On Wednesdays and weekends, the Falmouth market in Trelawny’s capital, Falmouth – the popular Bend Down market – which attracts scores of sellers and buyers from across the island, is usually abuzz with activity.

It is estimated that more than 20,000 shoppers visit the almost 30-year-old facility weekly to make purchases.

But while business is seemingly booming for the vendors, and while shoppers are said to be generally happy with the ‘bargains’ they get there, the Trelawny Parish Council, which owns the facility, continues to lose millions from its operations.

In fact, last year alone, the council lost in excess of $2.5 million at the facility.

However, much to its credit, the local body has, in recent years, managed to address the raft of insanitary conditions that dogged the market between 2001 and 2005.

During that period health authorities in the parish closed the facility on at least two occasions, due to its filthy state.

But based on the thousands of persons who use the facility, and with the insanitary conditions being addressed, one would expect that the facility would be earning much-needed revenue for the cash-strapped council.

Instead, the market continues to eat away at the meagre resources of the already financially burdened local authority.

Chairman of the council and mayor of Falmouth, Colin Gager believes that the facility can become profitable if the raft of issues besetting it are addressed.

Chief among them, he says, is the absence of perimeter fencing to keep out extortionists who prey on the vendors and the lack of an efficient system for the collection of market fees.

Arguably, operations at the facility – with proper management- can become profitable, but it seems the council does not have the guts to effect meaningful change there.

It is about time that Mayor Gager, who is now in his second year as head of the local authority, moves post-haste to address the deficiencies at the facility in an effort to make it viable.

The loss of the council’s valuable and scarce resources should not be allowed to continue, particularly at a time when there is even greater need for businesses to become efficient, in light of the global financial meltdown.

The challenge now, I believe, is for the council to implement prudent management at the facility and at least break even, or divest it.

The money being spent at the market could better be used to clean drains, bush the cemeteries and repair the deplorable roads that are under the control of the council.