Over $110 Million Spent on Road Projects in South East St. Ann

Over $110 million was spent in the 2012/2013 fiscal year to patch and rehabilitate roads with retaining walls in the constituency of South East St. Ann.

Minister of Youth and Culture and Member of Parliament for the area, Hon. Lisa Hanna, made the disclosure on Tuesday, June 18, during her contribution to the 2013/2014 Sectoral debate in the House of Representatives.

She also informed that funding has been secured for the rehabilitation of the Moneague Post Office, which will commence shortly, and for work on community centres in Drumily, Moneague, Rio Hoe, and Beecher Town; and the Beecher Town Primary School Resource Centre.

Noting the contribution of the Bauxite Community Development Programme to the constituency, she said that some $1.2 million will be spent under the initiative on a sports programme during the summer.

In addition, the free Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) classes co-sponsored by the programme have been expanded to include Social Studies and English Language. Last year, classes were offered in Mathematics, with a 100 per cent pass rate for those who sat the exams.

The initiative includes the establishment of an Information Technology Centre in rural Retreat at a cost of $1.8 million.

Meanwhile, efforts were also made to improve access to potable water in the constituency with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Jamaica Bauxite Institute (JBI) and the National Water Commission (NWC), to provide access to the Lydford wells.

“This will improve water access across the constituency once the NWC’s K Factor Programme gets underway this year,” Miss Hanna said.

She also expressed appreciation to the Ministry of Transport, Works and Housing for its supervision of the North South Highway, which will run through the majority of the constituency.

She noted that the jobs and other projects, to emerge during and after the construction phase, will be “transformative” for the area.

The highway development, spanning some 66 kilometres between Caymanas in St. Catherine and Ocho Rios, St. Ann, is being undertaken by Chinese firm, China Harbour Engineering Company Limited (CHEC), at a cost of some US$610 million.

Contact: Latonya Linton