St. Elizabeth PDC to be Headed by Aubyn Hill

The St. Elizabeth Parish Development Committee (PDC) is to be chaired by International Business Consultant, Aubyn Hill, supported by a 12-member Executive.
Mr. Hill was elected at the annual general meeting of the Committee, held on May 28 at the Santa Cruz community centre, in the parish.
His Worship the Mayor of Black River, Councillor Jeremy Palmer, in charging the PDC to collaborate with the different agencies for the structured development of the parish, cited the many tourist attractions that could be marketed effectively, to generate wealth in the different communities in St. Elizabeth.
“What we are setting out today is a road map for the future. We have possibly the greatest potential for tourism development in the island, and we need to put down on paper where this parish can and ought to go. With the combined effort of all concerned, we will achieve something at the end,” Mr. Palmer said.
The Social Development Commission (SDC) Parish Manager for St. Elizabeth, Sandra Emanuel, told the meeting that the PDC exists to assist communities in developing strategies and providing information to access, facilitate and foster economic and social development.
“It provides a formal framework and communication link between the Parish Council, private and public sector groups and community interest groups to allow for participation in the governance at the parish level,” Mrs. Emanuel pointed out.
Meanwhile, in his address, the new Chairman said he will be working with community leaders, farm groups and other stakeholders in the parish to strengthen and achieve meaningful development for the parish.
“We don’t have any choice but to work and make sure that we work as hard as we can, to educate every citizen in this parish on how we can move forward. I have seen and heard the challenges, but we have tremendous resources, and the best resources are our people. The returned residents want to help. There are many who are ready to work and build this parish, and we are going to bring them in and get the maximum out of our community, for progress,” Mr. Hill emphasised.