‘We hear this before’

The November announcement by Prime Minister Andrew Holness that the Government will redevelop parish capitals and rural townships to maximise their economic potential has been viewed by some Spanish Town residents as another empty promise.

“We hear this before,” said Winston Kirkwood, a Spanish Town resident, “yet we continue to see the town fall apart, garbage pile-up, derelict buildings, street vending out of control that people don’t have anywhere to walk, bad roads, traffic jams every day, and no proper parking in and around the town centre.”

Holness, in his address at the party’s annual conference, pledged that his administration would make urban centres more accessible to pedestrians and motorists and improve public order. That will include the restoration of historical assets and improved garbage collection.

“For me to believe that they are serious, I have to see them start the project, but since the prime minister didn’t say when it will start, I am very sceptical about this,” Kirkwood told The Gleaner.

Plans for the redevelopment of Spanish Town hark back to 2006 by the P.J. Patterson administration, when then Minister of Information Burchell Whiteman announced the formation of the Spanish Town Redevelopment Company (SPARCOM) to abate the infrastructural decline and improve the town’s heritage tourism potential.

Again, in 2007, the Bruce Golding administration unveiled a major redevelopment plan and announced that SPARCOM would receive a start-up share capital of $500 million funded by private- and public-sector interests.

President of the St Catherine Chamber of Commerce Dennis Robotham was animated when he spoke to The Gleaner.

“I have become numb to these announcements about Spanish Town. It would have been nice if the prime minister had given a timeline when this programme will roll out. It would have instilled some confidence,” he said.

CONSTRUCT A VENDING ARCADE

According to Robotham, street vending has always been a major obstacle, with hundreds of vendors lining Burke Road, a main thoroughfare, and other streets to ply their wares. The town has also seen the proliferation of hundreds of informal fast-food vending sites.

“We nuh have nowhere else to go sell we goods. This is what we do for a living, so dem can’t just run we off the street and nuh find somewhere to put us,” said Cherry, who has been vending in the town for several years.

She added that the Government should construct a vending arcade to house vendors as part of the redevelopment plan.

Parking in the town centre has always been problematic for motorists, especially at the municipal corporation building and the court offices, where persons are often seen jostling for space.

“The parking situation is a mess, no major parking garage. Any redevelopment plan should take into consideration the building of a proper parking garage for people doing business in the town to have a safe place to park their vehicles,” stated Duran Keene.

“The condition of the roads throughout the town, especially Burke Road, should be a major component in any redevelopment plan,” he argued, pointing out that uneven thoroughfare were a factor behind daily traffic snarls.

Traffic congestion has become a concern for residents, especially along St John’s Road, Jobs Lane, Brunswick Avenue, Old Harbour main road, and the Spanish Town bypass.

“Don’t matter how early mi lef’ mi house to get to Mandela Highway to reach work on time in Kingston, it can’t work. Mi go John’s Road, traffic jam. Mi go Jobs Lane, traffic jam. Every street, traffic jam, and this happen right throughout the day,” said Carlton Jones, who is hoping for more dualised roadways.

Bishop Rowan Edwards said he hopes that this is not just an announcement as in past times.

“Spanish Town is a disgrace, and one of the factors that drives the crime spree is the lack of development,” Edwards said.

He highlighted the garbage pile-up in several communities and bad road conditions as agenda items.

“The economic well-being of Spanish Town must be centred around its rich history. I have long been advocating for the Spanish Town district prison to be transformed into a museum, displaying the gallows ... . This should be included in any plan to redevelop Spanish Town,” he said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Mayor Ralston Wilson also had reservations because he, too, has heard grand pronouncements before.

“I will not pay any attention to this announcement until I see tangible moves to start the project,” he told The Gleaner.

Wilson said he supports the idea of a vending arcade to get hawkers off the streets.

“What Holness should do is follow up with the plan announced by Bruce Golding to establish a free zone. All the plans for redevelopment have been shelved in the past, so I have no confidence now that it will happen,” Wilson said.

ruddy.mathison@gleanerjm.com