FALMOUTH, Trelawny – THE historic town of Falmouth is soon to undergo a $500-million beautification and rehabilitation programme.

Attorney General and Member of Parliament for North Trelawny Patrick Atkinson made the disclosure while delivering the keynote address at the Friends of Trelawny Association (FOTA) Tribute in Gold Black Tie Gala, held recently at the Hilton JFK Hotel in Queens, New York.

He disclosed that the funds to undertake the project will come from the Petro-Caribe Agreement.

“I want to inform the Trelawny-ites here this evening that the funds are for the sole purpose of cleaning up the town of Falmouth for its citizens and for the new influx of visitors we anticipate will come,” said Atkinson.

The project, he said, is scheduled to begin within two months.

The initiative will include the cleaning of drains, covering of manholes, construction of sidewalks and food courts.

According to Atkinson, plans are also in the pipeline to relocate the commercial centre of the North Coast town to a site further North, along Market Street. He pointed out that the market will be removed and rebuilt, and a transportation centre will also be constructed.

It is hoped that the relocation will attract new businesses in Falmouth.

Meanwhile, Atkinkson lamented that while the town of Falmouth was welcoming thousands of cruise ship visitors on a weekly basis, the parish of Trelawny, and its chief town in particular, has not been benefiting significantly, because of a lack of attractions.

“A lot of the tourists are bussed out of the town to Ocho Rios and Montego Bay. This will have to stop. We will have to find a way to keep those tourists in the parish so that businesses and attractions can come alive and be developed,” he warned.