New St Ann Chamber president targets changes in Ocho Rios

Newly elected president of the St Ann Chamber of Commerce, Kenneth Anglin, says his immediate priority is to drive improvements in Ocho Rios during the first quarter of his term.
Speaking with The Gleaner, Anglin said the chamber would focus on public spaces and lobby for changes aimed at improving the town’s appearance and functionality.
“For the first quarter, Ocho Rios is going to be the main target area, primarily the public spaces, the market, the transport centre and its effectiveness, the vagrants and the peddling on the streets, the use of the town centre especially in the vicinity of the Total gas station where it is primarily used for vending, a lot of congestion, etc, those would primary be some of my main focus areas for the first quarter,” Anglin revealed.
Also on the agenda is a legal seminar scheduled for early August, for which six attorneys have already signed up.
“We wish to give business interest and the general public counsel on any sort of legal issue they have, maybe some of them at a small cost,” the new president said.
Anglin reiterated that the St Ann Chamber of Commerce’s mission is to advocate on behalf of the parish’s business community and residents.
Last year, the Chamber undertook a clean-up of Ocho Rios, with support from several entities, in an effort to restore the town to a cleaner state. The initiative was widely regarded as a success.
The chamber’s next phase of work will shift focus from painting, cleaning and similar activities to implementing strategies aimed at easing congestion, particularly in and around the town centre.
At its recent annual general meeting, Anglin, director of port operations at Jamaica Bauxite Mining Limited, succeeded Dr Ransford Davidson as president. Davidson had held the post since 2022.
Other members elected to the board are Lorna Escoffery, Althea Dawkins, Everett Watson, Vana Taylor, Dr Ransford Davidson, Le-Var Allen and Pixley Irons.
carl.gilchrist@gleanerjm.com