SPANISH TOWN, St Catherine – St Catherine Parish Development Committee chairman Earl Hyde, has blasted the Spanish Town Historic District Development Preservation Commission (STHDPC) for the state of the Rodney Memorial complex in the old capital, which he said was rundown and dirty.

He is demanding that the memorial be given a facelift, saying its appearance made it difficult to properly market the complex as a heritage tourism site.

“Tons of dirt and other debris have defaced the structure which memorialises the exploits of the former British naval officer Admiral Rodney who is credited with leading Britain’s colonial military expeditions to keep Jamaica within the former Empire,” Hyde said last Wednesday, noting that the site should really be one of the town’s centrepieces with its rich history.

“It needs an immediate facelift as it is detracting from productive marketing of the historic architecture in the old capital,” he added.

But STHDPC chairman Victor Edwards hinted that the complex might stay that way for a while longer. He said although the state of the complex was worrying, the commission had no funds to improve the situation.

“We worry about it, we don’t like it but we have no funds to clean it,” he told the Observer.

“It is very difficult to clean it… to get it in shining armour,” he said, adding that he had been informed that the dirt on the statue was “ingrained” and that it would take “real techniques” to get rid of it.

Hyde had suggested that the Fire Brigade be asked to hose down the statue to rid it of the dirt and grime it had collected over the long period during which it was not maintained.

His remarks came when he – an executive of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission – while addressing the sashing ceremony of 13 beauty contestants in the Miss St Catherine Festival Queen 2007 competition at the complex Wednesday, drew attention to the shameful condition of the site.

He lamented the situation in which the festival queens were sashed and said that students and other persons undertaking research at Emancipation Square are forced to work with the insanitary artefacts.

“It is a shame to see that Spanish Town is one of the richest locations as far as our heritage is concerned and the Rodney Memorial lacks maintenance,” Hyde said, arguing that the memorial is a priceless treasure that should not be allowed to run to ruin.

On Wednesday, Spanish Town mayor Dr Andrew Wheatley, while underscoring the need for an urgent facelift, agreed that the cleaning and maintenance of the statue required people with special skills.