FALMOUTH, Trelawny — Mayor of Falmouth Councillor Colin Gager has moved to allay concerns expressed in some quarters that the historic fountain in Water Square, Falmouth, will be dismantled to make way for a statue of iconic sprinter Usain Bolt.

In fact, he noted that the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) has given their approval for the rehabilitation of the fountain.

Patrick Beckford, a native of the seaside town of Falmouth, who now resides overseas, in a letter to the editor, blasted the Trelawny Municipal Corporation (TMC) and the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) for what he said are plans to remove the fountain to facilitate the statue of the legendary sprinter, who hails from Sherwood Content in Trelawny.

“As a born Falmouthian who though residing in the Diaspora I was informed that the municipal council [corporation] in conjunction with the Urban Development Corporation has decided to place the statue of track legend and son of the parish above the historic ‘Water Square’, changing the look and history of the famous square, disregarding the history,” Beckford stated in his correspondence to the editor.

“It was originally built, as many may not know, to store water from the Martha Brae river, accommodating for the number of ships back in the days that were using the [Falmouth] harbour and to supply the townfolks with water. This later enabled the town to have running water in homes, as we know famously before even Manhattan, New York.

“I am cognisant of the history of Usain and the desire to honour him, I and others do support this, but not at the expense of disregarding our history. Some [people] around are trying to make this personal; in my opinion, such a statement is dumb as we are all proud of his accomplishments and the showcasing of Jamaica’s athletic prowess of Jamaica during his reign.”

Yesterday, Gager stressed that a redesigned fountain and the statue will coexist in the square.

“I have been getting a lot of calls from people who are saying that we are moving the fountain from Water Square. We are not removing the fountain. We are going to totally rehabilitate the fountain, it will not be what it looks like out there now,” he contended.

He explained that one condition of the JNHT’s approval is that whatever historical elements of the fountain are taken down for the rehabilitation exercise should be kept in a safe place.

“So really you wouldn’t have the fountain like the traditional fountain out there. There will be water spouting out of inlets. And then in the middle of it is a totally different design, but water will be spouting out,” he explained.

The erection of Bolt’s statue has been long-awaited in Trelawny.

Earlier this year, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange announced that a statue of the legendary sprinter is ready to be erected in his native parish of Trelawny and will be done by the end of this year.

“When we say Trelawny today we think immediately of Dr the Honourable Usain Bolt, who hails from the quiet district of Sherwood Content and who has placed Jamaica on the world stage in a way unlike any other. It is my pleasure to say to you that his statue is ready to be erected here in the town [of Falmouth] before the end of December [2021],” Grange said.

She added: “I know the new Member of Parliament [Tova Hamilton] must be beaming because this is a gift to your constituency and to the parish of Trelawny. And we must thank the Mayor [of Falmouth Colin Gager] for the work that he has done with me to make sure this is happening.”

Bolt OJ, CD, who turns 35 next month, is said to be the greatest sprinter of all time. He holds world records in the 100m and 200m as well as the 4 x 100m relay.

The Trelawny native has eight Olympic gold medals and 11 World Championships gold medals.