Devon Evans, Gleaner WriterOCHO RIOS:
A DAY after Mayor of St. Anns Bay, Delroy Giscombe issued a public appeal to the relevant agencies and individuals to get together and clean up the resort town of Ocho Rios, Prime Minister P.J. Patterson has added his voice to the call for the town to be presented in a better shape.
Speaking at the official opening of the new Turtle River Park in Ocho Rios, St. Ann on the weekend, the Prime Minister urged members of the business sector to spearhead the town's clean up campaign.
Mr. Patterson said, "I would like to see the business community step to the plate and help, not only in this park. Let us clean up Ocho Rios, let us clean up St. Ann's Bay. (With) the kind of development mooted for the parish, you have an obligation to make sure St. Ann can maintain its reputation as the garden parish."
IMPORTANCE
He emphasised the importance of partnership and collaboration in the protection of the environment for both the present and future generation.
On Friday, Mayor Giscombe said the St. Ann Parish Council will be making available a sum of $3 million to clean up sections of Ocho Rios and that another $3 million will be spent on cleaning up St. Ann's Bay. He said, however, that the Parish Council alone cannot take on the task and that agencies of Central Government such as the UDC and the Public Cleansing Agencies as well as the business community need to step in and have Ocho Rios cleaned up once and for all.
Speaking at the St. Ann Chamber of Commerce Awards Dinner in Ocho Rios last Saturday, Director of Tourism Paul Pennicook said the present state of Ocho Rios was unacceptable as a tourist resort and called for those in authority to have the town cleaned up immediately.
Mayor Giscombe said he was happy that the director of tourism had joined him in calling for a cleaner Ocho Rios and he hoped others in authority will begin to see the importance of having a clean resort town.
