WHILE IT is accepted that Budget deficits, of necessity, will limit the extent to which the Government is able to deal with community development, it is to be hoped that resources can still be found to carry out some of the plans for restoration of areas such as downtown Kingston. It will be recalled that there was announcement of a strategy to rescue the heart of the city from the effects of years of neglect and decay and to restore a sense of balance to the nation's capital.
One of the most sensitive areas is the neighbourhood of North Parade from which radiates streets and lanes which contain a mix of commercial and residential activity. It is here that the historic Ward Theatre is located as well as Liberty Hall, the cultural centre established in his time by National Hero the Rt. Excellent Marcus Mosiah Garvey, to expose Jamaicans to the best of the arts and to inspire them to excellence.
The Liberty Hall building currently is being restored and should be ready for opening by mid-year. Meanwhile, new efforts are being made to refurbish the Ward yet again to make it worthy of its distinguished history. In both cases, the Ward and Liberty Hall, it is necessary to sound the warning that if conditions in the surrounding environment are not brought into line, then there will be a perpetuation of the ongoing frustration of those who see Kingston's cultural heritage diminishing for lack of care.
The Ward has been renovated more than once before this, but each time its viability has been seriously compromised by the ugly conditions in the area around it, which are a deterrent to patrons.
The same fate could befall Liberty Hall if there is not urgent and sustained effort towards addressing the problems of the entire North Parade area, clearing the sidewalks, repairing the malodorous drains which flood every corner, creating order in the pattern of traffic and installing adequate street lighting. Equally urgent is the need for an integrated approach to the interaction between residents of the surrounding community and the cultural centres.
We have been made aware that in preparation for the opening of Liberty Hall, a programme of community sensitization involving young persons is under way while the Ward is planning its annual summer school.
These are encouraging signs and hence it is imperative that the planners and the Government move to keep their end of the bargain. It is full time that the heart of the city beats again with the strength of its rich and unique cultural heritage.
