Terrelonge touts successes during first term as MP
Published:Thursday | July 23, 2020 | 12:28 AM
St Catherine East Central Member of Parliament (MP) Alando Terrelonge is banking on a number of projects he has implemented in the constituency to propel him to victory in the upcoming election, giving him a second term in the House of Representatives.
“Since 2016, I have established the Terrelonge Awards for excellence in education. We award the students grants, scholarships and trophies and support them from primary up to tertiary [studies] in the best way possible,” he told The Gleaner last Saturday.
He also pointed to initiatives allowing some 3,500 persons to gain medium- to long-term employment.
“Within these communities, we have being offering economic start-up [support], where they present a business plan and they are assisted technically and financially,” Terrelonge said.
OUT WITH ZINC FENCES
The first-time Jamaica Labour Party-aligned MP, who polled 6,215 votes to the People’s National Party’s incumbent MP Arnaldo Brown’s 5,721 to win the seat in the 2016 general election, also touted successes with a zinc fence-removal programme.
“As a person from Grants Pen [in St Andrew], I am aware of what zinc fence can do to you, as sometimes you don’t want people to know where you are from. So I know that it (the removal programme) adds value to the constituents,” he said. “Therefore, I know they are pleased that we are helping to develop pride in the communities.”
Terrelonge said work is also progressing in the depressed community of Gregory Park in Portmore.
“We have managed to complete architectural work on the Gregory Park Community Centre and it has been sent to the Portmore Municipal Corporation for its work,” he told The Gleaner, adding, “I hope we will get a discount from the almost-$200,000 approval fee.”
Overall, some 30 roads within the constituency have been repaired, Terrelonge stated, including thoroughfares in the Cedar Grove Housing Scheme in Portmore for more than $100 million.
Terrelonge said plans were afoot to build a modern healthcare facility at Christian Pen in the constituency.
* Rasbert Turner also contributed to this story.