THE EDITOR, Sir:
I LIVE in a Spanish Town community and daily regret buying a house there but I console myself by saying it is not much better in several other communities. What are my grouses? Here are a few:
I just received my pay and here is an extract from my pay slip: Income Tax - $37,996.71; NIS - $520.83; NHT; - $3,250.87; ED TAX - $3,240.46; TOTAL - $45,008.87.
What do I get in return for my hard-earned $45,000? Each day I am reminded of an ad on radio where the gentleman says he was driving down pothole street and a piece of road jumped out at him; unfortunately, there is no road to jump out at me. There are at least 75 families living on this road in a housing development that is just over 12 years old. I must point out that there have never been good roads and we got tired of the Parish Council telling us that the developer had not yet handed over the scheme to them. Aren't developers monitored or is there only interest in the number of housing solutions provided?
Every time it rains (even prior to the May rains), on driving out, I have to go about three houses up the road to get a dry piece of earth on which to cross to go to close my gate as a stagnant, ever increasing pool is there.
On Labour Day 2001, the residents, with their own funds, hired equipment and graded the road. This was no ordinary feat as it is a long road. Obviously, this has been eroded over time and there is now nothing to grade off. This is a major road linking Eltham View, Eltham Park and Ensom City.
But why am I particularly hurt today? I handed my mechanic $20,000 and wondered if Dr. Davies could refund me this from my taxes since the major damage to my car including twisted tyres has to do with poor road conditions which should be taken care of from the $45,000 extracted from me monthly?
Returning home at nights after work in Kingston is also a harrowing experience. Brunswick Avenue has a million bars and where it intersects with Cumberland Road and Young Street is just impossible.
Double-parking, even with police vehicles is the order of the night. Can the Parish Council show some relevance for once?
What of the MP Ms. Grange? Some time ago, a group of residents walked to the Councillor's house to highlight our plight and his first response was that that road was not in his division. We spent a few minutes educating him and took him on a tour the following day. Our honourable representative indeed!
It seems to me that these stresses are hardly the reward for someone who has worked fairly hard (albeit my own assessment). It's stressful leaving and returning home and certainly embarrassing to invite visitors simply because of the state of the roads.
I am etc.,
'DISGRUNTLED AND CHEATED'
St Catherine
