programme started, Johnson said it was a big disappointment that the programme was discontinued.
Almost 12 years later, Johnson still has no clear-cut answers regarding why the training was discontinued.
“I think it was after the change of government when the PNP lost their seat. And really, I couldn’t tell you specifically why, but I know we had a change of government and it closed in 2009, and I do remember because we had a registration and persons registered for 2010 and didn’t get the opportunity to come and participate in the training that taking place over there,” she recalled.
Johnson said following its closure, the DAC tried two years ago to restore it with a planned fundraising luncheon but it was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
They tried renting the property, which at one point was being used as an emergency shelter during a hurricane, but the cost involved to prepare the location and renting the use of a generator defeated the purpose.
But Johnson has not given up on trying to ensure the centre is restored. She said the DAC is now planning to host a fundraising event on Black River Day – a joint production between the Black River Chamber of Commerce and the JCDC – in July.
“We want to see what we can earn to do for the centre,” she said.
She said the community centre’s revival would mean a lot to the surrounding areas.
“It would mean a lot, day in day out people just upset to see the centre in the scheme is down and know how much that centre is to the community and to others outside. We had a lot of things go on over there, people having their repast, wedding reception, the church rent it, all different types of organisation,” she outlined, adding that there are plans to now include a homework centre.
SLATED FOR DISCUSSION
When The Gleaner contacted Member of Parliament for South West St Elizabeth Floyd Green, he said the matter of the community centre’s restoration is slated for discussion between him and the municipal corporation, which has direct responsibility.
“We have made some commitments but they have not come through as yet, (but) I’m going to revisit the conversation. I think it is a critical area where there is potential. We have been working with the HEART (NSTA) Trust in the area to do a lot of the training, but the reality is that I genuinely believe you can’t have too much training and there are always other areas we could be looking. So yes, we will be looking to see how we can help,” he said.