Mayor challenges residents to make Falmouth clean
Published:Monday | July 3, 2023 | 12:09 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
AS PART of continuous efforts to convert the area into an iconic experience, Falmouth’s mayor, Collen Gager, is taking steps to stop pan chicken vendors from illegally disposing of food waste and spent cooking oil in Water Square.
Water Square got its name because it once housed a water tank that stored water from the Martha Brae River, which was then gravity-fed to residents, making them the first people to have access to piped water, even before those living in more developed countries such as New York, United States. In 1955, a fountain was installed in the area, taking the place of the tank.
Despite this Gager, who serves as the chairman of the Trelawny Municipal Corporation, expressed his displeasure while speaking to residents about the town’s excessive stink and ugliness.
Speaking at a town hall meeting last Wednesday night, he asked locals and guests to use greater caution when disposing of their garbage and to utilise the town’s existing sanitary facilities.
“Falmouth is currently one of Jamaica’s communities with the strongest growth rate. Others from other parishes will come in and take it away from us if we the people don’t recognise what is occurring,” Gager noted.
“We want a town that reflects what is happening around us,” he emphasised, referring to the expansion of tourism and business.
The Falmouth mayor stated that residents must make sure that rubbish disposal is in order, given the expansion in the town and parish.
“You can’t just dump all the leftover flour at the root of the flowers when you come here and sell the fried chicken,” Gager stated.
“It can’t be that you just dump the hot oil that is left over, that’s grease, and it costs quite a penny to wash down the town,” he continued.
Another issue, he said, is how inhabitants and those moving through the area choose to get rid of their waste.
“It can’t be that I want to urinate and I just go beside a building, a tree, or a street, in the lane, and when you pass that aroma coming from the corner is not a pleasant one,” he noted.
“We are not pleased with the way things are going so we are asking you to partner with us; what I am saying is we have to act a little differently.”
Gager said the municipal corporation will do its part to keep the drains clean by implementing a comprehensive programme that is currently in the procurement phase.
Additionally, he stated that the drain-cleaning programme would intensify its efforts to guarantee the comfort of residents and the freedom of tourists to freely navigate the town.
“We have to keep in mind that the port is close by and we want to ensure that the people getting off the ship are free to walk and enjoy the town,” he said.
Further, he pledged to keep working with Joy Roberts, the executive director of Jamaica Vacations at the Ministry of Tourism, to encourage passengers from cruise ships to leave the port and visit the town, where they may shop and mingle with locals.