Chang urges limited occupancy of Green Acres Police Station
ST CATHERINE, Jamaica – Deputy Prime minister and Minister of National Security, Dr Horace Chang, is recommending that the Green Acres Police Station in St Catherine be occupied on a limited basis.
Dr Chang’s recommendation comes on the advice of the ministry’s technical team for the implementation of a multi-layered flood mitigation system comprised of a non-porous concrete boundary will keep water from entering the premises, absorption pits to drain surface water and a trapezoid drain to take excess water away from the site.
While the building itself has not been flooded, it remains unoccupied months after construction ended, due to flooding on lands leading to the facility.
In November of last year, Chang defended the decision to build the new Green Acres Police Station, arguing that it was the community, in its desperate need of the facility, that had decided on the greenfield site, which later turned out to be flood-prone.
READ: Chang defends decision to build Green Acres Police Station
On a site visit on Wednesday, March 8, Dr Chang indicated his desire to put the building into operational use at the earliest point.
“This is a finely constructed police station and we will be doing some necessary work to tidy it up for occupancy. When done, we will see our finest police officers here to serve the people in the nearby communities,” Chang said in a release from the ministry on Friday.
“We have heard the cry of the residents who are demanding something be done to fix the problem and we are actively dealing with measures to ensure their request is dealt with,” minister Chang added.
Additionally, in order to prepare for occupancy in the short term, arrangements are being made to undertake minor electrical works, the replacement of windows that have been vandalised and other small improvements to allow for functionality.
Dr Chang previously stated that estimates for drainage aspect of the work will cost approximately $60 million.