WESTERN BUREAU: The Tourism Product Development Company (TPDCo) will over the next 12 weeks spend just under $4 million to construct an urban park in the vicinity of the St James Parish Library.

Work is slated to begin within another week and will be undertaken by Cornwall Asphalt and Paving Limited.

Speaking at the contract signing ceremony in Montego Bay on Thursday, executive director at TPDCo, Karl Binger, said the project was part of TPDCo’s mandate to improve and enhance the tourism product so that Jamaica can be a preferred destination.

“We see this as a very important project. It will provide an area where people can sit in a relaxed atmosphere for a while and interact with visitors. They can talk about our culture, our heritage and be our ambassadors,” Binger said.

He added that TPDCo was pleased to be associated with the project and said he hoped that more urban parks would be established throughout the country in the future.

The Montego Bay Urban Park will be developed in the area between the St James Resident Magistrate’s Court; the Montego Bay Number One Post Office, and the St James Parish Library.

According to project manager at TPDCo, Neil Denny, work will be done in three phases and will involve the erection of park benches, landscaping, installation of garbage bins and designated areas for vending.

The first phase will involve infrastructural work; phase two will include landscaping and the erection of street furniture, while the third phase will see the creation of the car park.

Neil said, however, that during work on the first phase of the project, a temporary car park would be created on a section of the premises that housed the parish library.

On Thursday, the TPDCo also handed over 200 garbage drums and 12 skips valued at over $500,000 to the communities of Falmouth and Montego Bay.

The western city received 150 garbage drums and 10 skips.

At the handing over ceremony held at TPDCo’s parking lot at the Cornwall Beach Complex, Binger said the donation was a further attempt by TPDCo to assist with garbage collection.

He said his company would be making other donations in the near future as it seeks to improve the tourism product.

Chairman of the Trelawny Parish Council and mayor of Falmouth, Joseph Wright, received the gift on behalf of Falmouth while Councillor Ucal Thompson of the St James Parish Council accepted for Montego Bay.