Black River seeks new life
Published:Saturday | March 12, 2011 | 12:00 AM
André Gordon, Gleaner Writer
BLACK RIVER, St Elizabeth:
THE HISTORIC 17th-century town of Black River sits at the mouth of the river of that name. The town stands tall in Jamaican history and boasts a number of firsts for Jamaica and the hemisphere.
In fact, the Waterloo Guest House was the first place to receive electricity in the hemisphere and Black River was the first place to receive a motor car in Jamaica. The Georgian architecture of the town stands as a reminder of a once productive era when the logwood trade and fishing contributed significantly to the growth of the local economy.
Black River has long passed the golden days of prosperity in the eyes of many. The town has been declining due to what many say is the failure of the authorities to develop the historical legacy of the town, and use it as a marketing tool to attract investors and tourists. The vast waterfront and the expansive river are only a few of the potential.
Santa Cruz expanding
Though Santa Cruz has not been designated an official town due to the lack of basic social infrastructure, its rapid growth in population and its vast growth in business potential has already led to the relocation of the National Insurance Service. There have even been calls in some quarters for Santa Cruz to become the official parish capital.
These developments have not gone unnoticed by the political directorate of the parish and certain key stakeholders. Councillor of the Black River division, Mordant Mitchell, believes short-term measures can be implemented to stimulate commerce in the town. Mitchell has tabled a resolution at the parish council seeking the designation of an area in the town as an entertainment zone, within the zone promoters would be exempt from the Noise Abatement Act rules and provide the same privileges as that of a nightclub.
"We would be the entertainment hub of the parish and night-time commerce would help to drive development in other areas," said Mitchell in a recent interview with The Gleaner.
It is also my vision for the council to offer special incentives to investors by way of special waivers on building fees, or special tax exemptions."
The vision for development in the town is also shared by the member of parliament, Dr Christopher Tufton, who spoke at the launch of the Greater Treasure Beach Development Plan recently. Tufton said the development of the town was at the top of his agenda. He pointed to the renovation of the fish market as part of the overall development of the town, and said a new market is to be constructed that will, among other things, be constructed so that tourists who visit the nearby Black River Safari could walk into the market and shop.
Tufton said he intends to work with the parish development committee to drive development in the town, address certain critical issues such as sewage disposal and disposal pollution and the preservation of the land space in the town, which is currently in danger due to rising sea levels.
The Jamaica Heritage Trust has come in for much criticism for the state of the historical buildings in the town that the trust has designated as heritage sites.