Old Harbour transport centre to relocate

This, as the landlord of the leased property issued the St Catherine Municipal Corporation with notice to vacate the property.

When contacted the local municipal corporation said a temporary solution has been identified.

“Definitely we will have to move by the end of September as we have promised and that we would,” said Telka Holt, commercial services manager, St Catherine Municipal Corporation.

“The Old Harbour market area will be transformed to house both market and transportation centre.

“We have already started the plans to have it rearrange to accommodate the transportation centre.”

According to Holt, the municipality is moving posthaste to have the facility ready.

“I don’t see any challenges that we will be having at this time,” she declared, countering suggestion of possible overcrowding perceived by the limited space.  

The council manager further declared that adequate space is available after an assessment was carried out by its technical team. Plans are also being advance to improve the capacity of the market house that is severely underutilised by vendors, she said.  When complete, the revamped area will have points of exit and entrance and appropriately fenced.

“The design on the table is not something that is too difficult to construct; so to have the persons who are there on the front area it’s not going to take them any time to re-establish themselves in the space provided,” assured Holt.

A little less than two decades ago the municipality entered into a leased agreement with the landlord to operate a transportation centre as part of plans to meet the rapid expansion of the town.

But a few months ago the owner did not recommit to another deal, citing other plans yet to be disclosed.

At the same time, Holt has dismissed speculation that the state-run entity is being ushered off the property for being ‘bad tenants’, stating “I think that when persons have their properties and they probably want to utilise it otherwise you have to respect that. Our tenure there had expired”.

After becoming aware that their tenancy will not be renewed, discussions were held with stakeholders, including Member of Parliament Everald Warmington, regarding a temporary solution.

Warmington himself has made public proposed plans to construct a modern government town centre comprising of a market, transportation centre, police station, tax office among a suite of services.

The project remains a major plan of the government, Old Harbour News understands and is seen as needed now more than ever.

Mark Berrick, a taxi driver of 21 years, says he has no qualms about the situation.

Berrick, who plies to the Old Harbour to Spring Village route, said: “That is a prime spot for we as taxi drivers. And with me personally, me would never have no more problem with police officers because that’s where we use to park, right at the market front.”

For bus driver ‘Bolton’ “a lang tiim it (transport centre) fi moov an go ova de so, cause a govament place dat yu undastand… and ova ya so dem naa kip ova ya so cleen and dem likkle ting de.”

Sharon Tinker, president of the Old Harbour Vendors Association, says she’s aware of the development but is yet to formally meet with municipal authorities. Presently she said members are “restive” given the uncertainty the disruption will likely cause.

“Everybody is uncertain as to the way forward,” she said. “We would like to know how the change is going to affect us.

“Where people have to pull up and move that’s a major disruption. The concern of the vendors is how many people will be or can be accommodated.”

More than 50 vendors’ stalls will have to relocate, the spokesperson said.

And with six weeks remaining Tinker said the municipal corporation needs “to act now”, as higglers are “worried” that any further delay will severely impact the back-to-school period.

“Anything that you are going to do that will take effect September you have to start do it now. It should have started already,” she said, pointing to advanced plans by vendors to regularize electricity service with the Jamaica Public Service (JPS).

“The electrician takes money. The material takes money. Then you going to put up all these wires and then you rip them up back and move the stalls. It don’t worth it! You have to pay the electrician and the person who pass (approve) it and all these things. It cost money,” she added.

Holt could not provide a timeline for the project, but given its urgency time is already running out.