Strong Support For Labour Day Projects In Hanover

The Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) appeal to residents of Hog Bush in Haughton Meadows, Lucea, to assist in building a house for an indigent resident on Labour Day, Thursday, May 23, was met with a heart-warming response.  

Construction of the one-bedroom dwelling, which was the parish project, was in keeping with the Labour Day focus on persons with disabilities, the elderly and the vulnerable, under the theme ‘Ramp Up Di Access… Show That You Care’. 

“As a Municipal Corporation, we [chose] to help this man in our community who has been living in a less-than-acceptable situation. So we… decided to help him to ensure that he lives in a condition that we would want all our [fellow Jamaicans] to live in,” Deputy Mayor of Lucea, Councillor Andria Dehaney Grant, told JIS News. 

Councillor Dehaney Grant, who chairs the HMC’s Public and Civic Affairs Committee, said she was pleased with the number of persons turning out to assist with the project. 

 She indicated that she was particularly pleased with the participation of members of the Haughton Meadows community, who worked alongside the HMC’s staff members as well as Councillor for the Lucea Division, Brian Chambers, and other colleague councillors. 

Other participants included members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), representatives of WPM Waste Management Limited, as well as contestants in the 2024 Miss Hanover Festival Queen Competition. 

Councillor Dehaney Grant further informed that a similar dwelling was being built in the Maryland Division with the assistance of the Hanover Health Department.  

Meanwhile team members of the Hanover Parish Court and JCF turned out in their numbers to give the courthouse a facelift. 

Court Administrator, Andrea Montaque-Williston, told JIS News that the project was part of an islandwide programme being carried out by the Justice Ministry’s Court Administration Division (CAD). 

She informed that the work included refurbishing the parking lot, and establishing a wellness gazebo “where the staff, after those long hours in court, can come and rejuvenate themselves”. 

“Also, we [fixed] our customer service area where [litigants] can come in and feel a little more comfortable… [and] get a cup of water or tea; we are trying to make them feel welcome,” Mrs Montaque-Williston stated, while adding that general improvements were done on the grounds of the court. 

Meanwhile, members of the Sandy Bay Police refurbished two pedestrian crossings at the entrance to the Sandy Bay Primary School and the community training centre.  

Sergeant Catherine Gordon, who led the team, said the project was their response to the need to assist students and a number of tourism and business establishments, often affected by the heavy stream of traffic on the main road linking Lucea and Montego Bay.