Carolyn Cooper | Rockfort Mineral Bath still closed

On the last day of December, in the afternoon, I slowly drove past the Rockfort Mineral Bath. It seemed deserted. There wasn’t even a security guard at the entrance, as far as I could tell. The following Tuesday, I sent an email to Mrs Creed Nelson, executive director of the Jamaica National Heritage Trust. That’s the statutory body responsible for the bath, which is a heritage site: “Compliments of the season! The end of December 2023 has come and gone and the Rockfort Mineral Bath is still closed. I would very much appreciate it if you could give me an update on the status of the renovations. I’m planning to write my column for this Sunday on the deplorable state of affairs.”

I followed up with a telephone call in which I asked for a statement that I could quote. This is what Mrs Creed Nelson sent: “In response to the captioned, a project schedule was developed for the refurbishing of the public baths, which should have been completed by the end of 2023. There were some management changes at the Caribbean Cement Company, which resulted in the delay of the works. As it stands now, the Jamaica National Heritage Trust and the Caribbean Cement Company, [sic] have resumed consultations and implementation plans. The refurbishing should be completed in the next few months.”

Mrs Creed Nelson isn’t even pretending that the mineral bath will be reopened any time soon. Her time frame, “in the next few months,” is a promise that could comfort only a fool. Unlike the rather precise “end of December” date that had previously been given, this new ‘deadline’ is so vague that failure to meet it cannot be objectively assessed. Furthermore, reference to “consultations and implementation plans” seems to be a rather evasive way of admitting that refurbishing of the bath hasn’t actually started.

If the “project schedule” had, in fact, been developed and implementation had begun, “management changes at the Caribbean Cement Company” should not have delayed the work. The new management would have found a plan in place that would simply need to be advanced. It now sounds as if we’re right back to where we started in 2020. After being closed for almost four years, the mineral bath is nowhere near ready to be reopened. How can this be reasonable?

COMPLACENT RESPONSE

The executive director’s complacent response to my email fails to acknowledge any responsibility on the part of the Jamaica National Heritage Trust to ensure that the mineral bath is reopened quickly. It’s all the fault of the Caribbean Cement Company, it seems. Last Friday, I contacted the company to get their side of the story. I emailed Mr Chad Bryan, communications and social impact coordinator at Caribbean Cement, informing him of Mrs Creed Nelson’s response to my email. He sent this statement:

“Caribbean Cement Company Limited is acutely aware of the importance of the Rockfort Mineral Bath as a therapeutic and historical site.

The company is currently engaged in dialogue with the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) in furtherance of the common objective of reopening the facility.

Management changes have been made to the company; however, these have not affected or delayed the execution of the intended plans. We anticipate that the JNHT will move swiftly to settle the tenureship of the property in short order.

We are confident that these matters will be resolved for the benefit of all.”

Contrary to Mrs Creed Nelson’s claim, it is not “management changes” at the Caribbean Cement Company that have caused delays in the reopening of the mineral bath. The pertinent issue is that the JNHT has not renewed the lease of the heritage site to the company. Why should the Caribbean Cement Company invest in refurbishing a property to which it has no legal claim? This would make absolutely no sense. Instead of blaming delays on “management changes,” the executive director of the JNHT should move swiftly to ensure that the lease to the Caribbean Cement Company is finalised.

CONSPIRACY THEORISTS

I have no idea what the scale of the proposed renovations at the Rockfort Mineral Bath is. Quite frankly, I do not think extensive work is needed. It’s the healing waters of the bath for which patrons come. We want a clean pool, properly maintained. Ambiance is secondary. It is true that the buildings are somewhat shabby. But two coats of paint would give them a welcome facelift. Painting is one of the most economical and effective ways of sprucing up any building.

Conspiracy theorists speculate that the Rockfort Mineral Bath is going to be renovated at a huge cost. As a result, patrons will be expected to pay an exorbitant entry fee, as has happened at other recreational sites that have been overdeveloped. This would be disastrous. The Caribbean Cement Company website notes that the bath is “ideally positioned on the perimeter of Kingston, St Andrew and Portmore where there is the highest concentration of people in Jamaica.” Furthermore, “its strategic location” makes it “easily accessible to both the local and tourist markets.” If the entry fee goes up substantially, the bath will be accessible only to well-off locals and tourists.

One of the JNHT’s objectives, as stated on its website, is to “promote the sustainable utilization and management of our material cultural heritage resources.” This includes the Rockfort Mineral Bath. “Sustainable utilization” must, surely, mean that the bath is kept open at a reasonable cost. The Caribbean Cement Company should not be blamed for the JNHT’s failure to fulfil a fundamental objective. The executive director of the statutory body should be mindful of proverbial wisdom: “Finger nuh seh look ya; it seh look deh.”

Carolyn Cooper, PhD, is a teacher of English language and literature and a specialist on culture and development. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and karokupa@gmail.com.