More should be done for Sav, says councillor

Ollyvia Anderson, Gleaner Writer

SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland:Councillor of the Sheffield Division of the Westmoreland Parish Council, Derrick McKenzie, says Savanna-la-Mar should get more benefits from the tourism product.

The councillor made his comments during the recently held Regular Monthly Meeting of the Westmoreland Parish Council.

At the top of the agenda, according to McKenzie, is to clean the verges leading from Paradise to Savanna-la-Mar.

"We need to have these areas put on the list, and we need to stop putting tourists in inverted commas. The tourists come to Savanna-la-Mar, too. They travel all about the Paradise Road - the Dunbar's River area coming to Savanna-la-Mar. We need to clean the verges."

"For Westmoreland, we are slightly different because when you go to places like St Ann, Ocho Rios and St Ann's Bay are in the middle of the tourist situation; Montego Bay is similar. Unfortunately for Savanna-la-Mar, we are 18 miles down the road, and so we tend to not want to put money that comes into tourism into a place like Savanna-la-Mar, but it is important that as the capital of the parish - with a significant tourist situation - that we should be spending money in order to get the place cleaned up because tourists come here every day," McKenzie said.

Councillor of the Grange Hill Division, Lawton McKenzie, also advocated for sections of his division to be added for cleaning.

"You will come from Hanover, from Green Island or from the other end, and right at Glasgow, all work stops. Anybody going to Savanna-la-Mar, they coming though Grange Hill, and I can tell you, especially by the bridge between Glasgow and Peggy Barry, the verge is so high that you have to come out of your car and look round to see if another car coming. I am requesting that funds be made available for these areas," he said.