Monique Hepburn, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
THE MANAGEMENT of the world-famous Doctor's Cave Beach, in Montego Bay, has come to the rescue of another of the city's historic landmarks by indicating a willingness to assist in the funding of the restoration of the Dome.
The Dome is a six-sided brick structure that was built in 1837, atop the city's first reliable source of water up until the early 1900s. The structure's upper floor once housed the keeper of the creek. Recent attempts to restore the aged structure have been plagued by indecisiveness on the part of city officials.
Mr. John McDonald, manager of the Doctor's Cave Beach, told The Gleaner yesterday that his company was concerned about the deplorable state of the Dome and thought it would be a good idea to contribute to its restoration.
PRELIMINARY ESTIMATES
"We spoke to officials at the St. James Parish Council and from there we outlined our concerns," Mr. McDonald said. "The restoration of the Dome is in the common interest of the entire community and our company is willing to assist in the accomplishment of this goal."
According to Mr. McDonald, a timeline for the repair work is not available, as the agreement has not yet been finalised with the Council. However, he said that preliminary estimates have placed the repair costs at $750,000.
In acknowledging the support of Doctor's Cave Beach at yesterday's regular monthly meeting of the St. James Parish Council, which is the trustee for the Dome, Councillor Richard Solomone noted that the Dome was a valuable part of Jamaica's history and should be preserved. "The restoration has to be in keeping with its preservation," said Councillor Solomone, who stopped just short of accusing members of the Council of dragging their feet. "It should not be taking this long to ascertain the scope of work that has to be done.
"We have been talking about this for a long time," continued Councillor Solomone. "It is important that once the work is done then the preservation and upkeep be considered."
