THE Aqua Sol Beach Park, also known as Walter Fletcher Beach on the Montego Bay Hip Strip, St James was temporarily closed to the public yesterday to facilitate its rehabilitation.

The Urban Development Corporation (UDC), which announced the closure yesterday, said the rehabilitation of the facility will improve service delivery for its valued customers, both local and international.

“This is in keeping with our corporate commitment to bringing our recreational facilities on par with global standards of service,” said the UDC. It did not say how long the work will take to be completed.

Walter Fletcher Beach was part of the reclaimed beaches developed along the waterfront by the UDC in 1976, providing snack counters, play and picnic areas, and changing rooms. It was further upgraded between 1982 and 1984.

The UDC, in a release, said it will continue to work on other projects in Montego Bay as part of the Greater Montego Bay Redevelopment Plan.

“The corporation is currently working with the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre with funding from the KfW Development Bank for the rehabilitation of one of three groynes along the Montego Bay Waterfront. Groynes help to protect the shoreline from sand erosion and loss of ecosystems, and are critical to the protection of the Montego Bay central business district from flooding. Funding is being sought for the remaining groynes,” said the release.