STETTIN,Trelawny — Prominent Albert Town businessman Kenneth Hugh Grant is among several stakeholders in the southern section of Trelawny who are welcoming news that construction of the long-awaited fire station in the area will commence during the next financial year.

“I am happy about it. This has been about 50 years in coming. I am really happy about it,” was the reaction from Grant, who is also the president of the Trelawny Lay Magistrates Association.

Chairman of the Trelawny Municipal Corporation (TMC) C Junior Gager, who is also mayor of Falmouth, and the councillor for the Warsop Division in Trelawny Southern, is also elated over the announcement.

“We are very grateful that the construction of the fire station in south Trelawny will become a reality soon. I want to thank Prime Minister Andrew Holness, the minister [of local government], and our member of parliament [Marissa Dalrymple Philibert] for making it a reality,” Gager said.

Councillor for the Ulster Spring Division, Dr Pauline Foster is equally elated.

“Overjoyed! This is something that I have lobbied hard for in the TMC for over 12 years.

“This will be a great blessing for the people of south Trelawny because instead of a fire engine coming for cooling down operations, it’s actually coming to fight the fire,” Dr Foster said.

The announcement for the station was made by Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie, while speaking in Stettin last week at the handing over ceremony of the first of two houses to persons in Trelawny, under the Government’s Indigent Housing Programme.

Currently firefighters from as far as Falmouth and Christiana, in the neighbouring parish of Manchester, are called upon in the event of any outbreak fire in the yam belt communities of southern Trelawny. Ulster Spring is a distance of 41 kilometres from Falmouth, while Christiana is about 20 kilometres.

“The Government of Prime Minister Andrew Holness is using the taxpayers’ dollar to benefit the people who are paying their taxes. That is why the process will commence in the new financial year, and we will be soliciting the support of the municipal corporation to assist in the technical aspects of it working closely with the Jamaica Fire Brigade,” remarked McKenzie.

He noted that during a recent visit by representatives of the fire brigade and Trelawny Southern MP, Marissa Dalrymple Philibert to the constituency, a suitable location was identified to house the facility.

“I know this part of Trelawny is challenging and in 2016 I indicated our intention to build new fire stations in certain sections. The Jamaica Fire Brigade on a visit with the Member of Parliament for the area, have identified a location in this part of south Trelawny to build a fire station. Because if any fire occur in this area, is either Christiana or Falmouth, which is a good distance away so we have identified, not just in this part of Trelawny, but in at least two other parishes in need of fire stations,” the local government and community development minister explained.

Grant expressed hope that the facility will be centrally located in order to adequately serve all the communities in that section of the parish.

“I hope that it will be somewhere that will be able to reach all areas of south Trelawny in a quick enough time to save lives and properties,” he stressed.