WESTERN BUREAU: The St James Parish Council has started a programme to improve the infrastructure and economic viability of the commercial entities it operates in Montego Bay.

These entities include the Byron Leslie Complex on Orange Street, the Charles Gordon Market on lower Bevin Avenue, the Old Fort Craft Market at Fort Street and the People’s Arcade along the Howard Cooke Boulevard.

According to the council’s commercial services manager, Hayden Marks, work at Old Fort Market is being undertaken in three phases, at an estimated cost of $200,000 for each phase.

The first phase, which began in early January, should be completed later this month. The bushing of the property and the whitewashing of the buildings have already been completed, while there is ongoing renovation on the bathrooms to get them to meet with the standards of the Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo).

The other two phases will include landscaping and the addition of an ice-cream stand, a jerk centre, a horse and buggy ride, along with a number of historical murals to the facility. The entire Old Fort project is slated to be completed by year end.

The 100-vendor facility earns the parish council approximately $75,000 in rental fees.

Meanwhile, the council is also conducting improvement works at the People’s Arcade.

These works include the placement of skips and drums at the facility and the cleaning and reopening of the sanitary facilities. The roadway in front of the facility has also been re-paved.

Marks said personnel would also be hired to maintain the improvements at the facility.

Following the completion of works at the above mentioned facilities, conditions at the Charles Gordon Market and at the Byron Leslie complex will be tackled next.

Marks told the Observer that the regional planner, Gaston McKenzie is now preparing a plan for the infrastructural improvement of the market.

It was not immediately clear when the plans would be completed but it is reportedly geared at creating a market district around the facility. Plans are also afoot to improve the security at the facility, which has been known to be plagued by pickpockets.

The Byron Leslie complex, meanwhile, is to be officially reopened after minor upgrading works.

The council’s improvement of its commercial entities is being undertaken in accordance with the Local Government Reform Programme, which is geared toward making parish councils economically independent of central government.