StJMC signs $23m contract to rehabilitate Richmond Hill, Catadupa roads

WESTERN BUREAU:

The St James Municipal Corporation [StJMC] on Wednesday, signed a $23-million contract with Homer Davis, member of parliament for St James Southern, for a road rehabilitation project in Richmond Hill, Catadupa.

The project, which will see 697 metres of roadway being repaired over a six-week period, is poised to get off the ground on August 11, following the upcoming Independence Day celebrations.

It will be undertaken by the contracting company, Build Management Technologies and Logistics, and is expected to benefit approximately 800 residents in the immediate Richmond Hill area and surrounding communities.

Speaking ahead of the contract-signing ceremony, Davis said the project, which is being funded through the Tourism Enhancement Fund [TEF], is especially important due to the historical value of the Catadupa area, that includes the Croydon in the Mountains plantation site where National Hero Samuel Sharpe was born in 1780.

“With TEF expending resources into the area, it is something that is noteworthy and that should be done, because Croydon in the Mountains is the birthplace of Samuel Sharpe. If you go over to the attraction, there are replicas over there just like we have in Sam Sharpe Square, of Samuel Sharpe and his followers,” Davis said.

“This investment is a very timely and very deliberate one, and the representation was a very deliberate one because it comes at a time when the attraction was getting more attention, but there was also a challenge since the JUTA bus operators had actually stopped taking visitors there. I am sure that this project will be out of the way before the start of the next tourist season, which is in December,” added Davis.

Catadupa, a farming community located some 22 miles from Montego Bay, has been an established community since 1794, but has had to contend with poor road conditions for years. It has been seeing economic decline since its local railway service was discontinued in 1992.

Before its closure, the railway was a major source of income for the area, with tourists providing business for the locals while passing through by train on the way to Appleton Estate in St Elizabeth.

Davis said the rehabilitation of the Richmond Hill road will benefit farmers in the area, as well as employees of the tourism sector, who reside in the area.

“This road will impact the farming community also, because there is quite a bit of farming that takes place in that area, and it is an area that is very fertile because the land there sees a lot of water. It is one of the older, well-established communities, as there are generational families there ... over 100 years,” said Davis. “With this road going in, Catadupa will be seeing a lot more interest from the tourism interests here in Montego Bay, and the people are crying out for it; and it will be beneficial to them.”

Montego Bay’s Mayor Richard Vernon, chairman of the StJMC, described the contract signing as a crucial undertaking.

“The StJMC is particularly pleased to undertake this initiative, as an intermediary for what is a massive investment in the community of Richmond Hill. To do a complete rehabilitation of the Richmond Hill road, will benefit a significant number of persons within that space,” he said.

“The road also leads to Croydon in the Mountains, which is a key tourist destination within our municipality. Being a tourist destination, the location properly justifies the funding which is coming from the TEF after much lobbying by MP Davis,” added Vernon.