RESIDENTS of Kitson Town may not be looking for handouts in their bid to uplift their rustic St Catherine community, but their member of parliament, Dr Kenneth Baugh, has nonetheless pledged at least $1 million toward the initiative.

Baugh made the commitment during a mini trade fair put on by the Kitson Town Citizens’ Association last Sunday. The trade fair formally signalled the residents’ commitment to restore the once-lively community to its former state.

“I am told that just over a million dollars should complete the job and I am committed to that for the next dispensation,” said Baugh, in reference to constituency allotments under the Jamaica Emergency Employment Programme (JEEP).

That money will aid in the construction of a new post office in the community — one of the key elements of the residents’ redevelopment thrust.

“This is an effort on the part of the people of Kitson Town. They have constructed it… they just get materials and build whenever they have materials. I have to commend all citizens who are taking part in this initiative,” said Baugh, lauding the citizens’ commitment and determination.

He noted, however, that the contribution will not be made until a $25-million road repair project in the community is completed.

“Nobody can be specific about a time frame, but it [donation] is going to be [made] early next year,” said Baugh. “We are about to start JEEP 2. It is not in JEEP 2, because, as I said, we were told that the about $25 million was specifically for roads,” he said, referring to the second of two allotments made to the constituency under JEEP. Both were directed to road repairs, he said.

On Sunday, residents — specifically young children and their parents — flocked the town’s market for the mini-fair, which showcased works from various artistes, sculptors, and dressmakers from across the island, all being sold at drastically reduced prices. This was an effort to enable more residents to participate in the activities, said Dillion Gabbidon, a sculptor from the Mighty Gully Youth Project.

According to Tyrone Napier, a member of the Kitson Town Citizens’ Association, the group’s efforts will also be aimed at rejuvenating the Kitson Town market.

“We are trying to finish it (the project) ourselves. And then we make a budget and present it to the authorities to show that it cost us ‘this’ and we would like a reimbursment,” he said. “We can’t wait on the CHASE (Culture, Health, Arts, Sports, and Education) Fund or the United Nations fund because they take too long. So we are going to do it block by block, steel by steel, cement by cement. And we are going to make an account of what we did,” he said, urging more residents to come out and support the initiative.

Napier said that the Kitson Town market is capable of generating millions of dollars for residents of the community, yet it is underdeveloped and unused.

“Sometimes I sit down and count as much as 18 able-bodied men. They are not robbing us but they don’t have anything to do. So they have to bun a spliff and listen to some music all day,” he said, his face a picture of disappointment.

Last Sunday, Diana McIntyre-Pike, founder and president of the Country Style Villages as Businesses, an organisation that develops rural communities into areas of interest to visitors, said that she is interested in establishing Kitson Town as one of these ‘villages’.

“We are here to give them training support, marketing support, business development support and to facilitate funding and investment support,” McIntyre-Pike said, adding that she has been receiving “good” feedback from the residents. “We are talking about local and international visitors to the community. We market our product as the country-style community experience… We are interested in people [visitors] who are interested in integrating with the community’s culture and heritage, the natural way of life,” she said.