Westmoreland police to repair market roofing
Published:Saturday | November 12, 2022 | 12:06 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU
The Westmoreland police have committed to repairing the leaky roof of the Savanna-la-Mar Market located on Great George Street, as law enforcers do their part to ensure that the facility is suitable for use by vendors and consumers.
Senior Superintendent of Police Wayne Josephs, the commanding officer for the Westmoreland Police Division, made the announcement while providing an update on the three-week-old public order reset at Thursday’s monthly meeting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation (WMC).
The clampdown, which is a joint initiative between the police and the WMC, has been under way since October 18 in the parish capital of Savanna-la-Mar to rid the streets of illegal vending and unruly motorists, including public passenger operators.
According to Josephs, the police and the WMC are working to address some of the issues at the market in the interim, “so that when we say to vendors, go into the market, they will be compliant”.
He pointed out that the fire brigade would be unable to access the market if there is a fire. Likewise, the police would encounter difficulties navigating the space if there is a robbery or any other crime.
Further, he said a fact-finding tour of the market has found the sanitary convenience in good order, contrary to claims by vendors, but confirmed complaints about the leaky roof.
“I (the police) have decided to fix the market, and when I said fix the market, I am not going to take on the entire market, I am talking about the roof,” explained Josephs, who noted that he had received permission from the WMC which owns and operates the facility.
While not naming any particular enterprise, Josephs said a number of business owners and operators in the parish have decided to partner with the police and the local authority to rehabilitate the roof of the market.
“When we are through with Sav, it will be a totally transformed town,” Josephs added.
Along with fixing the roof, the police said vendors will be provided with a colour-coded vest that they will be required to wear while operating in the market space to properly identify them from customers.
Work on the facility is expected to begin shortly and vendors will have designated vending areas in the market to carry out their operations.
The decision by Westmoreland stakeholders to fix the roof of the market came after vendors demonstrated and mounted roadblocks, claiming that the facility was in a deplorable condition as reason for the pushback against efforts to clampdown on illegal vending on the streets.