Mark Beckford, Gleaner Writer

Mayor of Kingston, Desmond McKenzie, is again warning about the level of preparedness of Kingston for Cricket World Cup 2007.

Mayor McKenzie, in an address to the Kiwanis Club of North St. Andrew at the Altamont Court Hotel on Tuesday afternoon, said the nation's capital was not ready for the event, which is scheduled to be held in the region next year between March 13 and April 28.

He chastised the Government for failing to provide sufficient funds to effectively prepare the city for the biggest event to be held in the region.

"We want to put Kingston on show: the city is nasty, the city is dirty and the KSAC (Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation) don't have the resources to deal with it because what we have got from Government is only funds that are earmarked by law," he said.

Kingston at risk

Mayor McKenzie warned that, with thousands of visitors scheduled to arrive, Kingston risks being 'caught out' when the event comes around. He called for the intervention of Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller to ensure this doesn't occur.

Mayor McKenzie also said he will be writing to the Contractor General this week in relation to what he says are missing funds from the Kingston City Centre Improvement Company (KCCIC). The mayor said he is also awaiting a response, from the Urban Development Corporation, to a letter asking for an explanation for the unavailability of the funds which were earmarked for the redevelopment of the downtown Kingston area.

Funds diverted

Mr. McKenzie had raised concerns last week that funds earmarked for the development of downtown Kingston were unavailable after being diverted to other projects. Patrick Wong, head of the KCCIC, has, however, said Cabinet had approved funding but that a commitment from the Ministry of Finance and Planning had not yet been made regarding the disbursement of those monies.

Yesterday Mr. Wong told The Gleaner that a meeting with the Finance Ministry, to discuss that commitment, was held on Tuesday. He, however, refused to comment on whether the commitment had been granted, saying a statement would be issued to the media when arrangements have been finalised.