Port Maria Market to be modernised

Christopher Serju, Gleaner Writer

PORT MARIA, St Mary:

THE PORT Maria Market is set to undergo major renovation that will not only reshape the physical structure of the facility, but is also likely to lead to its rebranding, consistent with emerging shopping trends.

According to Port Maria Mayor Richard Creary, the St Mary Parish Council - which operates and manages the market - is moving in tune with the demand for new services, as well as the competition from supermarkets, wholesalers, and other businesses.

"Rather than just build the typical market, which is basically a big shed, what we have decided to do is erect a concrete structure on columns. Then we will deck the top of it, and the plan is to build a plaza on top. The plan is already drawn and was designed to accommodate the plaza," Creary disclosed.

"What you find happening in most markets is that there is a small number of food vendors and lots of people selling haberdashery items, clothes, and that sort of thing. It is designed in such a way that if you need to turn the downstairs into a similar structure like upstairs, it can be easily done later," the mayor explained.

Food safety

With the Jamaica Social Investment Fund having earmarked $34 million for the project, the parish council has, in recent times, held back on doing any major repairs, focusing instead on food safety and security issues.

Port Maria is one of the five major markets in St Mary on which the parish council did some refurbishing work, bringing to an end some long-standing practices that had resulted in a decline in revenue, as well as abuse of the facilities.

"When we took over the council, what we found was that over the years, people used to just go into the market, identify a spot, build a shop, and then when the council catches up with them, we start collecting for that shop," Creary related. "There was even a gentleman who was living in there, so we have removed all the shops from the front, so at least now, when you look, you can see into the market."

Creary disclosed that the council had met resistance in getting vendors and other clients to appreciate the link between their user fees and the quality of service the council is able to deliver. He lamented that people tended to view the products and services provided by the parish council as part and parcel of their birthright and so were unwilling to pay the requisite fees, yet they demanded the best at all times.

At $350 a week for a stall and $750 per week for a shop, the rental rates are more than reasonable, according to the mayor. However, vendors are allowed to accumulate enormous bills, aided and abetted by tardy council staff, a sore point for Creary.

"What we find is that although we have set the policy, it is not being adhered to, and then when we request a status of the Port Maria Market in terms of fees outstanding, then you get a list with a man owing $30,000 paying $750 a week.

"What I keep pointing out to them (council staff) is that we as politicians should be the ones saying, 'Give the man a bly', but we are saying that we are running a business and we have certain targets to meet, and this is the action that must be taken."

After putting in place measures to curb electricity theft at the market in Annotto Bay, the council has had to address the theft of water at Port Maria. Brazen thieves cut the mesh fencing to gain access to the pipe in the fish market, in the process compromising the integrity of the facility. With the thieves now having access to the market at nights, the council found itself facing some whopping water bills. It was time to get creative!

"We have had to operate a system where we put in a 1,000-gallon tank. We fill it with water because our markets are weekend markets which are supposed to operate from Thursday to Saturday," recounted Creary. "So we fill the tank, lock it off. Them come Thursday, we fill it again. Since we have been able to do that, it has minimised the water theft because if they even steal water, they can only steal a 1,000 gallons, so the water bill has come down since," the mayor shared.

Creary pointed to the decline in the number of butchers who now sell in the market as an indication of the need to change with the times. "We have a big meat market but I don't think you will find four or five butchers in it now. Things are changing - supermarkets selling meat, everybody selling meat," he said.

The butchers operate their own slaughterhouse in nearby Little Bay where public health inspectors carry out the necessary inspections as dictated by law.

The St Mary Parish Council remains firm in its commitment to delivering the services demanded by its constituents, Creary said; but he insisted that those it serves must be prepared to play their part by upholding the law, and then they can hold the council accountable whenever it fails to deliver.