ST JAMES, Jamaica – Residents of Parottee in St Elizabeth came out in their numbers on Tuesday to give a facelift to Prosperity Park, which was the parish project for Labour Day 2023.

More than a dozen trees were planted at the site in keeping with the theme of the day, ‘Plant a Tree for Life – Promoting Climate Change Mitigation, Food Security and Road Safety’.

The grounds were also debushed, refenced, structures repainted, cleared of garbage and other debris, among other works.

Newly appointed Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining and Member of Parliament for St Elizabeth South Western Floyd Green, who participated in the day’s activities, said the planting of trees is a way of mitigating adverse weather due to climate change, which has made the parish more prone to droughts as well as intense rainfalls.

“So, we partnered with the citizens and decided to not only do a full facelift at Prosperity Park but also plant some new trees and to signal a rebirth of this green space here in Parottee,” he noted.

“We have also been focusing on road safety in the area, so we have been doing over our pedestrian crossings, especially those that lead to schools. So, I am very pleased with the support thus far,” he added.

For his part, Mayor of Black River, Councillor Derrick Sangster, said that Prosperity Park, which is owned by the St Elizabeth Municipal Corporation, is being refurbished to return the facility to its pre-pandemic state where it was a site for local events.

He said there are also plans to set up a craft shop and provide the necessary amenities to make the park a destination stop for tourists.

The Labour Day project received support from the St Elizabeth Police Division, Social Development Commission, Parottee Community Development Committee, Parottee Citizens Association, St Elizabeth arm of the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission, SPM Waste Management Limited and others.

-JIS