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PM vows to keep pledge for Port Royal upgrade

Published:Thursday | November 18, 2021 | 6:53 AMAinsworth Morris/Staff Reporter
Prime Minister Andrew Holness (left) and Professor Gordon Shirley, chief executive officer of the Ports Authority of Jamaica, have dialogue after paying a courtesy call on the crew of the Statsraad Lehmkuhl on Wednesday. The vessel docked in Port Royal on
Ian Allen/Photographer
Prime Minister Andrew Holness (left) and Professor Gordon Shirley, chief executive officer of the Ports Authority of Jamaica, have dialogue after paying a courtesy call on the crew of the Statsraad Lehmkuhl on Wednesday. The vessel docked in Port Royal on Saturday.

After suffering days without electricity and water last week, Prime Minister Andrew Holness offered reassurance to residents of Port Royal on Wednesday that the Goverment would come good on its promise of improved sewerage and other infrastructure for the seaside community.

Better water supply and sewerage were promised in 2020 to complement the cruise pier development undertaken by the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) in partnership with the Urban Development Corporation.

The overall $1.1-billion National Water Commission project is expected to provide 250,000 gallons of water to the town.

Port Royal had no sewage-treatment system.

The prime minister also vowed to upgrade the blighted housing stock in the centuries-old town.

“We will improve the water situation here and there are plans to develop the housing that is in the town itself, and then we will be developing more housing for the people who live here,” Holness briefly told the media on Wednesday after touring the 107-year-old Norwegian sailing ship, the Statsraad Lehmkuhl, at the Historic Naval Dockyard.

These developments include the museum and restaurant being built beside the dockyard, attractions, an immigration hall to receive cruise ship guests, and a reception hall at the Port Royal port.

Describing the community as a historic gem, the prime minister said it was important to preserve Port Royal’s old-world charm while investing in modern infrastructure. The intention is to create, as close as possible, a realistic representation of historic Port Royal while allowing Jamaicans and visitors to enjoy its amenities, he told journalists on Wednesday.

“The challenge that we have is that once these assets sit idly by, they waste away and the value in the asset isn’t preserved by not using it, which is a false notion that some people have, that you let historical assets alone and not use them,” the prime minister said.

President and CEO of the Port Authority, Professor Gordon Shirley, told The Gleaner that more entertainment will take place when the restaurant facility is finished.

“If weren’t in a lockdown mode, you would have seen some of it already, so that’s the main issue,” he said.

ainsworth.morris@gleanerjm.com