Fire station delay irks south Trelawny residents

WESTERN BUREAU:

It has been more than two years since Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie told a town hall meeting in Trelawny that a new fire station would be constructed in Ulster Spring. But except for a groundbreaking ceremony last June, the promise remains as ‘empty words,’ to the formerly hopeful residents.

With bushfires from spontaneous combustion a feature of the recent drought in some sections of the Cockpit Country, residents in communities such as Sawyers, Alps, Ulster Spring, and Albert Town say they are being neglected by those they elected to serve them.

“These people are very big on making promises but very weak on honouring them,” said south Trelawny farmer Lincoln Bennett. “If we should have a major fire in a congested place like Albert Town, the entire town could go up in flames. A fire station is ... a necessity.”

Like Bennett, Dr Pauline Foster-Grant, who represents the Ulster Spring division as councillor in the Trelawny Municipal Corporation, is dismayed at the long delay, especially as she recalls her many years lobbying for the promised fire station.

“It makes me feel very sad. Over the years I have been advocating to have the station built and I was overjoyed when the announcement was made, “ Foster-Grant told The Gleaner earlier this week. “At the groundbreaking (ceremony), I spoke to the minister (McKenzie) and he gave me the assurance that it would be built soon. It is still not built.”

In addition to the protection the fire station would hopefully provide against major fires, it would also be a feather in the cap of Foster-Grant, who is poised to quit representation when her current term ends, as it would add to her personal legacy as a councillor.

“I am keeping my fingers crossed because I believe that somewhere in the trillion-dollar budget presented by Finance Minister Nigel Clarke there must be some money to build the station,” she said.

Runnel Williams, another south Trelawny resident, believes that (construction of) the fire station should be given priority attention, as the nearest fire station is some 28 miles away.

“I am hoping that there will be no fire. We are located more than half an hour’s drive from Falmouth and Christiana (Manchester). By the time they get here significant damage would have taken place, and lives could be lost. Anything that can be done to speed up this construction would be highly appreciated,” said Williams.

But Albert Town businessman and president of the Trelawny Lay Magistrates Association, Kenneth Grant, believes the delay in the construction of the fire station is part of the general neglect for the long-standing concerns of residents of south Trelawny.

“There are many ways in which we are treated without much respect,” said Grant. “The number of police who patrol the area is one of them. The unfulfilled promise of the building of the fire station is another. I hope that the fire station will be built before any damage to property, and lives are lost.”