Mayor of Savanna-la-mar Delford Morgan added his voice to the ongoing debate on local government reform at the monthly meeting of the Westmoreland Parish Council last Thursday.

He called for the "empowerment of local authority and the decentralisation of some functions that now rest with the ministry."

He went on to say that the administration and technical capabilities of the council should be upgraded, and should not be relegated to cleaning drains and patching roads. Local government reform, he said, must therefore include greater autonomy on the part of the council.

- Junior Grandison

Aid from Jamaicans locally and overseas continue to pour into Port Maria almost two months after flood rains devastated the rural town, inundating the primary school resulting in its closure for nearly a week. Friends of the parish have committed both cash and kind to help restore the area.

According to Mayor Montague, the parish's benefactors include Ms. Maria Kong, a Florida resident who contributed $70,000 and items of clothing to assist in flood relief efforts; Steve Harvey, the famous comedian, gave the school $US3,000; Couples Ocho Rios donated sheets and blankets; Sun Island gave polo shirts; and Friends of St. Mary, based in New York donated $US1,500, housing assistance to one family and some 19 boxes of clothing.

Hon. Morais Guy, member of Parliament for Central St. Mary expressed gratitude for the kind assistance to the community. "We are truly grateful to all who have been involved in the rebuilding of the community and for the kind donations made," he said.

- Lisia Lynch

The Westmoreland Fire Department received two new fire units, one for the Negril station and the other for the Savanna-la-mar headquarters. Mr. Michael Mills, assistant superintendent and acting divisional head expressed gratitude for the units.

"We are now able to respond and deal with fire in a more advanced way because of these new units, the type of equipment that they carry plus the volume of water that they can hold, we can now tackle and deal with all emergencies in a more effective and efficient manner."

Over the years, he said the work of the department has been adversely affected because of lack of equipment.

- J.G.

The Lawrence Tavern Clinic which provides health care for the adjoining communities in west St. Andrew, is now more hospitable to the thousands of residents it serves.

On Valentine's Day, February 14, the entire staff of the Finance Department of Red Stripe, in collaboration with the Kiwanis Club of east Kingston and Port Royal, gave the clinic a facelift. Apart from some minor repairs, walls were painted and other vital areas of the clinic were scrubbed and cleaned.

"We are reaching out to the communities across Jamaica," said Maxine Whittingham, Red Stripe's corporate affairs manager.

A spokesperson at the clinic said the health centre serves at least 700 persons on a monthly basis and over 500,000 annually. These are residents from as far as Glengoffe, Fern Hill, Pleasant Spring, Burnt Shop and other areas.

Head of Red Stripe's Finance Department, Lawrence Turnbull, said the facelift to the clinic was done at a cost of over $300,000. Mr. Turnbull believes that it was important for his company to make an impact in these communities.

Through its staff group, Red Stripe Employees Advocate Care and Hope (REACH), which is an outreach volunteer programme, the company has been involved in a number of community projects. Last Labour Day, they renovated the Seaview Gardens Police Station, St. Andrew, and later constructed a basketball court.

For some persons, a luxurious car would make their dreams a reality, for others just a mere shelter is enough to draw a tear of happiness, so it was for Ms. Sharon Patterson.

She received a brand new home from the Richmond Zonal Disaster Committee and Food For The Poor recently after her plight was brought to the attention of the St. Mary Parish Council by Councillor Richard Creary. She was living in a decaying board house in Zion Hill, perched dangerously on a hillslope, threatening to collapse.

Overwhelmed by her new home, Ms. Patterson cried tears of joy, and expressed sincere thanks to all involved in giving her a safe home for her and her family.