Thu | Mar 28, 2024

Councillor unhappy about ‘Russia’ getting more state funding

Published:Tuesday | May 23, 2023 | 12:07 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Cebert McFarlane, councillor in the People’s National Party-controlled Westmoreland Municipal Corporation, does not believe that the social intervention measures being used by state agencies in Hudson Street (popularly called ‘Russia’), in Savanna-la-Mar, are working effectively.

According to McFarlane, even though the volatile seaside community has benefited substantially from government expenditure over the last 25 years, it is still being plagued by crime and other social malpractices.

“I am still concerned that for the last 25 years, Russia has been involved in every community intervention programme in Westmoreland and nothing has changed,” said McFarlane in response to reports that the Social Development Commission (SDC) plans to engage the community in another such programme during the summer vacation.

The community is known for bouts of violent crimes, including gang and turf wars, which have influenced multiple social interventions and infrastructure development, including improvements to utility service provision.

“... I think that half of the national Budget has already been spent in Russia on community intervention. It’s nonsense, and it is not working,” said McFarlane, who represents the Leamington division.

But Kerean Stephenson, acting parish manager for the SDC in Westmoreland, says that while residents of Russia have, over the years, benefited from the generosity of several state agencies, including the SDC, the commission was duty-bound to return now that they are part of the zone of special operations (ZOSO), which was first declared in January 2022.

Stephenson says the SDC will be implementing intervention programmes in the troublesome areas of Russia and the neighbouring New Market Oval community this summer.

“We continue with our summer programme, and this year, we will include the Russia and New Market Oval communities in this initiative.

“Both communities are in the ZOSO space, and it is our responsibility to implement social programmes for community cohesion within the space,” Stephenson told the recent monthly meeting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation.

“For Russia, we will be looking at implementing a food festival, exposing their talents, and helping them to enhance their skills,” said Stephenson.

She remarked that most of the pan chicken vendors operating on the streets of Savanna-la-Mar are from the Russia and New Market Oval communities, and they will be engaged and provided with alternative methods of preparing and presenting their meals.

Additional social/outreach initiatives include a kite-making competition for residents of New Market Oval, which should spark opportunities for bonding for pleasure and excitement in a family setting, Stephenson shared.