Islandwide clean-up for Labour Day

THIS YEAR, the National Labour Day Committee proposes an islandwide clean-up campaign, which will focus on community renewal and sanitation. In preparation for the clean-up, work has already started at the dump sites at Riverton City, Kingston, and Retirement, Montego Bay, to be upgraded to sanitary landfills.

Labour Day will be launched from the Culture Yard, Trench Town, Kingston, which will also serve as the venue for the national project. Labour Day activities will contribute to the restoration of the Hon. Robert Nesta Marley's home community and its environs, which encompasses the Vin Lawrence Park immediately facing the Trench Town Culture Yard.

Following are some of the Labour Day activities planned for the parishes:

ST. MARY

Plans are in place for Labour Day 2000 in the parish, tomorrow, with the committee chaired by Ms. Avis Lungrin, parish manager of the Social Development Commission, registering 21 projects.

The parish project, Port Maria, will entail cleaning and clearing of shrubs from roadways and the beach at the Ocho Rios end of the town. Groups such as the Port Maria Health and Environmental Committee and from churches in the town have pledged to assist in the clean-up.

A North Eastern Parks and Markets truck will be on hand to assist with the dumping of the garbage, and it will provide garbage bags. Several other projects are listed for the Port Maria division.

In western St. Mary, one of the major projects to be undertaken is the patching of the road in the districts of Mason Hall and Hamilton Mountain. Road work will also take place in Gayle; in Jacks River, a garbage receptacle will be erected.

In south east St. Mary, cleaning of the beach behind the health centre, tiling of the floor at the out-patients' department at the Annotto Bay Hospital, and general beautification are among the projects from that area.

ST. CATHERINE

Linstead: Organisations and groups in and around Linstead are each adopting a street this Labour Day as part of their plan to sweep the town clean.

Baldwin McKenzie, Community Development Officer, St. Catherine Social Development Commission (SDC), says street co-ordinators, responsible for monitoring various streets, would help to ensure that the clean-up was up to standard.

Plans include cleaning drains, painting buildings, kerb walls and culverts.

Those activities, he said, signalled the town's intention to focus on "sustainable environmental development on an on-going basis". He said the Linstead Labour Day planning committee had divided the work into phases, to achieve that goal.

He explained that phase I of the project would target the town centre with the effort being spearheaded by service clubs, community-based organisations and district development committees.

Phase II would be carried out in districts bordering Linstead and is to be done by the Linstead Youth Organisation, Linstead Police Youth Club, and the North St. Catherine Junior Chamber.

SPANISH TOWN

The Social Development Commission (SDC) and the St. Catherine Parish Council, in collaboration with vendors in Old Harbour Bay Fishing Village, are making final plans to give the village a major facelift.

The fishing village is an internationally-known St. Catherine landmark, but it has been in a deplorable condition for several years because of the lack of adequate management.

Other Labour Day projects for St. Catherine, include completing the fencing of the Poor Relief Complex, Old Harbour, and beautification of the yard; erecting street signs, cleaning drains and white-washing kerb walls in Little Greendale; the construction of a bridge by the Welch Heights Citizens' Association; clearing of its playfield by the Ensom City Citizens' Association; the cleaning of gullies and drains by the Featherbed Lane, Leiba Gardens, Tawes Pen and Dallas citizens' associations; and cleaning of the Old Harbour Bay round-a-bout.

In Portmore, more than 70 projects have been recorded for Labour Day 2000. More than 60 of these will focus on beautification and tree-planting.

ST. ANDREW

The Boone Hall Citizens' Association, west rural St. Andrew, plans to remove garbage from the Wag Water River, which runs through the community, as its Labour Day 2000 project.

Marta McKnight, secretary of the Boone Hall Citizens' Association, says garbage from various sources is often washed into the river, causing it to overflow its banks and flood the area.

With the approach of hurricane season, it's important to clear the river, says Marcia Saddler, the SDC's Community Development Officer.

Citizens of the area have been advised to seek the help of Metropolitan Parks and Markets Ltd., to remove debris as heavy equipment may be needed in some cases.

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