‘No turning back now’

WESTERN BUREAU:

After more than a decade of delays and broken promises, Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie says the long-overdue work on the Negril Fruit and Vegetable Market is set to begin in the next three months.

“There is no turning back now as to where we are going with the project,” said McKenzie, following a closed-door meeting with the Negril Chamber of Commerce and Industry yesterday.

“I’m expecting that, within the two to three months, we will physically see major movements and some level of work that will commence on the long-awaited Negril Market.”

McKenzie was emphatic in stating that the project, plagued over the years by bureaucratic hold-ups, is now firmly on track, with funding secured and only minor procedural steps left to be taken ahead of the start of the project.

“There is no question about the funding. That fund is in the Ministry of Local Government. There is nothing outstanding that is left to be done,” said McKenzie, who nonetheless noted that the project predates his tenure. “The time for action is now.”

McKenzie used the opportunity to praise the Negril Chamber for its persistent advocacy, stating that it has been persistent in lobbying for movement on the project.

“I think they did an excellent job in keeping us, the politicians, on our toes and keep reminding us of the commitments that were made long before I became the minister,” he said.

As things stand, the temporary market site, located next to where the Negril Fruit and Vegetable Market will be constructed, is now ready for use. However, McKenzie, who has portfolio responsibility for municipal markets, said the facility experienced minor setbacks following the passage of Hurricane Beryl last July.

TEMPORARY LOCATION READY

“The temporary location that was prepared a couple of months ago is fully ready. The bathrooms, water, and electricity are in place. We did some work on the grounds but, because of Hurricane Beryl, the fence is down,” he said.

McKenzie added that minor work to the road surface and the painting of bathrooms would be completed over the next two weeks, once estimates are submitted this coming Monday. He also gave the green light for the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation to move ahead with advancing the minor repair works, including relocating vendors to the temporary market site.

“Mayor (Savanna-la-Mar Mayor Danree Delancy), I am giving instructions that you can proceed to commence those minor works for us to move to the next phase,” McKenzie said. “The municipality will again re-engage the vendors, and I would want in the re-engagement, mayor, that the Chamber of Commerce is invited to be a part of those consultations.”

McKenzie also noted that the full development of the new market will be executed in two phases. The first phase will involve the demolition of the old site, for which financial estimates have been completed and will soon be put to tender.

PROCESS

“While that (the demolition) is being done, the tender for the major project, which is based on the value, will have to go to the Public Procurement Commission (PPC), and Cabinet. When that is done, we will be putting out to tender phase two of the project,” said the minister, who admitted that bureaucratic red tape might cause slight delays.

“The only thing that will create some level of delay would be the process that has to be adhered to, to get through the red tape. And we could use what necessary begging we can, pleading to have this project fast-forwarded in a way because this is long overdue.”

Delancy, who is also the chairman of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation, said he was pleased with the outcome of the stakeholder meeting, describing it as a transformative development for the resort town.

“This project, minister, will be a game-changer for Negril, which will finally have its own market. We at the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation stand ready to do all within our power to ensure the successful execution of this long-overdue development,” he said.

“Despite being short-staffed at the moment, our technical department still possesses the expertise required to see the process through. We are now anxiously awaiting the completion of the preparatory work and the signing of the contract so we can get this project underway.”

Members of the Negril business community also expressed satisfaction with the latest development.

“For us, it’s all about seeing action,” said Chamber President Elaine Allen-Bradley. “I will be keeping both the municipality and the minister on their toes regarding this project.”

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