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JAMAICA: PM Breaks Ground for $860-Million Housing Project in Maxfield Park

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#Kingston, October 5, 2018 – Jamaica – The standard of living of residents of Maxfield Park in St. Andrew is expected to be greatly improved with the development of an $860-million housing project in the community.

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, today (October 3), broke ground for the Maxfield Park Development Project, which will see the construction of another 210 housing solutions for National Housing Trust (NHT) contributors.  Mr. Holness said through these housing development projects, the Government aims to give all Jamaicans the euphoric experience of owning their own home.

“It’s not just getting the better housing solutions, but just changing the way that people live can literally transform and uplift the lives of the people,” he said.

The project, which is being undertaken by the NHT, will involve the development of 6.14 acres of land along Ricketts Crescent where, initially, the entity will conduct preparatory works to include demolition and removal of some existing structures; disconnection and removal of informal water and electrical distribution systems.

The Prime Minister noted that the project was conceived over a decade ago and is one of the housing projects the Government pulled out of the pipeline and brought to the point of implementation.

“It makes no sense that you have wonderful concepts, wonderfully well-laid plans, but at the end of the day, it’s not implemented. So the (new) mandate (of the NHT) was to expedite the implementation of housing projects,” he said.  Mr. Holness noted that the NHT, which was initially given a target of 15,000 housing solutions, now intends to provide 23,000 units for Jamaicans by 2021.

In the meantime, Leader of the Opposition, and Member of Parliament for the area, Dr. Peter Phillips, welcomed the project, which he said represented “continuity in policy”.

“What is important is that the present Government came and found a project that was under way and… they continued with the project.  I want to personally say thanks and express my appreciation,” he said.

He also praised residents of the Maxfield Park community for their patience in “staying the course”, for attending sessions with the NHT, and becoming NHT contributors.

A social-intervention programme has been in progress in the community since 2017, with one component being encouraging and improving NHT compliance.  The infrastructure works for the project, which is slated to begin in March 2019, will include paved roads with kerbs, storm-water drains and a centralised sewage-collection system.

The development will also comprise a potable water-distribution system, Jamaica Public Service (JPS) pole line electrical distribution system with street lights, as well as road markings.

Construction of the housing units is scheduled to begin in October 2019.  The project forms part of the multifaceted Community Renewal Programme (CRP), financed by the Government of Jamaica and international development partners, which is designed to address living conditions in communities islandwide that are deemed the most socially problematic.

It addresses community empowerment, housing, sanitation and waste disposal, economic opportunity, recreation, dispute resolution and crime, among other things.  The programme aims to reach 100 of the most volatile and vulnerable communities in Kingston and St. Andrew, St. Catherine, Clarendon and Montego Bay.

 

Release: JIS

Contact: Alicia Smith

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CARPHA Progresses to Eligibility for the First Disbursement of Pandemic Funding

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Following a landmark Public Signing Ceremony for the Pandemic Fund (PF) Technical Cooperation Agreement (“Reducing the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Prevention, Preparedness, and Response” [RG-T4387] Project) on December 14, 2023, in Trinidad, the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) continues to progress towards the start of implementation.

 CARPHA fulfilled the IDB’s nine conditions prior to first disbursement, achieving full eligibility on March 15, 2024, and is now eligible for the first disbursement. This milestone achievement in just 3 months after the signing speaks to the commitment of both CARPHA, the Executing Agency, and IDB, the Implementing Entity, toward the regional PF project with the objective of supporting the reduction of the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean by building pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPR) surveillance & early-warning systems (EWS), laboratory systems and workforce capacity, regionally at CARPHA and in countries.

Since the signing of the Technical Cooperation Agreement and as part of the conditions prior to first disbursement, CARPHA has achieved the following key outputs (i) the development of the PF Project Operations Manual, Multi-annual Execution Plan, Procurement Plan, Financial Plan, Procedure for CARPHA’s Financial Reporting System; (ii) vacancy announcements for two tranches of consultants with the subsequent hiring of five (Technical Coordinator, Financial Specialist, Procurement Specialist, Operations Officer and Project Operations Coordinator) and (iii) the establishment of the Project Execution Unit (PEU) and Project Execution Steering Committee (PESC). The dedicated PEU will be responsible for execution according to its planned timelines, which will be led by the Dr. Lisa Indar, the Project Director (CARPHA’s Director of Surveillance, Disease Prevention and Control Division).

 CARPHA, as the lead regional public health agency and an expression of Caribbean Cooperation in Health is mandated by its Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) to support its 26 CARPHA Member States (CMS) in bolstering national systems and coordinating regional response to public health threats. The Agency works closely with regional and international agencies and uses regional mechanisms, surveillance systems, and networks for coordinating its public health response work.

In July 2023, the PF Governing Board announced that CARPHA’s regional entity proposal, entitled ‘Reducing the Public Health Impact of Pandemics in the Caribbean through Strengthened Integrated Early Warning Surveillance, Laboratory Systems and Workforce Development’ was successfully selected for the first round of financing. It was one of only 19 proposals selected from over 300 submissions and the only regional project. The three priority areas in the proposal are: (i) Comprehensive disease surveillance and EWS, (ii) Laboratory systems and (iii) Human resources and public health and community workforce capacity.

This project is expected to begin implementation in March 2024, starting off with a blended onboarding session. A Stakeholder Meeting with countries is tentatively planned for July 2024.

CARPHA remains dedicated to working together with the IDB, CARPHA Member States and the Pandemic Fund to successfully implement the regional proposal geared toward reducing the public health impact of pandemics in the Caribbean.

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Men who had Murdered Man, Marley Higgs’ cell phone face Court

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Wilkie Arthur

Freelance Court Correspondent

The prosecution intends to try two young North Caicos men, both age 21 for the offense of possession of property of a murdered man, property that was stolen and landed in their possession.

The phone belonged to Peureton ‘Marley’ Higgs, who is believed to have been an innocent gunned down at his apartment complex in the Glass Shack area in a spray of bullets on February 2 that killed another man and wounded two others, including a ten-year-old little girl.

The cell phone was described as white in colour, an iPhone, in a hard black case. 

On Monday, March 18th, JEFFVANO HANDFIELD of North Caicos pleaded not guilty to the offense, and the matter was adjourned to April 2024. He was granted bail in the matter.

A second North Caicos man was charged similarly.  

SARENO CAPELLAN aka, Kino Williams is the second individual brought before the court pertaining to the said cellphone. He appeared in court a week after JEFFVANO HANDFIELD, the date being Monday March 25th 2024.

The case for the Crown is that both men sometime in February of this year possessed the cellphone knowing or suspecting it to be stolen property.

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Supreme Court Closed for Easter

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NOTICE is hereby given that the Easter Recess shall commence on Friday 29th April, 2024 and end on Friday 5th April, 2024. During the Easter Recess Judge Selochan will be available to deal only with matters that are urgent or require prompt attention.

Court Business During the Easter Recess

A person who wishes to have a matter heard during the recess must file a certificate of urgency along with an affidavit, which must set out the reasons why the matter is urgent or requires prompt attention. The matter will not be listed during the recess unless the Judge deems it fit for urgent hearing.

Opening Hours During the Easter Holiday

The Supreme Court’s last sitting day for the first term is Thursday 28th March, 2024. The Court will officially resume sittings on Monday 8th April, 2024. The Supreme Court Offices in both Grand Turk and Providenciales will continue to operate while the Court is not sitting during the recess.

The Court Office will be closed on the following public holidays:

  • Friday 29th March, 2024 (Good Friday) CLOSED
  • Monday 1st April, 2024 (Easter Monday) CLOSED

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