Service Stations as taxi stands

Gas stations are the latest hub for drop off and pick up points for several taxi operators in Montego Bay which placing a strain on the multimillion dollar traffic management system recently implemented. 

Three critical areas where gas stations are located in downtown Montego Bay and where taxi operators illegally operate from they are Union Street, St. James Street and Barnett Street according to communications and customer service manager for the National Works Agency (NWA) Stephen Shaw. 

“We have a serious challenge with these areas being used as taxi stands and parking. It leads to the system not functioning as it should” he lamented. He remarked that while high traffic areas such as supermarkets and gas stations will present an obstacle in the flow of traffic, it is the lack of discipline that is reaping havoc on the traffic management system.

The traffic management system for Montego Bay was financed to the tune of J$55 million by the Tourism Enhancement Fund and was activated in November of 2009. 

Head of the National Council of Taxi Association and the St. James Taxi Association Dion Chance sided with the NWA noting that the practice “is illegal".

"But is compounded the passengers who refuse to use the designated taxi and bus park as stipulated by the Transport Authority. There are taxi operators who use the designated facility but the passengers are not going there so it results in taxi operators having to go back on the road to pick up commuter”Chance explained. Nevertheless, he blames the Jamaica Constabulary Force for the failed attempt to enforcement.  

“What is needed” Chance argued “is a more proactive and sustained type enforcement by members of the JCF which would then force the passengers to use the designated facilities. What is happening now is selective enforcement where only some areas are policed and that will not solved the problem we are now facing”.

However, assistant commissioner in charge of operations at the Area One Police Division Paul Ferguson charged that the practice of selective enforcement is frowned upon by the police hierarchy.

He added that “our enforcement with the traffic situation in Montego Bay continues to be a work in progress. I admit that much more can be done to curb the problem and the issue of selective enforcement is not something we encourage. Nevertheless, we are working the Transport Authority and the parish council to address the traffic flow problems caused by taxi operators”.

Carnival of orchids

The vibrant business of horticulture within western Jamaica will continue to showcase its prowess through the Montego Bay Orchid Club’s annual Orchid Show slated for this Saturday (Feb.27) .

According to Dew Hastings, member of the Montego Bay Orchid Club who is organizing the event explained that this year promises to be educational and family orientated which will be hosted at Upstream Sports Bar and Grill in Porto Bello, Montego Bay.

Operating under the theme of 'Carnival of Orchid' “We will be providing educational services on orchid for the public whether you are an orchid owner or not. We have also incorporated for the first time a kiddies area where persons can bring their children and enjoy a nice family day out” Hastings noted.

With only J$400 as admission, she emphasized that a portion of the funds collected upon entry will go towards assisting students at the Montego Bay High School who are unable afford fees associated with external exams and the school’s feeding programme.

As the 19th staging of the Orchid Show the organizers are promises to be a fun filled event where individuals will have the opportunity to win prizes courtesy of Digicel and Margaritaville.

Members of the Jamaica Orchid Society will be judging the various orchids on display. In addition, there will be orchid owners journeying from across the island to display new and exotic orchids for the first time. There are currently 30 members of the Montego Bay Orchid Club.

Applying the pressure on homeowners

With 10 court orders and several stop notices on residential dwellings, the Mayor of Savannah-la-mar Bertel Moore is intent on making sure the buildings in Westmoreland are safe and within the parish council’s building regulation.

“There are several areas that we have noticed that have buildings that are in violation of our building codes. Two building officers and the municipal police are on the street inspecting buildings” Moore assured.

The mayor’s arguments came against the backdrop of the devastating earthquake which hit Hati on January 12 of this year where over 200,000 died most of whom were trapped beneath buildings which crumbled. Most of the buildings were not properly constructed with little or no steel.

He added that “our building officers have the responsibility to go out when a building is being started to ensure that the buildings are built properly so if an earthquake hits it doesn’t have the same effect as it did on Haiti”.

The no nonsense mayor charged that persons can be fined from $25,000 to up a $1 million if the fail to comply with the parish council’s building codes. Over the past three weeks the Westmoreland Parish Council has ramped up the efforts to ensure that buildings being constructed are done within the requisite codes.  Most of the structures that are in question he revealed were residential buildings and while some persons have begun to comply others were issued court orders because of repeated warnings through stop orders.

President of the Haiti-Jamaica Society Myrtha Desulme Haitian explained during a monthly meeting at the Westmoreland Parish Council that in a bid to rebuild Hati, the people must be mindful of the quality of the constructions as most of the buildings which collapsed did not have enough steel or in some cases none at all.

The earthquake she says can be considered as hope for the rebuilding of Haiti. “We must see this as an opportunity to build a new Haiti. We don’t want to build back the same dysfunctional system which existed before the earthquake,” she said.

Strip losing its Hip

With the closure of seven hotels along the popular Hip Strip (Gloucester Avenue) in Montego Bay the once robust tourist area is almost a ghost town now with less visitors flowing into the area to shop.

 

Close observation of the activities along the Hip Strip during the day there is a meager influx of tourist coming from the remaining hotels (Doctor’s Cave Beach Hotel, Decameron Resort, Montego Bay Club, Wexford Hotel, Toby Resort, Sandals Inn and Altamont West Hotel) on Gloucester Avenue and the cruise ships, many window shopping but are not buying.

 

Since November of last year the former Breezes Montego Bay locked shop and the owners, NCB Foundation has still not found a new tenant. Gloucestershire, another resort on the strip has been closed for over a year. Two neighbouring properties Casa Blanca and the Fantasy Resort and Sea Garden Resort (which has become known as Montego Bay’s white elephant) also remains closed. Coral Cliff Hotel has been closed and the once popular Buccaneer Inn is a now house university student.

 

On a visit to the strip a group of visitors walked pass a store where the owner ushered them a smile and asked “care to take a look here” as he points to his store but they only looked then shaked their heads as an indication of saying no.   Such rejection is something they are all too familiar with and which they all have in common.

 

With more sellers than buyer, merchants are feeling the pinch as more and more the amount of customers dwindle and some are not able to pay their shop rent at times because of this slow in business.

 

 “The hotel closures over the years have affected us real bad, I mean you have fewer and fewer visitors and customers and this is just one day, its everyday” according to Praksh Ghamnani and Kumar of the Hip Strip store along Gloucester Avenue

 

Kumar revealed that what compounds the problem even further is the fact that the major tourism shopping centres have indirectly lured the tourists away from the Hip Strip through various strategies they have employed.

 

“Places like the City Centre Shopping Centre and the Shoppes of Rose Hall they can afford to advertise on the cruise ships, we on the Hip Strip can’t afford advertise on the ships so you find that we get bypassed. Also, they offer guests free shuttle services from the hotels to their centres to shop, so the few we get are the ones walking along the strip” the frustrated merchant revealed.

 

Another store owner Sunut Punjabi of Strawberry’s mentioned that “survival is the key with the closure of these hotels as there are fewer customers. But what I have done is to up my customer service and promotions within the respective hotels and through word a mouth to make sure that whatever customers that is out there gets the best of what we have to offer”.

 

After years of closure, Vista Ambassador will reopen its door in May this year.

 

The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) is trying to revive the area to its former glory through infrastructure and branding of the area. One such project according to TEF chairman Godfrey Dyer is the recreational park at the Old Hospital Site that is being refurbished at a cost of J $30 million.

 

“It is a lot of soft work that will be done there landscaping and such not a lot of concrete will be there. Work started there two weeks before Christmas by the UDC (Urban Development Commission) and it should take six months to be completed. It will be very nice that Jamaicans and tourist alike can enjoy once it is finished” Dyer stated.

 

He added that that another J$30 million plan to theme the Hip Strip area (from Pier One-Dead End) has been done and is now for the UDC and the Development Council in Parliament to sign off on this particular plan.

 

 

 

Major shopping village for MoBay

Montego Bay is not intent on being classed only as the tourism mecca but is securing its position as the ideal place to do business with the inclusion of the billion-dollar multifaceted shopping complex along the Rose Hall main road.

Known as Whitter Village, the construction cost US$40 million (or J$1.2 billion) and took just under two years to be completed. The brainchild of local developers Joe and Angella Whitter, the vision was to create the ideal convenience stop for business, shopping, food and entertainment. With the construction of the multi-million dollar convention centre in Montego Bay, this is a welcomed addition to assert the second city as a business hub according to the president of Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry Lloyd B. Smith during a tour of the village.

“Apart from being a facility that provides dining, entertainment and different types of shopping facilities, it will give Montego Bay an enhancement that it desperately needs at this time” Smith charged

He further commended the entrepreneurs for their vision and business aptitude in developing this project without the scandals that are normally associated to these mega constructions.

The architecture, which features a magnificent Village Square highlighted by a landmark Clock Tower, evokes the nostalgia and ambience of a traditional Jamaican village and was designed by one of one of Jamaica’s leading architects Clifton Yap.  According to Yap “the trend in development around the world is to develop complete town centres, where people live, work and play. That’s what we hope to achieve in the long term”. He further argued that any local investor putting up that amount of investment shows commitment and foresight and they should be supported for that. “I can’t think of any local investor who would put up that kind of investment without assistance from the government.”

The Whitter Village Centre is the first phase of a comprehensive development plan for the 15 ½ acre site. The next phase will include the construction of offices and living space to create the ideal town-centre where people can work, shop and socialize within their communities.

More from Third World after 37 years

As we celebrate black history month, world-renowned reggae band Third World has decided to celebrate some of our National Heroes through their new album Patriots.

Patriots, which highlights the work of Paul Bogle and Marcus Garvey among others through one of their songs Don’t Give Up, is the group’s 20^th album since they were first signed to Island Records.

The album will be sold online and persons can hear some singles at their website www.thirdworld.com. Third World did a remix of their mega hit 96 Degrees in the Shade featuring Damion and Stephen Marley something Stephen ‘Cat’ Coore of Third World revealed does not change the direction of their music.

“Normally when you have something good, you don’t want to change it but we decided to add these splendid musicians on the track nevertheless. We still maintain the content but we wanted to add something a bit different” Cat explained.

Among the musicians that persons can also expect to hear collaborating on the long awaited album are Tarrus Riley, Toots, Damion and Stephen Marley to name a few.   As it relates to what messages the album will dictate, he added “the Patriots album reflects messages that can be applied in today’s society so persons can expect to hear us address issues related to struggles, love and motivation on this album”

This album launch ties in with their 35th anniversary. The original anniversary celebration was scheduled for 2008 but due to a hectic touring and recording schedule for the Patriots album it was postponed until 2010.

As one of the longest running Reggae bands, relevance is very important to Third World as the sound of music continues to evolve according to bass guitarist Ritchie Daley.

“Our music is timeless and that is what keeps us relevant in today’s music and we would encourage our local musicians to do music that timeless which will ensure longevity and not only limited to just today. There is music today, tomorrow and so there’s always another day for music. At the end of the day we want to know that another generation can appreciate what we have done and continue to do” Ritchie stated. “We hope to be around forever” he joked.

The 'White Witch' still haunts

After months of hard work between actors and the director of the Jane Crichton’s White Witch play, the crew can now breathe a sigh of relief for what many has described as Montego Bay’s best play to date.

According to renowned play director Douglas Prout “I received the manuscript for this play in 2006 from playwright Jane Crichton. This has undoubtedly been one of my most ambitious and daunting directorial challenges to date, and I have so many to thank for strengthening me and helping me to stay the course”.

His success was evident with the standing ovation the entire cast received after Saturday’s grand premiere at the Fairfield Theatre.

Prout, who was moved to tears by the reception he received after the play explained that “it was my privilege to work with this mix of old friends, a few new ones and so many first timers to the business. I have learned so much as I hope I have imparted. I remain a committed servant of this and any space where the Arts are valued”.

White Witch showcased a different side of a woman most celebrated in modern day as the wicked witch of Rose Hall in Montego Bay in the days of slavery. The playwright sought to uncover Annie’s frustration and sadness through the play while at the same time reveal the horrors of slavery and the dreadful life and conditions slaves were forced to live in.

The all star cast included Maylynne Walton who plays Annie Palmer. Walton is renowned for her role in the Blackburns of Royal Palm Estate but she engulfed herself in the role of Annie so much so that the audience found her brilliance to be very entertaining. Keiran King (Robert) made an excellent transition into the role of being Annie’s lover and bookkeeper. 

Philip Clarke (Taku) immersed himself completely into the role of Annie’s obeah man and grandfather to his beloved Millie (played by Noelle Kerr). Peter Abrikian (Joe, a slave overseer) was skillful has he engaged the audience in his role with line as the drama with his slave lover Jestina (played by Angelita McDonald) unfolded.  Montego Bay’s own David Tulloch, Marlon Brown and Georgia Matthews performed creditable well in the role as slaves.  Additional cast includes Coleen B. Lewis, Serina Reid, Omoie Miller, Shanieka Birthright, Nikki Kerr, Denesha Watson, Nedra Tucker, Shenece Lawrence, Carlington Ewar and George Bates.

Brit Jam, the Ultimate Weeklong Party

Members of the entertainment fraternity locally and overseas are seeking to strengthened the ties between Jamaica and Britain through a week of parties along the hip strip in Montego Bay come March 8-15.

Dubbed Brit Jam, the inaugural staging of the event will see eight days worth of non-stop partying in the second city was intentionally hosted during the Spring Break period to revive the tourism capital to its former glory of hosting vibrant entertainment activities for tourist and locals alike during this special period.

Promoter of the event Rhoan ‘DJ Face’ Woolery told journalist at a media launch at Twisted Kilt in Montego Bay that “we want to inject Spring Break life back into Montego Bay, when I was growing up, there used to be a host of activities taking place here in Montego Bay during this period. Now everything (entertainment) seemed to have moved to Negril and we want to just bring it back while encouraging a host of Britons and other European nationals to come to Jamaica and party with us”.

He went further to lament that Jamaica is not all about crime and violence “we know how to show you a great time here through entertainment and that is what we seek to promote in England by hosting this event whether for first time visitors of members of the Diaspora in Britain. This is an event for everyone, locals and international visitors alike”.

Brit Jam 2010 kicks off with on Monday March 8^th with a Welcome Party at Twisted Kilt which then follows an entire week of theme parties along the Hip Strip (Gloucester Avenue) including Catamaran Cruise parties. However, BritJam climaxes on March 14^th when Vybz Kartel, Ding Dong, Chi Ching Ching, Flippa Mafia and Bugle invade Aqua Sol Theme Park in Montego Bay at the BritJam Fantasy Island (Grand Escape) party. Persons can check the website: www.officialbritjam.com for information on the theme parties.

Although this is the first staging of what they hope will develop into a calendar event, Brit Jam organizers will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Herbert Morrison Technical High School to help boost their capacity to provide wireless network services throughout the school campus.

Major housing project for Trelawny

One of Jamaica’s poorest parishes, Trelawny will be given an opportunity to improve their standard of living through the groundbreaking housing project launched in the district of Tilson in Trelawny.

According to the chairman of the National Housing Trust (NHT) Howard Mitchell “Trelawny is a wonderful parish, it is beautiful here but it is also a poor parish. Most of our people cannot afford the houses will build and this is a reality, but there need to be solutions and this (the housing project) is a solution”.

The National Housing Trust in collaboration with the Ministry of Water and Housing did the groundbreaking development for 288 service lots in the community. With several developments on stream for the parish Trelawny, the demand for housing will soon increase and the NHT and Water and Housing has taken a proactive approach to prevent squatting when such developments are completed.

“Developments are taking place in Trelawny, they are good developments and we welcome them, but unless housing in Trelawny is given first priority, these developments will actually work to your detriment” Mitchell warned as he encouraged stakeholders and residents to organize themselves in offering affordable housing solutions for the parish.

The development is also apart of NHT’s efforts to provide housing solutions for sugar workers across Jamaica. This, as approximately 50 percent of the lots in Tilson, Trelawny will be sold to workers from the Hampden Estate while the remainder will be made available to NHT contributors in the wider population.

Member of Parliament for North Trelawny, Dr. Patrick Harris concurred that such proactive move towards development must become apart of Jamaica’s political landscape if the country is to reduce the habitual practices of squatting.

“It is not fashionable in our present political culture, to plan long term, it is not fashionable to look at orderly development but in this area we have planned it and we are now in the process of executing those plans” Dr. Harris confessed. He further added that with this move to encourage orderly development it will facilitate wealth creation for the beneficiaries and the society at large.

Dancehall young acts get schooled

The business of Dancehall is not easy and neither is entering this particular music industry. 

Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall competition presents an opportunity for aspiring male and female dancehall musicians to showcase their talent to Jamaica and the world at large. It is not just about bringing authentic talent to the stage but the contestants involved are exposed to the real world of the music industry, which include media practitioners, producers, artistes and others involved in the day-to-day running of the business. 

Hundreds converged at the Wexford Hotel in the second city, Montego Bay recently for their chance at becoming the next Magnum Kings and Queens of Dancehall during a two-day audition that saw persons journeying from several parishes to realize their dreams. 

Day one of the auditions saw close to 300 contestants participating in the preliminary rounds but by the end of the day only 100 were chosen to move on the next phase where they would encounter judges Ms. Kitty, Professor Nuts and Scatta. However, day two contestants were required to showcase their ability to entertain as the competition became increasingly challenging with all 100 vying for a spot in the top ten.   

However, the judges of the competition were not as impressed with the level of performances that came from the second city considering the fact that previous contestants out of Montego Bay did exceptionally well last year. 

According to judge and media personality Ms. Kitty “I am a bit disappointed with the quality of performances, Montego Bay is presumed to be the place where real talented artistes are from and we were just looking for more”. She referred to the fact that previous contestants such as Destiny who came out of Montego Bay were an epitome for the level of talent that existed out west and others would need to live up or even surpass such great talent. 

Experience history at its best

The historic Accompong Town in St. Elizabeth seeks to boost its community tourism effort through cultural activities such as their annual Accompong Maroon Celebrations which draws hundreds of international visitors each year.

This year's celebration on January 6th saw marked improvement in terms of the flow of activities throughout the day and night affair. Persons from as far as England, Canada, United States of America and even from Kenya in Africa attended the major calendar event in St. Elizabeth.

As a measure to raise funds towards the community’s development, each visitor had to pay an admission fee to enter the celebrations, which was absent at previous celebrations. Colonel Ferron Williams said some of the gate receipts will be used to fund a new education fund, and another portion will be used to partially finance a Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) student and a Grade Nine Achievement Test (GNAT) student within the community.

The annual Accompong Maroon Celebrations is celebrated on January 6 to commemorate the birthday of their former leader Kojo. Kojo fought with the British for 60 years before the signing of a Peace Treaty in 1738.

The celebration begins with the trumpeting of the abeng horn, summoning all the Maroons to assemble like they did over 250 years ago. The Abeng Horn is an old powder horn adapted from its use for carrying musket powder to an instrument used to communicate with Maroons over many miles in the Cockpit terrain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rex Nettleford, the man from Bunkers Hill

After hours of searching for individuals who knew Professor Rex Nettleford in his hometown of Bunkers Hill in Trelawny, only two persons could recall their encounters with him.

Rex Nettleford born February 3, 1933 and died February 2, 2010.

An affable senior citizen Rex Minto who resides in Bunkers Hill recounted the days he and Nettleford went to basic school.

"He was the Trelawny's best" he smiled with his single tooth in his mouth. "Rex was a brilliant young boy as he grew up. A man called Teacher Francis took him under his wings and grew him las if he was his own son. There was nothing that Rex did that he was not successful at. He was good at singing and any     cultural activities".                                                                                                  

He remembered as a boy both of them walk through the countryside and play with their slingshots "but he could use the catapoll well" Minto joked "but I would teach him and he learnt quickly".

Minto revealed that after attending the community's primary school, Nettleford moved onto Cornwall College where he continued to excel in academics.

"I am proud to have known that man called Rex Nettleford in my days. You know, he was the first person to pass Common Entrance from our district in those days" the 80 year Minto informed.

Adian Williams-Wilson, a community health aide at the Bunkers Hill Health Centre reminisced on her encounter with Professor Nettleford when she was about eight years old.

"I met him twice when I was very young and it was through some cultural activites at the Granville All-Age school (now Granville Primary and Junior High School). He came by our school to teach us some dance moves and choreograph some of our cultural dance activities. I looked up to him, he was good at what he did" she remembered.

 

Rex Nettleford's old school

A versatile Lady Saw charms Jazz crowd

From Lady Saw to Marion Hall to being both persons at once, the queen of dancehall demonstrated that dancehall artistes can make a musical transition and grow with the music through her splendid performance at the 14^th staging of the JAMAICA Jazz and Blues festival. 

In sheer brilliance and obvious signs of musical growth, Marion Hall executed her 35 minute performance through smooth timeless hits like My Silly Heart, Love Hurts and Brown Eyes Blue.

She was originally billed to perform at 6:30 p.m., something she was a bit concerned about, but due to a late start on final night of the festival, she entered onstage approximately 7:30 p.m. to be greeted by a huge crowd who were eager to see what Marion Hall had to offer.

With her usual eye for fashion, Marion wore a pink dress with silver sequence as her hands were draped in black gloves sporting eye dazzling jewelry. From start to finish she kept her audience engaged and yearning for more as she did an emotional Less Than A Woman song for persons who are not able to conceive a child.

But she could not exit the JAMAICA Jazz and Blues Stage without delving into her persona as Lady Saw. With Sycamore Tree to Healing Marion 'Lady Saw' Hall showed that her versatility on the microphone will offer her the security of longevity in the music business.

During an interview after her performance, she revealed that she was please with the performance and the responses she received from the audience.

“This is my first time at jazz so I really wanted to show my fans that there is another side to me other than Lady Saw” she reasoned “I had so many songs that I could have done but when I checked the time I had to perform, I decide to minimize the list of song”.

While she gave an excellent performance at jazz fest, she affirmed that this is not a sign of her giving up her raunchy Lady Saw persona.

“Many persons are asking are you now going by Marion Hall?” she smiled “I am not giving up Lady Saw, it is what brought me to prominence I am simply enhancing my musical career with Marion Hall and growing with the music”.