‘Welcome to MoBay sign’ half the expected cost

THE EDITOR, Madam:

Further to The Gleaner’s editorial yesterday on the popular ‘Welcome to Montego Bay’ sign and attraction, it is important to clearly state that the project was completed at nearly half the expected cost to the Jamaican Government. The project closed out at $9.78 million for the Government, with $5 million in donations from private-sector entities, bringing the total cost to roughly $14.78 million.

This drastic reduction comes following concerns in some quarters in November last year, leading Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett to order an immediate and full review of the costs associated with the budgeted amount of $17 million. The review was headed by a chartered quantity surveyor who is a member of the Jamaica Institute of Quantity Surveyors (JIQS) and the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

In December 2018, one of Jamaica’s leading quantity surveying firms, Davidson & Hanna, operating in the island since 1971, gave a clean bill of health for the Tourism Product Development Company-led project bill of quantities. Davidson & Hanna reviewed the rates in the bill of quantities submitted by the Ministry of Tourism and compared them to market rates. They reported that most of the rates were found to be in order, with some actually falling below market.

In any event, Minister Bartlett ordered a reduction in costs and received support from the Montego Bay business community, thereby bringing the cost to the Government to $9.78 million, close to half of the budgeted $17 million.

SIGNIFICANT ATTRACTION

The new sign is already a significant attraction, with locals and visitors alike frequently taking photos and videos and sharing across social media platforms. The development also falls within the extension of the Eastern Gateway Project, which is a series of beautification works running west along the Elegant Corridor from Greenwood to Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport roundabout.

Several cities, including Toronto, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, have major signage as prominent attractions, many at considerably higher costs.

DELANO SEIVERIGHT

Ministry of Tourism