National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA)
• The NSWMA received 12 compactor garbage trucks, valued at approximately US$1.74 million, from the Government.
• A Heads of Agreement was signed for wage increases to truck drivers over a four-year period (April 1, 2017 – March 31, 2021) and deals with wages and allowances.
• Western Parks and Markets (WPM) Waste Management Limited opened the Cambridge garbage holding area, in St. James.
The initiative entailed the destruction of mosquito and rodent breeding sites, and preventing lots from being used as dumping sites.
• Western Parks and Markets received a donation of two pickup trucks from the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), to bolster the agency’s new enforcement programme.
Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB)
• 16 new fire units acquired.
• The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) received equipment, valued at over $30 million, from the United States Embassy in Kingston.
• The Montego Bay Fireboat Station in St. James was opened and two fire units and a fireboat were handed over.
• A total of 150 firefighters islandwide were trained in urban search and rescue, clearing of roadways, recovery of fatalities, and transportation of persons to medical facilities and shelters.
• 109 recruits graduated from the JFB’s training programme.
• Contracts were signed to construct the $217-million state-of-the-art Port Maria Fire Station in St. Mary and the $109.49-million Yallahs Fire Station in St. Thomas.
Parochial Road Repairs
• The Trelawny Municipal Corporation received $25 million to rehabilitate roads across the parish.
• St. Ann Municipal Corporation received an additional $30 million for road projects.
Water Shops Opened
• The Top Hill facility in St. Elizabeth was built at a cost of $8.9 million and will serve more than 1,500 residents.
• The Retirement District Water Shop, also in St. Elizabeth, was built at a cost of $9.7 million and will benefit approximately 3,000 residents.
• A $9.5-million water shop was opened in Central Manchester, which will serve residents of Bellefield, Banana Ground, Blue Mountain, Bombay, Virginia, Top Bellefield, Davyton and Coffee Grove.
Municipal Corporations
• The Youth Summer Employment Programme (YSEP) was expanded to include approximately 4,000 additional persons.
• 400 small entrepreneurs in St. James received grants totalling $10 million through the St. James Municipal Corporation’s Local Economic Development (LED) Programme.
• Sidewalk restoration and improvement continued under the St. James Municipal Corporation’s $100-million rehabilitation project.
• $8.5 million allocated to councillors of the St. James Municipal Corporation to assist with vector control in their divisions.
Social Development Commission (SDC)
• The Social Development Commission (SDC) provided grants totalling $1.1 million to 22 small entrepreneurs and micro-businesses in St. James.
Other Projects
• Residents of Ginger House and surrounding areas of Portland now have easier access to their communities, following the installation of a new swing bridge at a cost of $7.1 million.