Prince’s Foundation to Help Raise US$4 Million for Rose Town Development

The Kingston Restoration Company (KRC), along with the Prince’s Foundation for the Built Environment, will be raising approximately US$4 million over the next two years to help fund different developmental projects in the Rose Town community.
This was disclosed today (March 12), by Dale Bent, Project Manager of the KRC, with specific responsibility for the Rose Town community, during Their Royal Highnesses, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall’s visit to the community.
Hundreds of persons from the community came out to greet them as they toured the area. Their Royal Highnesses visited a library, which formerly housed a church and which has been restored by the KRC.
His Royal Highness also planted a Lignum Vitae tree in front of the community centre, after he and the Duchess met with community leaders and students.
Mr. Bent also informed JIS News that the funds would be used to improve the physical environment of the Rose Town community. “We are focusing hard on the physical, because we really want to try and make some of the interventions real,” he said.
He pointed out that the project would cost more than the US$4 million, and help is being sought from other entities.
“We have had discussions with various government agencies and what we are trying to do is to fashion a programme around how we can get funding for housing and infrastructure; how we can work out the economic segment and how people can be actually engaged on a basis where they can start paying mortgage,” Mr. Bent explained.
“We are also having discussions with the National Housing Trust and there are a number of other agencies on board, (such as) local private sector mortgage institutions,” he added.
Mr. Bent also informed that over the next 18 to 24 months, about 100 to 120 houses would be constructed in Rose Town.
Mayor of Kingston and St. Andrew, Councillor Desmond McKenzie noted that the visit of their Royal Highnesses to the Rose Town community showed that “down town Kingston is alive and well.”
“It tells you about the possibilities; it tells you what we can accomplish when we put our minds to it,” the Mayor said.
On Thursday (March 13), the Royal couple will travel to Falmouth, Trelawny, where they will tour the historic district and the Falmouth Heritage Renewal Building. In Falmouth, the Prince will unveil a commemorative plaque to mark his visit to the town and will also tour Water Square.
The couple will attend a private reception at the Rose Hall Great House in Montego Bay, after which they will be hosted by the Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett to a reception at the Half Moon Hotel.