Ground Broken For Community Resource Centre in Cambridge

Ground was broken on Wednesday (March 2) for the construction of the Cambridge Community Development Resource Centre in St. James.

The facility, to be located in the Cambridge town square, is being built through $20 million in funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under its Community Empowerment and Transformation Project (COMET) Phase 2.

The building will provide space for community meetings, a homework centre, as well as educational and social events. A police post will also be established, as part of measures to improve police/community relations.

USAID Mission Director to Jamaica, Denise Herbol, who spoke to JIS News after the ground breaking, said the centre will also serve as a disaster shelter.

She informed that the building will be energy smart, with water catchment facilities, solar panels, and environmentally safe waste disposal capabilities. She said that ramps will also be built to allow for wheelchair access.

The USAID Mission Director told JIS News that the project involves partnership with the JCF, Social Development Commission (SDC), Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), and the Community Development Committee (CDC).

When completed, a management committee will be established for the running of the facility.