One step at a time

Western Jamaica’s sporting facilities are steadily coming back to life six months after the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 2025 with key venues pushing towards reopening.

The Montego Bay Sports Complex, Jarrett Park, and Wespow Park were some of the facilities ravaged, negatively impacting sports in the region.

Yoni Epstein, lease owners of the Montego Bay Sports Complex and chairman of Montego Bay United (MBU), told The Gleaner his club is prioritising a return to Catherine Hall next season, with significant work already underway.

“Our first priority as a club is to get back into Catherine Hall at the start of next season. Significant amount of clean-up has already started, and every day that goes by where we’re ramping it up to ensure that MBU is playing at the start of next season,” said Epstein, whose club is temporarily at Jarrett Park.

“While it has been great and a bit nostalgic playing at Jarrett Park, it’s hard for 3:30 p.m. on a Sunday to pull the size of crowds that we were pulling previously on a Sunday night and a Monday night, and so on,” he added, noting that Jarrett Park has a smaller capacity, affecting both the team’s business and fan support.

Epstein stated that a press conference is planned for May 20 to outline the progress and timelines for the stadium’s restoration, including its multi-purpose aspect under a lease agreement with the the St James Municipal Corportation.

“The field, the top of it, will be ripped up in the next two weeks. By the beginning of May, we’ll be reseeding, watering and preparing the pitch for August,” said Epstein.

The Montego Bay Multi-Sports Development Ltd officially signed off on a 25-year lease agreement with the St James Municipal Corporation in February.

Bryan Miller, chairman of Jarrett Park Management Committee, said the park has made significant progress in recovering from hurricane damage, with repair work ongoing.

“We have managed to fix or replace some of the perimeter fencing. One of the gates was totally torn off and we have repaired that. We have cleaned up all of the refuse that was on it, like tree limbs and branches,” Miller said.

Jarrett Park, the temporary home of Montego Bay United, has long been regarded as the home of football in western Jamaica and has hosted generations of legendary matches and other sporting events.

Miller stated that the major challenge remaining is the removal of a light pillion, which requires scrap metal services and a crane due to its weight.

“The light pillion is on the property where it does not affect use of the playing surface, parking or use of the stands, but we think it’s a hazard, and we are concentrating on getting it removed right now.

“We have contacted persons in that field, and I’ve been told that they have to wait until they have a crane to come and lift and cut it up before it can be removed, but the work continues,” added Miller.

Meanwhile, Orville Powell, owner of Wespow Park, said that while the work is not yet complete, systems are back up to 80 per cent.

“We’re not fully there yet. Most of what was down, we have it back up. As for infrastructure, some things we are going to leave alone. We had a balcony where fans would sit, that is completely gone. While we lose some of the things, we juat have to work with what we have,” Powell said.

The once well-manicured field was also the home for MBU.

“Of the three fields, two are up and running, so it’s just the main one that isn’t being used yet. However, we are pushing for May 16, when Scotibank is set to have a tournament, so it should be up by then,” added Powell

The SailFish Swim Academy, also on the property, faced significant setbacks after Hurricane Melissa caused extensive damage, leading to a three- to four-month halt in swimming activities and limited training in a smaller pool.

Arlett Archer-Campbell, founder of SailFish Swim Academy, said the facility has undergone important recovery and improvement efforts following the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa.

“Key improvements have included the installation of a water tank and the resurfacing of the pool, both of which have significantly improved the reliability of training conditions and day-to-day operations,” Archer-Campbell said.