St. James Municipal Corporation seeks funding from TEF to sanitise parish
Published:Saturday | May 16, 2020 | 4:28 PM
The St. James Municipal Corporation says it is seeking funding from the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), to cleanse and sanitise public spaces in Montego Bay and rural townships, as part of measures to curtail the spread of the coronavirus.
Speaking at the monthly meeting of the Municipal Corporation held at the Montego Bay Cultural Centre on May 14, Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Homer Davis said while the Corporation has been cleansing some streets within the parish capital, a more extensive sanitation drive is needed.
Davis stated that the estimate for the sanitisation project is being finalised, and will be sent to the TEF in short order.
“We have prepared an estimate to do a very deep cleaning of the city of Montego Bay to cover all streets and public buildings and places within the public space and also to focus on rural townships. Based on my understanding it has been done in several other parishes to the satisfaction of their municipality and the chairman of their municipal corporation,” he stated.
“So we have now decided to seek funding because based on my understanding it is a very detailed way of sanitizing and it costs a hefty sum. I don’t know what the total is, but we will be sending off that request,” Mayor Davis added.
Meanwhile, the Mayor stated that the Municipal Corporation continues to truck water to drought-affected communities in the parish, as the local authority strives to safeguard residents against the COVID-19.
Davis stated that over 165 loads of potable water have been trucked to communities in need
He added that the corporation will request further funding from the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development to continue trucking water across the parish, as the $5 million dollars allocated to the municipality in March, is near depletion.
“Trucking of water is very expensive and it is something that we will have to look at but for the time being, we have to give the people potable water.”
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