KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) — Local Government and Community Development Minister, Desmond McKenzie, says the newly constructed $60 million Westmoreland Municipal Corporation building is slated to be opened later this year.  

Addressing a special meeting of the Portland Municipal Corporation in Port Antonio on Thursday,  McKenzie said final touches are now being done to the structure, and assured that the facility will be opened before the end of 2018.  

Meanwhile, he said the Portmore Municipal Corporation’s new building, now under construction, will be one of the most modern facilities of its kind in the Caribbean when completed.

The 22,654-square foot structure, being built at a cost of $190 million, will have multiple floors; energy-efficient inputs such as LED and solar lighting; and access features for the physically challenged. The development also includes landscaping, ample car parking, and water harvesting facilities.

McKenzie also advised that ground is expected to be broken within two months for the construction of the St Thomas Municipal Corporation’s new administrative building, which will be situated at the site of the old Goodyear factory in Morant Bay.

He further indicated that designs are being explored for two new municipal buildings for Portland and St Ann.

McKenzie said the ministry’s technical team is slated to meet with representatives of the Portland Municipal Corporation regarding identifying land for the project and the design’s development.