MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Vendors eager to return to their livelihood in the Melrose Yam Park will have to wait at least another month for the completion of rehabilitation work on the facility which was closed by the health department two months ago.

Chief executive officer at the Manchester Municipal Corporation, Winston Palmer made the announcement of the timeline at last Thursday’s sitting of the corporation.

“In terms of expectation, we are looking to see the facility open between three to four weeks. We don’t want to be too overly optimistic but what we could do [is] an interim inspection, between us and the health department, so we see exactly where we stand in respect to that,” said Palmer.

“We [would] also do a tally on those operators who have gone in and applied for their food handler’s permit and their enterprise licenses, so we can start with that and then push it from there,” he added.

Mayor of Mandeville Donovan Mitchell immediately sought clarity on the timeline for the rehabilitation to be completed.

“Am I to understand that at the next council meeting in November, that will be four weeks’ time, it would be safe to say to the public that the Melrose Yam Park is open for business, bearing in mind that all the things that need to be met will be met, so that the persons who are going to be operating from there are comfortable, and that the health of the public is safeguarded?” Mitchell inquired.

“People are suffering. We are in the pandemic. These are persons [vendors] who have their children to go to school. They have their families to be fed,” added Mitchell.

Vendors had protested following the August 16 closure of the facility and have threatened to protest again if their concerns are not addressed swiftly to have the facility reopened.

Chief public health inspector, Chairman Palmer-Cross outlined that following a meeting with the stakeholders, including the vendors and municipal officials, then a re-inspection would be done once the changes have been made.

“We made a commitment that once the critical things [are] taken care of, then for some of the non-critical things we can work with you as we go along…. In terms of the sanitation practices and the food handler’s permit and some of those [requirements], that is where we will be going into training to ensure that the operators conform, going forward, and understand some of the things that we require of them,” said Palmer-Cross.

A suggestion from minority leader Cleon Francis (Knockpatrick Division, Jamaica Labour Party) that the health department and municipal officials tour the yam park to fast-track the renovation was accepted by Mitchell.

He instructed that representatives from the municipality meet with the health department for the tour of the facility shortly.

At the same time, Palmer warned that the corporation will take action against unsanitary vendors to keep the facility operational when it is reopened.

“They also have a responsibility. If you have 10, 15 [or] 20 vendors and one of the shops operated by a stall vendor has gone out of line, we have the padlocks to lock them to prevent a problem with the entire facility and the other vendors who conform,” declared Palmer.