St. Mary Labour Day Effort Centres On Revitalising Clembhard’s Park

Revitalising community spaces and fostering civic pride were among the key objectives behind the St. Mary Municipal Corporation’s decision to select Clembhard’s Park in Port Maria as the site for its 2026 Labour Day Project on Monday (May 25).

The project was carried out under the national Labour Day theme: ‘One People, One Purpose: In All Things Jamaica Wins’.

Activities included de-bushing and clean-up exercises, painting and beautification works, bathroom repairs and maintenance, wasp treatment and pest-control measures, as well as tree planting and landscaping under the Reforestation, Ecological Enhancement and Landscape Framework (RE-LEAF) Programme.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at the Municipal Corporation, Ethlyn Douglas, said the initiative was designed to restore and enhance spaces for the enjoyment of residents.

“We hope that persons will actually see that community facilities are important to their everyday life, because you need some area to have some sort of enjoyment,” she told JIS News.

Ms. Douglas noted that after spending long hours at work, people need “green spaces to relax.”

“We’re looking at how to revitalise those community spaces [and] having persons come together and enjoy themselves,” she added.

The CEO pointed out that projects of this nature also serve to strengthen community spirit and foster national pride.

“It does because, in working together, we’re not that selfish to just look at our own personal space, but we’re looking at how we, as a community, can come together and work on a particular project to benefit all of us collectively,” Ms. Douglas said.

She emphasised the importance of the tree-planting component under the RE-LEAF Programme, Jamaica’s science-based initiative designed to restore forests impacted by hurricanes.

The programme, spearheaded by the Forestry Department, promotes climate resilience, watershed protection, and food security through the rapid planting of native timber and fruit trees across the island.

“We’ve been working with them on different projects,” Ms. Douglas said, noting that the Municipal Corporation regularly partners with the Forestry Department on civic initiatives.

“We are still working with them in relation to urban tree planting. We’re looking at how we can contribute for the RE-LEAF Programme because, yes, Hurricane Melissa took a heavy toll on our sisters to the west, but we also lost a number of trees; so we’re looking at how we can replant [them],” she explained.

Ms. Douglas indicated that the trees selected for planting hold national and parish significance.

“We’re looking at the National Tree, the Blue Mahoe, the Lignum Vitae, the National Flower, and the Annatto, which is the Parish Tree,” she shared.

The CEO also disclosed that plans are in place for the continued development of Clembhard’s Park.

The Municipal Corporation was supported in the Labour Day activities by community-based non-profit organisation – St. Mary Ambassadors for Change (SMAC), represented by President, Tashiba Julius, and Public Relations Officer, Alyssa Francis.

Ms. Francis, who was the first runner-up in the 2026 Miss Universe Jamaica Portland pageant, said Labour Day represents more than physical work.

“It’s also about what comes from the heart. So we’re not only here labouring physically… we’re here pouring out our heart and helping those around us in whatever way we can,” she said.

Meanwhile, Ms. Douglas expressed hope that residents will take ownership of the upgraded facility.

“I hope they see the input for their community… and protect it,” she stated.