Devon Evans, Gleaner Writer
ONLY ONE week before the official start of the winter tourist season on December 15, business interests in Ocho Rios are protesting the deplorable state of the town's physical infrastracture and amenities.
President of the St. Ann Chamber of Commerce, Humphrey Taylor, said that the poor aesthetics of the town is a major concern for businesses.
"Environmentally, Ocho Rios needs to be cleaned up, not only for the tourists but it should have been cleaned long ago for the benefit of the ordinary citizens," he argued.
Further, Mr. Taylor said he had spoken to National Works Agency's parish manager Vincent Small about the state of the roads and it is still not clear why the situation has not been tackled.
DUE TO NEGLECT
Meanwhile, Mayor of St. Ann's Bay Delroy Giscombe was more blunt in his description of Ocho Rios as a town that has become filthy. He said this was mainly due to neglect by the Ministry of Tourism and the various Government agencies responsible for the maintenance of the town, such as the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NWSMA).
Mayor Giscombe says the St. Ann Parish Council had tried to play its role by allocating $3.5 million to NSWMA in September last year to clean up Ocho Rios and that the council was displeased with the work done so far. Mayor Giscombe said: "It is full time the Government takes the matter of cleaning up the resort town seriously."
Prominent businessman Michael Belnavis charged that, in addition to litter in some sections of the town, residents are being plagued by a dust nuisance resulting from recent flooding.
