Beautification of Mountain View Strip Major Focus on Labour Day

Residents from the Nannyville and Homestead communities in Mountain View, turned out today (May 23), to work on beautifying the Mountain View strip, one of the major Labour Day parish projects undertaken by the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC).
The project, which comprises beautifying the strip along Mountain View Avenue, extends from the top of Arthur Wint Drive down to Deanery Road.
In an interview with JIS News, Minister of Education and Youth and Member of Parliament for the area, Maxine Henry-Wilson, who turned out to give support, said that she was pleased with the level of participation, especially since the project was intended to bring together residents who were associated with the two major political parties.
Noting that the level of voluntarism in many communities was not as high as in previous years, Minister Henry-Wilson said that it would take much effort on the part of communities to re-generate the strong sense of community spirit that once existed.”Even though Labour Day is a high point in terms of community involvement, I think we have to find a way to keep communities engaged in terms of their community activities, so that we can keep the spirit of voluntarism alive,” she emphasized.
In keeping with this year’s theme for Labour Day, ‘Jamaica’s Beauty – Our Duty’, the work undertaken on the Mountain View strip comprised painting of the curb walls, cleaning and clearing of the strip and sidewalks, as well as the planting of flowers along selected areas.
The other major Labour Day project for Kingston and St. Andrew was undertaken at Duhuney Park and comprised the cleaning and clearing of community spaces, painting of the Duhaney Park recreational centre, the planting of trees and the installation of signs in selected zones.
Mayor of Kingston and St. Andrew, Councillor Desmond McKenzie, noted that the beautification of the Mountain View strip was chosen as one of the major projects, as the stretch of road along Mountain View was “a gateway to the city” and in light of this, it was important that it was kept clean.
“Cricket World Cup is here next year,” the Mayor noted, “and as such, we must ensure that the environment is kept beautiful, as this is going to be a vital link in terms of the access to Sabina Park and the National Stadium,” he noted.
In terms of project sustenance, the Mayor said that this would have to be a collaborative effort on the part of the KSAC, the Councillor for the community as well as the residents.
Resident of the Nannyville community, Delroy Simpson, said that he was pleased that the Mountain View strip was selected as one of the major parish projects, as it allowed residents from both sides of the political divide to come together and work towards a common goal – that of beautifying their communities.
“I am here today because I love my community, and things that I see will uplift my community I will assist with, and I think it is good that we as residents can come together and work on Labour Day,” he said.
Labour Day was established in 1972 by the late former Prime Minister, Michael Manley, who gave this national holiday a new dimension, in that he encouraged Jamaicans to make it a day of volunteering their service towards projects within their respective communities.
More than 400 projects were registered islandwide with Labour Day Committees.