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SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:
V O L U M E
Clarendon’s poor relief officers among the best
Matron’s ambitious vision for Clarendon Infirmary
New communitymanaged Rocky Point market opened
Peters says Minor Water is an institution
New containerstyle arcade in the works for May Pen Market
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
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I S S U E
Poor Relief Gets a Boost ! During the 2013/2014 financial year the Clarendon Parish Council made significant strides in improving the delivery of social welfare services to all categories of beneficiaries. On Tuesday, February 18, 2014 the Council handed over a brandnew Poor Relief Office to its outdoor clients in Rock River while residents of the Clarendon Infirmary received an early Valentine’s Day gift a week earlier. The residents now enjoy an Activity Room where they participate in a number of recreational activities during the daytime . Much was said
Get the Litter bugs!
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The New Doctor in the House
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Registered Vendors Only
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Rocky Pt. Market under Community Management
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Burnt Out: Brand New Approach
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Minor Water; Big Thing
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At CC for Career Day
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While Councillors said the new poor relief office was long overdue, they lauded Secretary/ Manager, Mr. Rowhan Blake, for prioritising the improvement of Poor Relief in 2013/2014. The
most ambitious product of his commitment to date is the replacement of the almost fifty year-old Rock River Poor Relief Office, which had been derelict
Beneficiaries of the Rock River poor relief office poses for a photo with the Mayor, Inspector of the Poor, Cllr. Trevor Gordon and Poor Relief Officer, Mrs. Sonia James.
for some time. “Today I am proud to know that it is completed,” he remarked. “It is not a dream anymore,” a jubilant Florette Stewart, Councillor for the Chapelton
Respect Due to the Team in Blue The Clarendon Parish Council municipal police are an unmistakable corps, readily identified by its dark blue apparel. But though citizens recognise them as enforcers, they hardly command the same level of respect shown to other lawkeeping bodies in the parish. And we can’t help but wonder why. For the municipal police play an
important role in maintaining law and order especially in busy town centres like May Pen, Spaldings, Frankfield and Kellitts. They assist with the enforcement of municipal laws and regulations which govern everything from public health to vending and even the conduct of public passenger vehicle operators. So, well-thinking citizens should
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Division declared, “It is a reality. It has happened.” Mayor of May Pen, Cllr. Scean Barnswell, asked beneficiaries to consider the striking difference between the new office and the original building, which is adjacent. “Compare where it was and where it is now,” he said “This is one of the many initiatives that the Clarendon Parish Council has undertaken to facilitate our poor relief staff to carry out their functions more effectively.” The Secretary-Manager agreed and charged officers to make the new facilities reflect in their service, “Now you should be more comfortable and more motivated and as such this should reflect in the service you provide.” Clarendon’s the best According to Treka Lewis, Area Supervisor for Poor Relief, Clarendon’s poor relief officers are among the very best. Miss Lewis singled out the Parish Council’s Inspector of the Poor, Story continues on page 3
regard the role of the Municipal police as critical and invaluable.
Municipal police Cornell Tracy and Robert McCarthy
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...Team in Blue (cont’d) The Anti-Litter Campaign In December of last year, the municipal police ramped up their enforcement activities in relation to the Litter Act as the Clarendon Parish Council seeks to discourage littering and reinstil some civic pride in the citizens of the parish.
Municipal police, Janice Boothe patrols the May Pen market on Muir Park Ave.
DID YOU KNOW? That one of the key things the Senior Planner looks for when examining commercial building plans for approval is provisions for public sanitary conveniences and that commercial entities are required to make these available to their customers on request? Sign directing citizens to the public bathrooms inside the May Pen Market
The operation involved the placement of notices at infamous unauthorised dump sites and urinals. Business operators were also encouraged to make their sanitary conveniences more available to the public. Most importantly NSWMA ticket books were issued to the Municipal police team allowing
them to sanction individuals caught breaching the Litter Act regulations. According to Commercial Services Enforcement Officer, Mr. Michael Patterson, the enforcement activities have borne tremendous results with some sixty-two (62) anti-litter tickets being issued to date. Some of the penalties The address, name, Voters ID or TRN number of offenders are recorded; they are allowed 21 days, in the first instance, to pay the applicable fees at the offices of the Clarendon Parish Council or the Parish Council
in their parish of residence. Offenders who fail to do so have to appear in the May Pen Resident Magistrate’s Court within 10 working days of the expiration of the 21-day period. There are five categories of ‘ticketable’ offences and the penalty per incident ranges from $2000 to $10000. The Metro’s anti-litter campaign is ongoing and will be sustained so long as Clarendonians continue to neglect their civic duty to keep their surroundings clean. So remember to think twice the next time you are about to dispose your waste along the roadway or on a private property as the men and women in blue may just be watching you.
Get the litterbugs! Many of Clarendon’s commercial districts are strewn with litter. The Municipal Police have identified three major sources: urine deposits in places not designated as public sanitary facilities; improper disposal of commercial and household waste and the improper disposal of building material along roadways. The Council have been engaged in several spirited debate on identifying appropriate measures in parochial law to support the Municipal police’s efforts to clean up our town-centres. Councillor Anthony O’Connor, representative for the Croft’s Hill local government division, has been one of the more passionate contributors to the debate. In a December 12, 2013 submission to Council he expressed his impatience with Litter Act law breakers. He says the Council has to make
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examples of them. “If the man or woman believe KFC bathroom no good enough, Burger King bathroom no good enough and go use the road-side there must be a penalty.” His colleague councillor, Milton Brown (Mineral Heights), insists that business establishments have a critical role to play in the campaign to clean up our towns. He suggests that while the Council must go after offenders, there is also the need for sanitary conveniences to be made available to citizens, wherever possible. The Councillor says institutions that attract a large number of customers such as banks can provide a solution while the Council seeks to identify suitable locations to establish more public sanitary conveniences. See the back page for the locations of the Clarendon Parish Council’s public sanitary facilities
A Penny for Your Thought Councillor Anthony O’Connor describes the garbage pile-up across the parish as an ‘environmental hazard’. Do you agree? Can you think of the likely environmental impact of litter?
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The New Doctor in the House Dr. Richard Watson attends to a patient at the Infirmary. In little over a year on the job as the Clarendon Infirmary’s in-house physician, Dr. Richard Watson says he feels very much like family.
He confesses that he looks forward to the customary greeting he receives from a few residents when he makes his weekly Wednesday rounds. “I seem to be developing an attachment to the infirmary and the residents. I think it has to do with a staff who are caring and patient. It is the whole group and I think I am apart of the group.” Dr. Watson repeatedly mentions the dedication, patience and caring nature of the Infirmary’s staff. He says residents are well taken care of which reflects in their optimism about life and the genuine bonds of friendship they have cultivated among themselves.
“I see where the infirmary makes a difference in the lives of these people. I see where persons come in malnourished and after a few days or a week they are up and about.” The Doc says there isn’t much he could be critical of as it relates to patient care. But service delivery, he suggests, would be even more commendable if the Infirmary’s staff were increased based on the high number of mentally and physically challenged patients requiring personal care. But Dr. Watson is quick to point out that the overall quality of care residents receive does not rest entirely with in-house staff. Other critical health care workers have an important role to play and as such he encourages our partners in the public healthcare sector to offer our indoor poor no less than the care they receive from the matron and her staff.
...Gets a Boost! (cont’d) Mrs. Patricia Anderson as being at the very top of her field. She said the Board of Supervision recognises from the initiatives taken to improve poor relief services in Clarendon, that the Parish Council and Secretary-Manager Blake has a vision for social welfare in the parish. The division’s Councillor, Mr. Uriah Mitchell urged residents to take good care of the facility. “Take care of the building to ensure
that whatever funds is available can be used to improve the network of poor relief offices,” Councillor Mitchell said. The Rock River Poor Relief office serves some one hundred and twenty-two (122) clients from several North-Central Clarendon communities including Diamond, Simon, Moores, Coxwain, Bellas Gate and Boyes Content.
Rec. Room for The Infirmary Matron Joyce Anderson has big dreams for the revolution of patient care at the Clarendon Infirmary. She wants to see the facility transform into a choice daycare facility catering not only to referred indoor poor persons but any golden-ager seeking to avail themselves of the highest quality medical and nursing care, thereby creating another source of income for the Council.
With the opening of the Activity Room at the Infirmary on February 12 that day might not be too faroff . The room facilitates a range of occupational therapy activities like crocheting, sewing, moccasin and coloring with the Council looking to expand the offerings over time. Secretary/Manager Blake wants the room to also serve as a daytime get -away for residents who might not
Mrs. Jeanette Samuels-Morris, Deputy Inspector of the Poor, assists Ms. Soyla Scott, the parish’s former Inspector of Poor (1981-1985).
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“I seem to be developing an attachment to the Infirmary and residents” - Dr. Richard Watson
“The Parish Council a n d secretary manager Blake has a vision for s o c i a l welfare in t h e parish.”
be physically able or inclined to participate in handcraft activities, but just want to relax or read the daily papers, making it the hub for all recreational activities. The Activity Room comes on the back of a three and a half-million dollar upgrade of the facility as Matron Anderson and her staff works assiduously to make the Clarendon Infirmary the very best government-ran residential A resident of the infircare facility in the island. mary doing a little colour-
ing in the Rec. Room.
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Market vendor showing off his prize hand of ripe bananas along Muir Park Avenue
“ T h e Clarendon Parish Councilissued ID or licenses are the o n l y documents which truly authorises an individual to offer goods and services for sale in the May Pen market.”
Registered Vendors Only There are approximately 250 provisions; 374 deal in habermore registered vendors in dashery and clothes while 38 the May Pen Market than the are fish vendors. facility is designed to accom- What Registration Means modate. While the market has Registration legitimises a vena capacity of 800, the Council dor’s operations and guaranreceived some 1052 applica- tees him/her a space in the tions for spaces as at Decem- market while unregistered ber 6, 2013 and so was forced vendors are liable to suspend a call to be sanctioned, for vendors to removed from the register late last market or have year. their goods seized. All registered The Clarendon vendors hold Parish Councilidentification issued ID or license cards displaying (in the case of bartheir names, bers, hairdressers market, shop and butchers) are number, type of the only documents items sold, TRN which truly authorand signature. ises an individual to The information Market clerk Mrs. offer goods and forms part of a Arleen Thomas making services for sale in database to one of her rounds the May Pen marwhich the Comket. mercial Services team refers Vendors should also regard when making decisions regardthe ID card as an important ing the markets operations or asset for as small business when making revenue projecoperators they can use them tions. in conjunction with other releThe registration exercise has vant documents to demonrevealed some very useful strate proof of employment, information regarding the main conduct official business or activities undertaken in the even access small business May Pen market. It shows, for loans. example, that some 558 regisWho are registered tered vendors sell ground Only fish, ground provision,
Handcarts’ Designated Area H a n d
May Pen’s estimated 200 street vendors are an elusive group. Comprised mainly of itinerant handcart operators, they make it exceedingly difficult for the Parish Council to maintain order in the busy commercial district. May Pen’s handcart vendors generally move with the tide of commerce. They willingly stay within the market limits on busy shopping days like Fridays
c a r t v en d o r s photogra phed in the May P e n Market
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and Saturdays but traverse the outskirts on slower days to hunt buyers. There are many others like them on the outside: selling along the roadway, in plazas, parking lots and on sidewalks. They deal in the same goods as vendors inside the market, some even offering raw meats and fish for sale without the recommended cooling and storage facilities, a practice
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Handcart vendor selling oranges in a no-vending area
clothes and haberdashery vendors were targeted during the registration drive. Other market users such as butchers, barbers and hairdressers were not included as they are already required to be licensed under the Public Health Act. Neither were handcart operators involved in the exercise since they do not fall in any category of vendors legally entitled to vend in the May Pen Market. The Council, however in an effort to respond appropriately to changes in the cultural and economic space in which it operates, have moved to designate a section of the May Pen Market property exclusively for handcart vending. The area is located to the rear of the main market compound and can accommodate approximately one hundred handcarts. The success of the initiative however relies heavily on the enforcement team’s vigilance in confining the targeted vendors to the area.
which is discouraged due to food safety concerns. Illegal vendors undermine the bu s in es s of r eg u la t e d , compliant vendors and business operators. They obstruct the free flow of pedestrian and vehicular traffic creating congestion in the town centre. The new designated area for handcart vending inside the May Pen Market is aimed at facilitating better tracking and monitoring of itinerant vendors as well as improving fee collection which will be done according to assigned
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space numbers. Enforcement should be made easier too since all handcart vendors found selling outside the designated area would be in breach of the Market regulation outlined in Paragraph 60 of the 1983 Rural Market Operations Manual which states that hand carts should be operated by authorised persons only and only within such areas of the market as is allowed. MacKenzie, the painter, a resident of Content near York Town chats with us as he watches workmen repair a road in his community. Quite interestingly he explains that when complete the road will pave the way for a more fruitful job search. “I don't want to know mi a go a wah (a) job interview and mi (my) shoes mud up.” When told that the road rehabilitation project was made possible through his Councillor, Uphell Purcell’s, submission to Council, he queried ‘So Mr. Purcell mek (make) representation and we get the road?” He says Content could do well with a community centre where the youth can ‘play a little tennis’, but concedes that the new road is a good start.
“Part of the proceeds from property taxes are reserved for councillors t o u s e exclusively to improve early childhood institutions in t h e i r divisions.”
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Rocky Point Market under Community Management because this [The Rocky Point Fish MarScean Barnswell ket] should be viewed hands over keys as a model hub for to the Market to trading in fish in SouthEast Clarendon and we Mr. Arthur Coleman, Presi- want this facility to be around to serve future dent, RPDCBA generations who aspire to partake in the trade,” the Mayor The management of the Rocky added. Point Fish Market is now officially in Mayor Barnswell echoed Prime the hands of the community. His Minister Portia Simpson-Miller’s Worship The Mayor Cllr. Scean view on the value of the Rocky Barnswell handed over the facility’s Point Market to the community. keys to Rocky Point Development Both the Prime Minister and the Council Benevolent Society PresiMayor said that markets are impordent, Mr. Authur Coleman, on Sattant cultural centres and are the urday, April 12 during a ceremony source of livelihoods for several organised by the Clarendon Parish rural folk particularly women. They Council. both described the project signifiMayor Barnswell urged the organicance in terms of its value to rural sation to be good managers, apply development, which is a priority in sound business practices and comthe Clarendon Parish Council’s ply with the rules and regulation of development agenda. the Parish Council in its operations. The Prime Minister urged the bene“I want to encourage you to keep ficiaries of the market to keep the seeking out innovative and creative facility clean while Mayor Barnswell ways to attract new business to the committed, on behalf of the Parish market; sustain your clientele; enCouncil, to continue working with hance your offerings and be of the Rocky Point Development greater service to the community,” Council Benevolent Society in the he said. transitional phase of the market’s “The new managers are charged to operation. maintain the facility in good order The Rocky Point Market project His Worship The Mayor Cllr.
was funded through a grant from the Caribbean Development Bank which was dispensed via the Jamaica Social Investment Fund’s (JSIF) Basic Needs Trust Fund. JSIF’s Managing Director, Mrs. Scarlette Gillings, said this was the first project being funded by the CDB as well as the first market project undertaken by the JSIF. The handing over ceremony was also attended by the Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Noel Arscott; South-East Clarendon Member of Parliament, Mr. Rudyard Spencer and Councillor for the Rocky Point Division, Mr. Winston Maragh.
Working for you always!
Kudos to Lionel Town, Basic Schools Benefit million dollars that month, compared to just 2.49 million dollars in November. The Lionel Town staff credits the vigilance of compliance officers, in part, for the sharp increase. Officers, they say, would go on early morning operations, sometimes as early as 6 a.m. to make collections. Targeting large landowners also bore fruit where
Cllr. Carlton Bailey, Milk River, hands over a deep freeze to a basic school in his division
Property tax collection at the Lionel Town Collectorate leapt 388% in December 2013. Property tax receipts totaled some 7.94
special emphasis was placed on sugar land proprietors. Councillor Winston Maragh (Rocky Point) said he too played an important role in improving compliance as he sent property tax reminders by SMS to a number of non-compliant landowners featured in a list he received from the Collectorate. A part of the proceeds from property taxes are reserved for councillors to use exclusively to improve early childhood institutions in their divisions.
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Burnt Out: Brand New Approach On Thursday, March 27 several small business owners who rented shops in the May Pen Market woke up to the devastating news that their business places had been gutted by fire. They were mainly dressmakers, tailors and cosmetologists who operated out of an ’arcade style’ section of the market. Officers of the Clarendon Parish Council responded quickly, visiting the site to offer their sympathies and conduct damage assessments. Our investigations revealed that some forty-six (46) shops were completely destroyed in the blaze with another nineteen (19) being partially damaged. A cosmetologist trying Affected shop owners and renters met with the Mayor, to salvage her tools in Commercial Services Manager, the rubble Superintendent Roads and Works and other technical officers at the Parish Council on April 4 where they were reminded of the Council’s and their own obligations under the circumstances. While the Parish Council is unable to accept any liability for the loss or damage to the goods taken into the market by the shop owners, the Council deeply regrets the losses suffered and is wholly committed to assisting the small business operators to resettle as quickly as possible.
Participants in the LSDP’s Lionel Town Visioning Workshop on March 19, 2014
The Council is also mindful that the dislocation has adversely affected their livelihoods as well as the contribution they make to trade and commerce in the parish capital. The business places will however have to be relocated to another area of the market due to space and other safety concerns at the current site as order and structure are being stressed as
Affected shop owner looking on part of the new approach. The Council's technical officers have created an electronic drawing of the new site which is proposed to c o m p r i se sh i p p in g c o nta in e r s partitioned into forty (40) 8ft x 10ft shops. These are to be rented to affected shop owners with preference given to those who have been compliant with their market fee payments to the Parish Council. The Commercial Services team will apply a strict 'service type' ratio when making shop space available to applicants so as to enhance the
Capturing the Vision The Local Sustainable Development Plan Secretariat, an extension of the Council’s Planning and Development department, hosted eight development area workshops between February and May. COUNCILINK
The team visited just about every nook and cranny of Clarendon as it sought citizens’ input in crafting a meaningful and inclusive development plan for the parish. But why rack up all that mileage? Well, according to Senior Planner, Nickala Thompson, the Clarendon Parish Council has no intention of charting the parish’s
profitability of activities in the area as best as is possible. The successful applicants will be expected as always to comply to Market rules and with the fee payment schedule. The project is estimated to cost some 17 million Jamaican dollars and can be completed within four to six weeks of the start date. Some business operators whose shops were not completely destroyed have been granted permission in the interim to occupy their shops while the Jamaica Association for Micro Financing Limited (JAMFIN) has assisted three compliant vendors with soft grants to purchase tools and materials to restart their businesses.
Mr. Wayne Gentles, an Ital food chef receives a JAMFIN grant to repurchase pots. The cheque is being presented by the Parish Council’s Director of Admin., Miss Charmaine Williams.
development in a vacuum. The development plan, she says, has to incorporate the man-in-the-street as the projects implemented will ultimately affect them. We hoped you attended one of the workshops and put in your two cents about Clarendon’s development road map. So far, participants have said youth training and empowerment, infrastructural improvement and safety and security are key to the parish’s development agenda. What says you?
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Minor Water, BIG Thing If it weren’t for the Clarendon Parish Council’s network of standpipes, entombed springs, wayside and catchment tanks and several hundreds of kilometres of pipelines many rural communities would not have access to potable water. This is perhaps why Minor Water Superintendent, Courtney Peters, says Minor Water is a valuable institution. The Clarendon Parish Council’s minor water system takes on added significance during the dry season, which generally runs from November to April each year. In 2013 the system came under immense pressure due to unusually severe drought conditions. The dry season this year too was quite challenging with several areas that aren’t traditionally drought-prone calling on the Parish Council for relief. Though these communities are served by the National Water Commission, the Council
considered it its social responsibility to provide them with water, where it could. It is for this reason Peters is recommending a greater level of collaboration between the Council and the NWC where their water supply obligation intersects. The Minor Water Supt. admits that there is never enough money to serve all communities, but the Council makes do with what it has. Some three million dollars were required to keep operations going in the October-December 2013 quarter with the Rural Water Supply Limited committing 1.95 million dollars for the January-March 2014 quarter. In January, Secretary-Manager Rowhan Blake, signed off on a monthly budget of $300, 000 for the trucking of water to drought-affected communities based on a predetermined schedule.
While revenue-generation is not the primary purpose of its minor water supply operations, the Parish Council expects customers whose homes are connected directly to its supply to pay the concessionary monthly rate of $300. Peters singles out beneficiaries in Grantham as his best-paying customers and says beneficiaries generally help to maintain the minor water system infrastructure by effecting repairs from time to time or even cleaning the springs. To allow for equal access to the Parish Council’s minor water supply system, particularly during the dry season, the Council recommends that a pipe no larger than an 1/2 inch be connected to the main for domestic use. Persons should not tap into the main supply without authorisation and all users should apply directly to the Council to get on to the system.
Did you know that the Clarendon Parish Council owns and/or maintains 17 catchment tanks, 5 wayside tanks and 15 entombed springs across the parish and that in the 2013/2014 financial year trucked two million gallons of water to eighty communities at a cost of J$7,500,000?
At CC for Career Day Young Young people people areare drawn drawn to to actionactionfilled filled careers, careers,thetheCommunity Community Programmes Programmes Coordinator Coordinator discovered discovered onon a visit a visit to to Clarendon Clarendon College’s College’s career career fairfair in in March. March.SheShe found foundtootoothat thatthethebigbigKingstonKingstonbased baseduniversities universitiesareareas aspopular popular with withhigh highschool schoolstudents studentsas asthey they were were when when shesheattended attended another another Clarendon Clarendonhigh high school school some some time time ago. ago.SoSoherhersimple simplebitbitof ofcareer career advice adviceto tothethethird thirdformers formerswho who stopped to check out the Council’s
booth stopped was totocheck do well out the at the Council’s big name display universities was to do theywell willatattend the big butname to seriously universities consider they returning will attend to but theto parish seriously on consider graduation returning to pursue to the one parish of a number on graduation of fulfilling to careers pursueatonetheof aClarendon number ofParish fulfilling Council. careersStudents at the were Clarendon exposedParish to theCouncil. wide Students range were of exposed career to opportunities the wide available range to ofthemcareer at theopportunities Council along available with the to them value at they the Parish could Council add along to with theirthe communities value they if could they were add to to join their the service at the local authority.
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Ten yearo l d Lamesha (in the foreground) and eight year-old D ashelle, students of the R a c e Course Primary School plays in the community’s newly refurbished Crawford Weir Memorial Park during the recent Easter Holiday break. The girls are from the neighbouring community of Sedge Pond and were visiting relatives when they were photographed. They say they usually visit the park after school on weekdays and would love to have a slide and a swimming pool to enhance their enjoyment. The park is a colourful oasis in the otherwise lazy town. It is the only family-oriented recreational space in the area and a popular Sunday hang-out spot. Councillor for the Race Course Division, Pauline Reynolds, pledges to continue working on the park by adding more rides and appropriate flooring as well as beautifying the near-by square to complement the vividly bright recreational facility.
The CPC however recognisedcommunities the need for if greater public education about they the Council were toandjoin its role in the community particularly the service among at the the school-aged cohort. Therelocal is so much authority. the Clarendon Parish Council does forThe our CPC citizens, however the word must get out. In the meantime recognised you canthe access up-to-date and valuable needinformation for greater about the Clarendon Parish public Council on education our The The CPC’s CPC’s Community Community page. about the Council Programmes Programmes CoordinaCoordinatortorwraps wrapswith witha astustu- and its role in the community dent dent at at CCCC particularly among the school-aged cohort. We are working for you always and the word must get out. In the meantime valuable information on the Council’s activities can be accessed via our Facebook page: Clarendon Parish Council .
Clarendon Parish Council’s Sanitary Conveniences*
Council Matters
Eagle Transportation Brooks Edge, May Pen
Fresh Batch of Municipal Police joins Service
May Pen Market
Eight new Municipal police recruits joined the Council’s Commercial Enforcement Team on Monday, May 5 and were officially sworn in on May 14 after a sixweek training exercise at the Jamaica Police Academy in Twickenham Park , St. Catherine. The officers did exceptionally well during training with one being selected as the class’ valedictorian. New Home Burial Processing Fee Effective Thursday, May 1, 2014 an administrative fee of $2500 has been applied to home burial applications. The Council has also made a pre-approved grave design available to funeral parlours and mortuaries as we seek to improve the quality of grave construction in the parish’s public cemeteries. Featured on JIS On March 25, 2014 a feature entitled ‘Poor Relief: A Community Approach’ was broadcast on JISTV, highlighting the work of the Council’s poor relief officers and the Clarendon Infirmary’s staff in relation to the care of the parish’s indoor poor and homeless populations.
Spalding Market Staff members of the Parish Council gathered in the lobby to watch the Council’s poor relief feature on JIS
Kellits Market
New Student Transportation System in the works
Frankfield Market
Talks are well advanced and positive regarding the establishment of a safe, standard student transportation system for high school students in the parish. The Council spearheaded the planning of the school bus system in response to a spike in the number of road-related accidents involving students in the parish. The discussions are very well supported by all relevant stakeholders.
St. Thomas More meets the Mayor With questions like ‘Isn’t it unfair for the parish Council to take away vendors’ goods and throw it away?” to ‘What Grade 4 girls who called on is the importance the Mayor of the Mayor’s job?’ and ‘If you [the Mayor] make the wrong decision what do you do to make it the right one?’ the Grade 4 students of St. Thomas More Preparatory School were eager to learn as much as possible about the Council on their April 1 visit. Last semester a number of students who attend primary school in May Pen contacted the Council for information on its operations as part of the Grade 4 Social Studies curriculum. St. Thomas More Prep sought an invitation to visit us and His Worship The Mayor and Secretary/Manager Rowhan Blake gladly acquiesced to the request. The students were very excited to meet the
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Mayor, they asked him a number of tough questions and even jostled to get their hands on his gold medallion when they were admitted to his parlor. They learnt that just as it is at school, the Parish Council has certain rules they expect citizens to follow in their pursuit of economic and developmental activities such as vending and building construction and there are penalties for failing to comply with these rules. Three students expressed Mayoral ambitions ahead of His Worship’s presentation, but only one was still interested in the job after being told what the Students jostling to get a hold of Mayor’s duties the Mayor’s were. medallion.
Chapelton Market
* The user fee is currently $40 per use and provides access to clean facilities, hand-washing stations and toilet paper
Take the Hassle out of Burials Good going so when rainy season comes along burials can still get going.— Dushiegirl Johnson Good idea, like it.—Barbara Reid Clearly you have a businessminded person on your staff, great idea, less hassle.—Michelle Andrea Golding
Pre-fabricated vaults for sale at The Denbigh Cemetery
Please enquire at the Parish Council for more details. Tel: 986-2216/2234/2403
Working for you Always! The Clarendon Parish Council welcomes opportunities to educate the parish’s young people about its services and work in the community. We invite schools with an interest in learning about the Council to send us a request for information or a tour by writing to us at: The Secretary/Manager The Clarendon Parish Council Sevens Road, May Pen Or email us at: clarendonpc@mlge.gov.jm