Casmond Moore
(In a letter to the Editor)
THE FAST-DEVELOPING town of Savanna-la-Mar, capital of Westmore-land, is being handicapped by infrastructural problems, in terms of inadequate water supply, light installation and poor road conditions.
Major road improvement programmes are proceeding on the following streets: Beckford, Dalling and Lewis, to the dismay of some impatient motorists, as they face bumper-to-bumper traffic jams daily.
The town's main street, Great George, reputed to be the widest in Jamaica, is the hub of much commercial activities, as shopping plazas are in that location for the shopping public. Prior to their establishment, there was an overspilling of vendors onto the street resulting in on-going traffic congestion.
The vending population was then provided with accommodation in those facilities, thus making the street far more accessible to the motoring public and pedestrians as well. Great George Street's vending problem is now solved. Thanks to the enforcement of the law against street vending.
And from all indications the new commercial bank, RBTT, has found a home in the town, and is doing a thriving business, as customers can be seen entering to do business transactions.
ECONOMIC LIFE
Adding to the economic life of the town also, is the first Kentucky fried chicken restaurant, ideally located at the northern end of Great George Street, and it's attracting a steady flow of diners.
It is most surprising and unusual for a town like Savanna-la-Mar, booming in every phase of its economy, to be without a cinema. During its heyday, it boasted two Derrick and Imperial - but gone are those days. Today, the absence of a motion picture theatre is having an effect on theatre goers and other entertainment enthusiasts. Discontent is high among them, and many have to travel as far afield as Montego Bay to the multi-cinemas. Both original theatres have long been transformed into business enterprises.
At the Llandilo property several of construction projects are being undertaken. Many dwellings and business establishments are giving it a new lease on life while conjuring up the thought of a "little bit of heaven", just adjacent to the western side of the town.
The breathtaking beauty of the homes, mixed with the ambience of perfect peace give most of them a palatial appearance.
The community, however, is grappling with serious water woes. So chronic is the water shortage that most home- owners have to install a water storage tank on top of the roof, with a capacity of 300 to 400 gallons. A secondary water pump is installed in an outshed which operates electrically to pump water to the house when the main source is low on pressure, or is without water.
WATER RESOURCES
It must be noted here that the parish itself, by comparison, is by no means lacking in water resources. Among them are: Cabaritta River, Great River, Negril River, New Savannah, and Roaring River. And the rainfall is frequent. .
Road conditions are unbelievably deplorable; manhole covers are missing, street lights are in short supply, while drains are clogged, begging for attention.
And in the face of rapid development all around the town, there is an appallingly disappointing aspect of it - a small neighbourhood on the west, nicknamed 'Russia'.
Perched on the swamp land of Savanna-la-Mar, foul-smelling and infested with huge blood-hungry mosquitoes, it's a haven for the endangered crocodiles.
The main street, Hudson, runs southerly, to the shore line with most of the shoddy wooden dwellings
dotting both sides. Hardly any economic activity is evident, giving rise to high unemployment in the area. A disproportionate number of the residents are impoverished, bordering on the poverty line.
A high crime rate is sending chills among the law-abiding. Robberies, rapes, prostitution and gun crimes stalk every nook and cranny of that neighbourhood. There have been sporadic incidents of domestic violence between spouses too. In some instances, the children are most often the victims.
Law enforcement efforts to deal with the problem have thus far met with limited success.
