PLANS TO arrest Kingston's urban decay have been long in the making, much spoken of and rehashed frequently. Real, practical work however has tended to move at a relative snail's pace.
The appointment of former Town Clerk Errol Greene as executive director of the one-year-old Kingston City Centre Improvement Company (KCCIC) would suggest that attempts are again being made to get things moving. The capital city has been targeted for major development, not only to arrest urban decay but also to spur a new kind of cultural tourism.
The KCCIC is but one of several organisations formed since the mid-1980s, to work on different elements, including transportation, vending, security and the restoration of derelict buildings. There have been inputs from the Government, private sector interests and civic organisations.
Before them, the Kingston Restoration Company (KRC) was formed 20 years ago with a mandate to turn around the deteriorating environment and economic prospects of downtown Kingston. The KRC, with its excellent management team, has done a good job. However, a lot more needs to be done.
In more recent times, the National Housing Trust (NHT) announced plans to spend $5 billion in the provision of low-income housing in communities on the periphery of the business community, including Denham Town, Matthews Lane (south) and Parade Gardens in Central Kingston.
While, as of now, there is no single entity overseeing the various plans, Mr. Greene's many years of administrative experience in the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation and overseas, should give him an adequate vantage point to avoid duplication or overlapping of projects.
Mr. Greene has said he is busy developing a business plan. He should look at what has already been drafted awaiting implementation. The more crucial action needed is for the galvanising of funds so that projects already started can be finished and those yet to get off the ground can begin.
We must breathe new life into the downtown Kingston business district. The nation will benefit in varying ways. Let's make it happen this time.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
