FLAGSTAFF, St James —  The Flagstaff Community Centre located in deep rural St James, which is currently being refurbished at a cost of $9 million, is to be named after former Member of Parliament (MP) for St James South Dr Marco Brown if the St James Municipal Corporations has its way.

“We haven’t spoken to Marco Brown as yet, but we intend to name it in his honour. He was a Member of Parliament for nine years in the constituency of St James Southern. So, I think it is most fitting and appropriate,” said the corporation’s chairman and Mayor of Montego Bay Councillor Homer Davis.

Construction of the community centre was started in the 1980’s by Dr Brown who had served as MP for the area between 1980 and1989.

It is unclear, however, why work on the project was halted.

Thirty years later, work has resumed in earnest to have the centre completed.

To date, more than 60 per cent of the funds allocated for the project, which commenced about a month ago, have been expended.

The project includes the installation of windows, doors, and other fixtures, as well as tiling.

Calvin Wilmot, a taxi operator from the Flagstaff community, who has lived in the area all his life, has welcomed the move to have the centre completed.

“It has reached a far way; many thanks to whosoever is participating in it,” said Wilmot.

The 40-odd-year-old Wilmot said Dr Brown had the interest of the youth in the area at heart during his tenure as MP.

“I remember Dr Marco Brown when he just started this place (community centre). It is the same man who gave us the first couple footballs and boots for this place here,” Wilmot recalled.

Another community member, who gave her name as Odette, also expressed gratitude for resumption of work on the “well-needed” centre.

“This community was stagnant. A lot of people tried I don’t know the reason but it has failed, but now Mr Coke (Everest Coke) has come, and I am seeing where he has been doing a tremendous thing for the community, even to build the community centre. So that is a wonderful thing,” she told the Jamaica Observer West.

Coke, a first-time ruling Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) councillor for the Maroon Town division in which Flagstaff falls, defeated former mayor of Montego Bay Glendon Harris (PNP) in the 2016 local government elections. Harris was the councillor for the area for more than 25 years.

The centre, when complete, will serve the communities of Flagstaff, Mauga Bay, Zambia, Brown’s Town, and sections of Maroon Town.

Of all the needs in the community, Odette believes that the completion of the community centre is priority.

“It can be used as a recreational centre, it can be used as a school — because we need a lot of that up here. Most of the young people are not working. They dropped out of school, and even if they do go up to grade 11, they don’t know anything. So that would be good for them to have an area where they can learn skills,” Odette argued.

The centre is being constructed on the site of what was said to be the ‘Maroon Town Barracks and Parade Ground’ for soldier’s during the 19th century. The parade ground is currently used as the community playing field, while to its west is the remains of a hospital. To the east are a military burial ground and the community centre.

“This project (completion of the community centre) is just a tip of the showers of projects slated for the constituency (St James Southern,” according to Mayor Davis, who has failed twice in his bid to become the elected MP for the area.

According to Mayor Davis, the grounds of the Bickersteth Community Centre, also in the constituency of St James Southern, are to be transformed into a mini-stadium at a cost of $18 million.

And the Mafoota Community Centre is to be refurbished at a cost of $9 million.

Mayor Davis emphasised that the mini-stadium at Bickersteth, will allow for the hosting of nightly games.

“We intend to bring it to a level at least have a thousand seats, lights and everything. So, I think it could very well fall into the category of a rural mini-stadium where we can play night matches because we already have a football field there. We will be reactivating the cricket field and, also, we will be having a multi-purpose basketball, tennis court and so on,” Mayor Davis explained.