MONTEGO BAY, St James — Uncertainty surrounds the future of the Old Hospital Park in the resort city of Montego Bay following the revelation that the St James Municipal Corporation is seeking to rid itself of the ‘burden’ of maintaining the facility, which has been closed for more than two years.

Chairman of the corporation and mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Leeroy Williams, told the Jamaica Observer West that the park has been a financial burden on that local authority.

“…it has been a burden on the corporation, nothing is happening there, that’s the Old Hospital Park, we’re not making any money,” he stressed.

Created at a cost of $45 million, the facility, located on a section of the Jimmy Cliff Boulevard, was officially opened in June 2011 by Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett amidst much pomp and pageantry.

At that time, the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF)-financed park was touted as having added a new dimension to the city’s tourism product, as well as the physical and aesthetical beauty of the resort city.

The project was undertaken by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) while the then St James Parish Council, now St James Municipal Corporation, was tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the maintenance of the green space.

But Williams stressed in a recent interview with the Observer West that the park, which boasts gazebos, sanitary conveniences, an information centre, seating among other amenities, is still being maintained by the corporation despite its closure.

“We have to be maintaining it and there is no income and then it was worse during the COVID time,” said Williams, referring to the novel coronavirus pandemic which negatively impacted a variety of businesses including recreational facilities.

Prior to its closure, the park has been one of the key spots for locals and visitors to the city to relax and chill for just a nominal fee.

While the corporation was not expected to make a profit from the venture, it was anticipated that the revenues generated could contribute significantly towards offsetting the maintenance costs.

A seemingly disappointed Williams told the Observer West that one of the considerations of the corporation is to relinquish control of the facility to the UDC.

“We’re probably thinking of possibly handing it back to the UDC; there is also consideration being given to a private individual who has expressed an interest in taking over the affairs of the facility,” he said.

“Someone has expressed an interest in it and says that they will maintain it and so on and so we’ll be in discussion with that person.”

It is believed that the space has been negatively impacted by the recently opened $1.3-billion, world-class Harmony Beach Park — located in close proximity to the Old Hospital Park — which has caught the attention of locals and visitors, with its array of amenities and offerings.

However, Mayor Williams disagrees.

“It [insufficient revenue] was happening before Harmony Beach [Park],” he was quick to point out, explaining that the Old Hospital Park needed “a bit more” to generate adequate income.

“The Old Hospital Park, you need to have some form of entertainment going there where you can make some money from it, at least to help maintain the place,” he remarked.

He notes that the corporation still carries out some level of maintenance such as cutting the grass at the facility while also maintaining a skeleton staff at the space.

It is not clear how much the municipal corporation has been spending to maintain the facility since its closure, but an official at the local authority said it was costing the entity roughly $12 million per annum for maintenance, before the closure.