VENDORS who operate in the region of Maverley Park in St Andrew are livid.
It has been almost one year after ground was broken for the development of the park and the vendors, along with others who do business in the area, are fuming because they believe the authorities are dragging their feet on the project and causing them to lose income.
The project is being executed as part of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation’s (KSAMC) ‘Paint the City’ initiative, aimed at upgrading, beautifying and injecting life into the city.
Ground was broken for the 2.5-acre leisure space on August 23, 2022, just days short of one year after the project was initiated.
In a recent interview with the Jamaica Observer residents say they have been experiencing almost one year’s worth of dwindled income due to the fencing that was erected around the space, blocking off the usual pedestrian traffic through the park.
The residents say better consideration should have been given to them as too much time is elapsing with little work done.
The vendors who are affected operate in a designated area on West Main Drive, close to its intersection with Molynes Road and adjacent to the Maverley/Hughenden football field. According to one of them, “lots of people normally travel through the park every day. Now, if you don’t really have to come this way, you won’t. People can’t manage to walk all the way around just to come and buy from us”.
“Business is slow. They need to work the job fast because it is affecting people’s earnings,” she added.
Another vendor was blunt in expressing her feelings about the slow pace of the works.
“They are playing politics with the park. The space was there for the people to walk through before they fenced it around — even old people used to walk through. All they can say now is, ‘What they really did with the park?’ The people are upset and going on bad over it. It doesn’t look good,” she said.
“They could have left a space for people to walk through it instead of blocking off everything and are doing nothing with the park; they left nowhere for people to walk. Breeze all blow down some of the zinc dem and people thief dem. We want the park to fix because it should have been fixed long time already,” she added.
Another vendor got straight to the point when asked how her daily earnings were being affected.
“All me can tell you is that it slow up my business. On certain days you would see a man a come from all Drewsland, Waterhouse and all about, and they just walk through the park and they stop and buy. People not buying again. This man does radiator work and dem lock him off. How do they expect him to survive and feed his family?” she said in a tone of concern.
At the time of the ground-breaking residents of Maverley and surrounding communities were excited that they would be given the opportunity to exercise or hang out in a beautiful green space.
It was announced that the amenities would include a jogging trail, a playing area for the children, benches, games lounge, snack bar, restroom facilities, water-harvesting systems, a perimeter fence, and two large entrance gates. Trees were also to be planted.
Based on what the Sunday
Observer saw during the recent visit, the only construction happening was the concrete base for the perimeter fencing to be erected.
Despite what the Sunday
Observer saw and what the vendors said, Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) councillor for the Hughenden Division Andrew Harris told the Sunday
Observer that “work is happening on it now”.
“It is work in progress. I know the city engineers spoke to the contractor, and he had another job in Portmore so he had diverted some of the people who should be there [Maverley Park] to that side [Portmore], but I know they dropped fresh material up to last week. We are about 90 per cent complete where phase one is concerned, which is to build proper fencing. We have planted trees and we have done some engineering work in terms of water harvesting. The first phase should have been completed around four weeks ago,” said Harris.
As it relates to the vendors, Harris said it was only a matter of time before they will start seeing changes that will suit them.
“It is just a matter of time. In another few weeks we should be finished with the first phase. In phase two the amenities will go in, to include a fish pond, a gazebo, and some sort of mural tribute. There is also supposed to be a shed for the domino players who normally use the space, so it should be good,” he said.
At the launch in August last year, at which Prime Minister Andrew Holness was present, Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie said he was hoping the project would be completed within 12 months.
“This is one of the largest that we will be undertaking. What it will do is restore community pride and allow the people to have a place they can go hang out and feel free. The park will be equipped with Internet, bathroom and toilet facilities. It is going to be a comprehensive facility with canteen and a walking trail. It will be outstanding,” McKenzie had said.
