HUGH STONE - A section of the Portmore Parkway.MORE THAN 11 years after money was granted to beautify the Portmore Parkway, the project is only partially complete.
The one-mile Portmore Parkway stretch runs from the Portmore HEART Academy to the Mega Mart Shopping Centre near the Portmore Town centre.
Under the project, launched in 1995, the one-mile stretch was to have 600 trees and covered in grass. A total of $1 million was said to be donated for the project, which was expected to cost $3.8 million. The groundbreaking for the beginning of the project took place in April of that year in the presence of Nico Jonke, Netherlands Ambassador and Kathryn Hewlett-Jobes, Canadian High Commissioner.
But, almost 11 years later, only a few trees have been planted and the area remains largely a dust bowl.
POOR MANAGEMENT
Portmore Mayor George Lee, who was president of the Portmore Joint Citizens Association at the time, said the project may have failed because it did not have the proper management behind it.
"At worst it did not have the proper management, because equipment was purchased for the project but it wasn't completed. I don't want to say money was missing because I have no proof of that," said Mayor Lee.
Checks by THE PORTMORE STAR revealed that money came from the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica, the Netherlands Embassy, the Canadian Green Fund and Member of Parliament, Dr. Paul Robertson. A water pump was provided by the Netherlands Government for the maintenance of the area and blocks of wood were driven into the soft shoulders to prevent buses from using the parkway as a race track and also to bore their way through the heavy Portmore traffic in the mornings.
Further checks revealed that a Mr. Herbert Walters was put in charge of the project through a body called the Portmore Environment Protection Trust (PEPT).
It is unclear what happened to the water pump as no one with whom THE PORTMORE STAR spoke, knew what became of the equipment. In addition, efforts to contact Mr. Herbert Walters were unsuccessful.
In describing the failed project as a "bad chapter in Portmore's development" Mayor Lee said the fact that the project was not completed left "a bitter taste in everyone's mouth who knew about it".
He said however that the project would be revived again as he has been in negotiations with two companies to sponsor it.
"The project will be revived again. By March we should have a sponsor to provide funding for the project," he said.
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