By Roy Sanford, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE MAYOR of Montego Bay, Noel Donaldson, has expressed outrage at the deplorable conditions of the sanitary conveniences at the Charles Gordon Market in the second city.
He was particularly upset because the St. James Parish Council had allocated $460,000 in September last year, for repairing the conveniences, on which no work has been done to date.
This, even after the Superintendent of Roads and Works, Tubal Brown, told the council's Infrastructure Committee that work had actually commenced.
Several attempts to speak with Mr. Brown on the matter were unsuccessful.
"I am lost for words," said Mr. Donaldson during an inspection of the sanitary conveniences at the market Tuesday. "Not even in slavery days anyone would subject people to these kinds of conditions."
SANITARY CONVENIENCES
According to Mr. Donaldson, after his administration took control of the Parish Council in June 2003, they toured the market and a promise was made to the vendors to have the sanitary conveniences repaired.
"We got an estimate and we basically approved the expenditure of $460,000 and today is January 13 and no work has clearly been done," he said.
Councillor Charles Sinclair, who chairs the council's Commercial Services Committee and whose responsibilities include the market, said the Superintendent had told an Infrastructure Committee meeting on Monday, January 12 that work on the conveniences had started.
"When I asked for a specific date when the work had started, the status of the work and the time it was scheduled for completion, Mr. Brown said he was unable to give me any of those specifics without looking at his records," said Mr. Sinclair.
"So, I am a bit surprised that vendors have told me no work has been done."
