REHABILITATION work on the St William Grant Park in the heart of downtown Kingston is to begin in January 2007, at an estimated cost of $80 million provided through a grant from the government.

The work on the neglected park is being done after years of promises to restore the facility.

Patterning the layout of Emancipation Park at the other end of the city, the walls of St William Grant park are to be lowered, allowing for a clear view from one side to the next. The solid walls are to be replaced with wrought iron – also allowing for increased visibility. The fountain is to be restored to functionality, the sanitary facilities are to be improved and green areas are to be landscaped.

In addition, solar-powered lighting fixtures are being considered for the facility in an effort to conserve energy and keep the heritage site from accruing large amounts of debt.

The plans were announced by the Kingston City Centre Improvement Company (KCCIC) to business interests in the downtown area at a meeting at the Jamaica Conference Centre Wednesday, and come directly on the heels of last week’s launch of the Kingston Waterfront beautification project to be undertaken by FirstCaribbean International Bank (Jamaica) and the Urban Development Corporation.

Rehabilitative work on the park forms part of a long-awaited redevelopment programme to be carried out in the capital city by the KCCIC.

Under the programme, a major beautification project will be undertaken in the capital which will see, among other things, the planting of trees and the changing of the current lighting fixtures to antique types. Also, derelict buildings will be repainted, garbage receptacles and street furniture installed, and bus stops in the city will be uniquely standardised.

According to chief executive officer of the KCCIC, Patrick Wong, maintenance of the park and the green areas to be established around the city will cost some $18 million per year, a cost which he says will have to come from both the public and private sectors.

There are also plans to get the transportation centre on Water Lane underway. The centre is expected to be used as a terminus, thus taking the pressure off north and south parade and “open it up for development”.

KCCIC chairman Francis Kennedy explained that the rationale behind the kind of redevelopment proposed by his organisation was based on the activities currently taking place in downtown Kingston.

“Kingston can no longer return as a port city, because the port is at Newport West. I don’t think it can return as a financial district because that has moved to New Kingston.

What we have is a lot of history, a lot of culture. So we decided to redevelop the city on the basis of culture, history, heritage, tourism and entertainment,” Kennedy said.

Wong, who spoke to the Observer after the meeting, said although so many other proposals have been put forward in the past, this one was different.

“We don’t want another study to gather dust. It’s different this time because we’re looking for an implementation strategy; something that must be sustainable and that can be implemented,” he said.

He said that despite the fact that it had taken this long to get the projects underway, they entailed “specific programmes” which are results-oriented.

As part of its attempts to redevelop the city, the KCCIC has also drafted an economic development project that includes plans to construct a music village, a sea aquarium, and an ethnic-themed village in downtown Kingston as well as to promote it as a 24/7 city.