Black River clean-up now at 90%, says McKenzie
Published:Tuesday | January 20, 2026 | 12:06 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie says nearly 90 per cent of the town of Black River in St Elizabeth has been cleaned up in the coordinated effort to restore the town to full vibrancy, following the battering it took from Hurricane Melissa just under three months ago.
Speaking about the ongoing clean-up exercise during a visit to the township last weekend, McKenzie said the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation and the National Solid Waste Management Authority, which are working in tandem, have made significant progress in removing debris and bulky waste.
“As you can see, the municipal corporation working with the National Solid Waste Management Authority has commenced cleaning. I am happy to say that almost 90 per cent of the town has been cleaned,” said McKenzie, while noting that special attention is being given to the damaged market and adjoining municipal lands.
However, the market and surrounding municipal lands, which were formerly occupied by vendors, remain the most challenging part of the overall task based on the extensive damage, which saw even the metal support beams on the roof of the market being extensively damaged.
“The challenge that we now face is the market and the surrounding lands which are owned by the municipal corporation, where work is taking place to clear out those areas that were once rented to vendors,” said McKenzie.
According to the minister, the town’s transportation centre is also getting some much-needed attention as it is being prepared to temporarily accommodate roadside vendors, who were displaced by the Category 5 hurricane.
RELOCATION SENSITIVE
“They are working presently on the transportation centre, and once the transportation centre has been cleaned properly, the vendors who are vending on the roadside in Black River will be encouraged to go into the transport centre,” he said. “I am urging the municipality to engage the vendors. We don’t want any force to be used, engage the vendors so that they understand.”
McKenzie further stated that the relocation exercise must be handled sensitively, noting that once the clean-up is completed, which he hopes will be by the weekend, vendors will be able to resume trading in an orderly setting.
While acknowledging that restoring the market structure will be complex, McKenzie revealed that plans are being made for the National Works Agency and private engineers to assess the facility to see what can be salvaged.
“The work to remove the damaged structure here is not an easy one. We are going to be engaging the National Works Agency and some engineering company to see how best they can assist us, because just by looking at what exists, there are sections of the building where some of the roofing could be restored. Not all of it is damaged,” he said.
McKenzie also disclosed that a survey conducted by the Social Development Commission revealed divided public opinion on whether the market should remain at its current location.
“Eighty per cent (of those surveyed) said that the market should remain, and 20 per cent said that the market should not stay in the same location,” he said.
However, McKenzie cautioned that long-term decisions will depend on broader redevelopment plans for the town, which will be led by the Urban Development Corporation in partnership with the municipal corporation and other agencies.
“The prime minister (Dr Andrew Holness) has indicated that there is a new look, a new fix for Black River. The municipal corporation will have to find locations, if it is suitable, based on the overall plans that are going to be redeveloped by the UDC,” he said.
In the interim, McKenzie said the vendors relocated to the transportation centre will be allowed to trade without fees.
“We are not charging any vending fee. We are allowing the vendors to ply their trade without the regular market fees,” he said, adding that charges will be reinstated once the area is fully cleaned and regularised.
“This is going to take a lot of work.”