Vanzie Lands deplorable roads to get J$43m rehabilitation
Published:Tuesday | July 6, 2021 | 12:09 AM
Western Bureau:
The Vanzie Lands housing development in Falmouth, Trelawny, which was completed 27 years ago, is to have its roadways, which have fallen into significant disrepair over the years, rehabilitated at a cost of J$43 million.
In unveiling the news to The Gleaner, Webster Thompson, the president of the Vanzie Lands Citizens’ Association, said he was quite delighted that after years of making representation for the roads to be repaired, their call is finally being answered.
“The citizens have been complaining over the deplorable condition of the roads and we have made representations to just about every relevant authority,” said Thompson. “Finally, the National Housing Trust (NHT), which had built the houses, has decided to provide the funding to rehabilitate the roads.”
Garth Wilkinson, the councillor for the Falmouth division in the Trelawny Municipal Corporation, said he was both delighted and relieved that the streets will finally get the attention that was being sought for many years.
“The rehabilitation of the roads, which covers one mile, will benefit the 300 residents in Vanzie Lands. It is now ongoing and is expected to be completed by the end of August 2021,” said Wilkinson, who is a former mayor of Falmouth.
He also disclosed that the NHT was not only responsible for building the houses but also for putting in the necessary infrastructure, including proper roads.
“Once everything is in place, the scheme will become the responsibility of the municipal corporation,” said Wilkinson, who has been lobbying the NHT for several years to address the matter.
NAMES OF BIRDS
Interestingly, Thompson also noted that the rehabilitation of the roadways is part of wider projects to develop the community so that residents can derive additional benefits.
“We live in an age where people are shopping online. Deliveries to homes are part of the norm,” said Thompson. “The streets will be named so that householders will have their personal address, which will make it easier to do businesses, which will require the use of their home address.”
In looking forward to the naming of the streets, Thompson said they will be using the names of birds.
Better road surfaces will not only make it easier for motorists to traverse the entire Vanzie Lands community, but it will also make life easier for the residents whenever it rains, as indications are that they will no longer have pools of stagnant water to contend with.
“It is going to make life so much better, as while I don’t drive, I know that if we don’t have the puddles of water on the roads when it rains, it will be much more comfortable and most likely we will have less breeding spots for mosquitoes,” a resident told The Gleaner.