Massive Clean-Up Project in Spanish Town

The Social Development Commission (SDC) has organized a massive clean up of the town, of Spanish Town, as part of efforts to encourage new investment in the St. Catherine capital.
The exercise, to be undertaken from Saturday, November 20 to Sunday, November 21, will see garbage and other debris being removed from Bourkes Road, Nugent Avenue, Barrett, White Church, Nugent, Ellis, Martin and upper King Streets, upper Bourkes Road leading to Oxford Road, Cumberland Road, Old Market, Manchester, Young, Adelaide, Hanover and French Streets.
Regional Director for the SDC, Enid Morrison, informed JIS News that the National Works Agency (NWA) and the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) would assist the process by removing large items of debris, cleaning minor drains and replacing manhole covers.
The clean-up campaign will also involve the removal of garbage from the area around the Spanish Town market and the planting of trees and flowering plants donated by the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) at Emancipation Square, Spanish Town.
The two-day activity, which is being held as part of activities to mark Local Government and Community Development Month, will involve citizens’ groups, staff of the Local Government Ministry, non-governmental groups and private and state agencies in St. Catherine.
Participating persons are required to meet at the SDC office in Spanish Town, where they will be assigned particular activities, then moved off in teams to carry out the work.
Mrs. Morrison said the idea to clean-up Spanish Town, came out of several meetings with citizens’ groups, who felt that “something must be done to save Spanish Town.”
She noted further, that the exercise was necessary “to get new investments in and to have existing investments remain in Spanish Town and for the citizens who live in and around Spanish Town to feel good about the place.” She lamented the increasing level of negative activities in the town over the last 18 months and the “filthy” condition of some areas.
The event is being funded by the Local Government Ministry with contributions in cash and kind from agencies and institutions within Spanish Town.The St. Catherine Parish Development Committee will be responsible for cleaning up areas around the parish council office.