LUCEA, Hanover — Dr Carey Wallace, executive director of the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), says while he is in agreement with the Hanover Municipal Corporation (HMC) that more money could be spent in the parish, the corporation should do its job before pointing the finger.

During last Thursday’s monthly general meeting of the HMC, there was a call for more TEF funds to be spent on the development of the parish which has contributed tremendously to the development of the tourism industry.

The urging came from Councillor Marvell Sewell (People’s National Party, Green Island Division) and HMC chairman, Mayor Sheridan Samuels.

“I do agree that that section of Jamaica deserves to have more support. The problem is, we work with our implementation agencies, which are mostly municipal corporations. And so, I’m pointing the finger right back at the Hanover Municipal Corporation to say, ‘How many submissions have you made for developmental programme for tourism in your municipal corporation,’ and compare it to the St James Municipal Corporation, Trelawny Municipal Corporation [and] the St Ann Municipal Corporation,” Wallace told the Jamaica Observer in response to the concerns of the HMC.

“When those technical works are done by the municipal corporations, the Hanover Municipal Corporation and the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation send nothing to us and there’s no technical work done,” Wallace added.

Last Thursday, Sewell suggested that TEF could do more between Round Hill Hotel near the St James border and Azul Hotel near the Westmoreland border.

“My concern is, I don’t see what TEF is doing for this parish because when you look at the elegant corridor in Montego Bay, that was lit by TEF… [but] from Orange Bay to Negril with that $12-million sign is darkness,” stated Sewell.

He was referring to the “Jam-Iconic Experience” sign in Negril which was implemented by Tourism Product Development Company Ltd (TPDCo) and paid for by TEF.

The local government and rural development ministry provided 10 lights for installation on a section of the Orange Bay to Negril road; however, the rest of the heavily used road is in darkness. Sewell wants TEF to assist with lighting.

“If they could finish light from Orange Bay to RIU, Mr Chairman. It does not make any sense you have a $12-million sign in the wilderness,” he said.

Mayor Samuels agreed that the issue, and others, should be raised with TEF.

“I think that we should actually make a request to them, put the proposal forward to them and see how best we can get something from it. Because in a planning meeting we were also discussing the beautiful bus stops from St Ann come right back to St James and those I would believe come from TEF and yet we are not getting any benefit from the funds that were received from TEF. It is just a drop in the bucket that we have been getting from TEF. We can hardly mention the support that we have been getting from TEF,” said the mayor of Lucea.

Samuels also noted that recently grass from the side of the road was cut and left in the same place. It was an indicator, he argued, of the disregard being shown to Hanover.

“It was not cleaned up, they cut it and left it just the same way. So, it is as if we are some stepchild. We are not getting the same treatment like what our brothers and sisters in those other parishes are getting,” the mayor insisted.

However, according to Wallace, it is a challenge to get work done in Negril without the support of the Hanover and Westmoreland corporations.

“When we want work done in the resort town of Negril, we have to be begging for the corporations to do the bill of quantities and to do their jobs as far as producing the requirements for us to submit. It is not about money that we take out of our back pockets and give to people, you know. This is public funds, and we have to do things according to our process,” Wallace argued.

“So, my response to that councillor and to that mayor is to give me a phone call. Why not check out the process and find out what needs to be done when we have been knocking on their doors and they have not been responding. It’s unfair for them to go in public where they are lamenting this problem. One phone call to me could have solved this, so I’m surprised. But the good news is that we want to help to develop the resort town of Negril and environs. We are very, very happy to facilitate but it’s a process [and] we need them to play their role,” Wallace added.