Agreement reached to put Rockfort Mineral Bath back in operation

The government has entered an agreement with Caribbean Cement Company Ltd for the upgrading and re-opening of the Rockfort Mineral Bath in Kingston.

Olivia Grange, minister of culture, gender, entertainment and sport, announced on Friday that her ministry, through the Jamaica National Heritage Trust, had given a 25-year lease to Carib Cement to operate the site.

Addressing the signing of the lease agreement at her ministry headquarters in New Kingston, Grange said the facilities at the Rockfort Mineral Bath “will undergo major upgrades over the next five years at a cost of $57 million”.

Outlining a schedule for the works to be done in phases, the minister said that “some renovations will be completed within three to six months, which would make the facility available to the public shortly”.

Jorge Martinez, managing director of Carib Cement, said the development would focus on “enhancement of the baths, installation of accessories and the establishment of a robust security presence to ensure health and safety of visitors”.

Rockfort Mineral Bath is a national monument, renowned for having healing properties. Throughout its history, the facility has attracted Jamaicans and visitors to the country to take a dip in its healing stream.

Grange said the planned development works would not only see the re-opening, but a “re-position[ing] of the important Rockfort Mineral Bath among the list of culture, heritage, health and tourism attractions of greater Kingston and Port Royal”.

She said the development would not only bring immense benefit to Rockfort and its neighbouring communities, but to Jamaica as a whole.

Endorsing Grange’s vision, chairman of Carib Cement Parris Lyew-Ayee said the company hoped to “restore and renew this iconic site, enabling large numbers of local and international visitors to experience the world-famous therapeutic benefit of its sparkling mineral waters”.