Dear Editor,

One leg of the new highway out east was opened to great fanfare this week.

A new highway brings new opportunities for economic growth and development. I’d like to propose that Lyssons Beach be redeveloped using the Harmony Beach Park model. Harmony Beach Park is a beautiful public space consisting of a large expanse of well-maintained lawns under mature shady trees, a jogging trail, basketball court, and kiddies play area designed very much like Emancipation Park in Kingston. There are restrooms and drinking water fountains.

Access to the beach and park is open to anyone who wants to enter and is totally free of charge. Parking is available at a cost. There are changing rooms and you can rent beach chairs if you wish.

I’ve visited Harmony Beach Park with my family. We had a great time! We were able to bring our own igloo in, and we patronised one of the several well-laid out-and-operated food kiosks in the park. Food for purchase was priced quite reasonably, and many visitors to the park were seen patronising these food kiosks. There were those who brought their own picnic too. We all coexisted peaceably.

The many well-lined garbage bins were strategically placed and that’s where the garbage was. No one was playing loud music. No one was smoking in the public spaces. Children and adults alike enjoyed the water and shared the coveted shady spots available that day. The lifeguard on duty was instrumental in establishing and maintaining order. He used his whistle when play threatened to turn into horseplay and ensured that we all followed the rules, which were clearly displayed upon entry to the park.

When the highway from Kingston to St Thomas is finished, getting to Lyssons will be quick and easy. The Lyssons property has acres of flat, grassy grounds and mature trees as well as exquisite beach frontage. This space should be developed for the people! Imagine the boost to the local economy there. It would be the perfect complement to the type of tourism product I hope is being pushed in this oft-forgotten parish: a more boutique-type, community-based product.

Locals and visitors would enjoy this jewel, the Lyssons Beach Park, in the same way Emancipation Park and Harmony Beach Park are enjoyed. Picture it: large expanses of well-maintained lawns under the mature trees already there, orderly food kiosks run by local entrepreneurs, families allowed to bring their own picnics, benches, changing rooms, and the beautiful beach, accessible by all, free of charge. Why not? Implementing this model in St Thomas must include the components of clearly stated rules which are then consistently enforced. It’s as simple as that!

We can have nice things, Jamaica. Clean, safe beaches on our island ought not to be the purview of solely those with money. And “accessible by all” does not have to mean that the space will be characterised by disorder, noise, and nastiness. We have the evidence already! We just need these nice things to be run with clear, fair rules which are enforced respectfully and consistently.

Let’s get this done at Lyssons, St Thomas, too. I can’t wait!

Kelly McIntosh

kkmac218@gmail.com