THE MINISTER of Water, Housing, and Sidewalks, Dr. Karl Blythe, assumed personal supervision of the urban renewal project which was shown last week to have gone haywire.
Specifically, the Minister on Friday was directing reconstruction of concrete planter boxes on sidewalks along Duke Street, Central Kingston. Intended to accommodate trees, the so-called planters had monopolised most of the width of the sidewalks, posing potential hazards for pedestrians, including the disabled and visually impaired.
In a classic exhibition of damage control the Minister was accompanied by a supporting cast, including the Project Director of the renewal programme, his Information Officer, and what was perhaps intended as a master PR stroke, the blind Senator Floyd Morris.
The reconstruction, which is to reduce the size of the planter boxes, will also extend to Mountain View Avenue where the sidewalks had also been disabled.
While there has been no public disclosure of what the urban renewal programme will cost the Minister had stated last month that the initial phase would involve tree planting which will extend to the watershed areas of Long Mountain and Blue Mountain. No sidewalk problem is anticipated in the hills.
A second phase would see the replacement of zinc fencing in inner city communities, and small-scale economic projects such as block-making and carpentry.
This project may bring no joy to the Kingston municipality, however. Last weekend Town Clerk Errol Greene said the KSAC will be getting less than the $56 million it needs for maintenance of drains and gullies because the Government says it does not have the funds.
The opinions on this page, except for the above, do not necessarily reflect the views of The Gleaner.
