THE ALMOST two-year delay in completing construction of a new municipal market at Brown's Town in St. Ann is creating what St. Ann's Bay mayor, Delroy Giscombe, describes as "a mountain of problems" for commuters, vendors and shoppers.
The new market involves expansion and reconstruction of the old market, but Mayor Giscombe charges that construction work stopped over a year ago, with the job only about half done. The market's opening date has been postponed several times, the mayor pointed out in a statement today.
He noted also that the unfinished market site remained in constant use with major vending on surrounding streets although a smaller, temporary market area had been established a short distance below, chiefly to sell ground provisions.
Mayor Giscombe reports, however, that heavy vending of ground produce has been continuing at the new market site much to the chagrin and anger of vendors selling only ground foodstuff at the bottom market.
The mayor says the solution lies in the speedy completion of the market, and this would also help to ease the town's worsening traffic and pedestrian congestion woes.
