RESIDENTS of communities in Mountain View were yesterday rewarded for keeping the peace in the volatile area that has over the years been rocked by violent uprisings.

But the rival eastern Kingston communities – Jarrett Lane, Saunders Avenue, Top Range, Back Bush, Jacques Road and McGregor Gully – have been at peace for a full year now and were yesterday given $5 million to upgrade four community centres.

The project, dubbed the Mountain View Communities Facilities Improvement Project, will also see the building of a library and a basic school.

At a contract signing ceremony at the Ministry of National Security yesterday, Security Minister Peter Phillips praised the residents for the part they have played in the “model peace plan” and reminded them of the importance in stamping out criminality.

“The truth is, as a nation we can only overcome the challenges posed by crime and violence when there is oneness in this quest between the citizens on one hand and the security forces on the other,” Phillips said.

But although peace has been reigning in the area, illegal guns were still in the communities and Bartlett, whose Eastern St Andrew constituency includes the Back Bush, Top Range, Jarrett Lane and Saunders Avenue, pleaded for the weapons to be handed in.

“We cannot have guns in the community which are idle. These guns need to be given up,” Bartlett said, “It only takes one person to ‘pop off’ and everybody get jumpy. Assist us in removing these guns from the community”.

The violence between high-powered weapon toting gangs which once cramped the community, forced the police to establish a post along Mountain View Avenue and Phillips to promise the construction of a permanent police station at 48 Mountain View Avenue.

Collie Allen, vice-president of the Mountain View Development Council, said since peace had been established gun violence has been almost non-existent and persons were moving freely from one community to the next.

Colin Anderson, a resident of Jarret Lane, corroborated Allen’s statement.

“There was a dance in Jacques Road last week and we went over there and came back late in the night and nothing happened. One time we woulda dead, so the peace thing really a work and we hope to keep it that way,” Anderson told the Observer.