Arguably the best section of the Pulper Hill road in Aenon Town, Clarendon. A single strip of asphalt lies in testimony of what was once a paved thoroughfare. - Photo by Ian Allen/Staff Photographer

WHAT'S NOT WORKING?

To say road conditions in the Pulper Hill district of Aenon Town, Clarendon, are bad is to blatantly understate the facts. The truth is, there are no roads in the area. The once paved thoroughfare has deteriorated to the point where the roadway is now a mucky, red walkway filled with slippery rocks.

SYNOPSIS OF THE SITUATION:

Residents said the road was last fixed in the 1980s. Since then the road has been abandoned by the authorities.

Phillip Palmer, a Pulper Hill resident for the past 29 years, said the horrible road condition is no secret being withheld from the Parish Council, the National Works Agency (NWA) or the Member of Parliament, Horace Dalley. However, all of them have failed to have the matter addressed for the past two decades.

"The last time this road was fixed was in the '80s when Jack Smith was in power and since then nothing more has been," he said. "I know the current Member of Parliament, Horace Dalley, knows about the situation up here because after Hurricane Ivan the residents raised these concerns to him and he said that he could not deal with the issue at the moment."

Richard Palmer, son of Phillip Palmer, said there was a dangerous breakaway at one section of the road a few months ago but that it had been fixed out of the residents' pockets.

He added, however, that despite their best efforts to fill and resurface the breakaway with marl, it was painfully obvious that it would not suffice. He explained that the marl has started to show signs of cracking, especially because it cannot accommodate the heavy trucks and tractors that occasionally use the route.

WHO'S RESPONSIBLE?

Clarendon Parish Council.

WHAT'S THE STATUS?

It is yet to be ascertained. When the Clarendon Parish Council was contacted, Garfield Thompson, deputy superintendent of Road and Works, said neither he nor the superintendent had any knowledge of that road as they were both relatively new to the parish. Thompson said he has been the deputy superintendent for a year now and, during that time, he has not gained any knowledge of the situation or whether plans were afoot to address the problem.

He stated, however, that he would investigate the matter and provide our news team with an update. Efforts to reach Minister Dalley were unsuccessful.

CONCLUSION:

Shame, shame, shame on the Clarendon Parish Council, especially the Councillor for the Pulper Hill Division, and Horace Dalley, their Member of Parliament. You all should be ashamed of yourselves.

It is sad when the plight of residents have perpetually fallen on deaf ears. How is it possible for a major issue such as this one to go un- resolved for more than two decades?

The Parish Council needs to get in shape!

- Done by Marlon Vickerman, Gleaner Writer

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