MONTEGO BAY, St James — THE Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) has called for the renaming of the Old Hospital Park in Montego Bay in honour of its first female president Pauline Reid, who died last week.

“This would be a fitting tribute to Pauline who lobbied and fought hard for the citizens to get that green area… so we are pushing for that,” Davon Crump, the president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry told the Observer West yesterday.

The park, located on Montego Bay’s hip strip, was officially opened last June after a $45-million upgrade financed by the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF).

Reid — who was the managing director of Corporate Connections, an events planning/public relations company — died last Saturday in a hospital in Washington, DC after a prolonged illness.

Known for her participation in a raft of community activities, she served as president of the MBCCI from 2006 to 2008.

She was also an ardent member of the Rotary Club of Montego Bay East and president of the Jamaica Association of Administrative Professionals.

In December last year, Reid launched her second book entitled Montego Bay Jamaica: An awe-inspiring photographic journey.

Crump noted yesterday that the former chamber president had also lobbied stridently for the construction of the Montego Bay Convention Centre and the creation of the Bouge Highway in St James.

He added that her death is a great loss to the Montego Bay community and the parish of St James.

Reid had also served on a number of boards, including the Factories Corporation and the Montego Bay Free Zone and Kingston Free Zone boards, as well as on the business advisory board of the Urban Development Corporation.

In a release yesterday, President of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce Milton Samuda described Reid as “a nationalist, whose love of country was evidenced by her devotion to the private sector, to her beloved city, Montego Bay and to the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which she served faithfully”.

Samuda added that Reid distinguished herself “as a team builder and leader, inspirational in action and by example. In her own business life, she exemplified good corporate citizenship, giving back to the community through the many organisations and causes with which she was associated”.

A condolence book has been opened for the late chamber president at the offices of the Montego Chamber of Commerce located at Overton Plaza in Montego Bay.

The funeral service, the Observer West was told, is tentatively set for April 28 at the St James Parish Church.