RESIDENTS of St Thomas are now singing praises to the Government for development projects they say have already started to have a positive impact on businesses and livelihoods in what was once described as “the forgotten parish”

Once plagued by deplorable road infrastructure, the parish is undergoing a makeover with roads widened and repaved. A four-lane highway — from Harbour View in Kingston to Yallahs in St Thomas — was opened in February under the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP).

“It’s a good thing that is going on in the parish. I love to know that we are now moving from one stage to a next. If we would really speak the truth, it’s way different from back then so I really like what is happening. It just needs more time. We have to just wait and see it transform,” Hyacinth Blake, a resident of Lyssons, St Thomas, told the Jamaica Observer last Thursday.

She added that with the new developments the parish can be positioned to become a tourist hot spot, treating foreigners to the authentic Jamaican experience.

“When the tourists come, all of them can’t go into Ochi and those places; they need some quiet place. We have the Bath Fountain they can go, we have beaches, we can cook good country food and give them. You have plenty of us here in the countryside too who can use our fingers and bake, we can cook, we can give them the real Jamaican food,” she said.

The Ministry of Tourism has committed to making the parish a tourist destination. In March this year, portfolio minister Edmund Bartlett disclosed that the TUI Group has confirmed that it is exploring expanding its footprint in Jamaica and is showing signs of interest regarding investing in St Thomas.

The TUI Group fully or partially owns several travel agencies, hotel chains, cruise lines and retail shops, as well as five European airlines.

Additionally, during a destination assurance tour of the parish last year, Bartlett said he is looking to restore the glory days of the community of Bath, which is home to Bath Fountain — a mineral spa with natural healing properties.

Businesses in the parish have also welcomed the development, sharing that the new highway has increased traffic.

The owner of Double Scoops restaurant and ice cream shop in Albion, who identified himself as Wonder oh Canada, said that he opened his restaurant seven years ago and has seen significant improvement since the construction of the new highway.

“Business has been good but with the new road we can definitely see the improvement. We have definitely seen an increase in traffic. Outside is filled with traffic and people are still coming in — and this is an everyday thing,” he said, pointing to the crowd of patrons in the restaurant and others making their way inside the building.

“It’s not just a weekend thing anymore; it’s very busy and we’re off the highway so it’s easy access,” he added.

Another restaurant owner, who wished not to be named, said the development is the “the greatest thing since sliced bread. It is good for business and the parish is actually developing. The forgotten parish is now on the forefront of development”.

The new highway has also made it easier for residents and those visiting to travel from St Thomas to Kingston.

“I am attending the University of Technology [Jamaica] so transportation is faster, easier, and better for me. As a child growing up, certain establishments that we didn’t have are coming. We haven’t seen them open yet but it’s a promise, and with the urban centre building, that’s good,” said Romar Jackson, a resident of Morant Bay.

The Morant Bay Urban Centre project is set to be completed by September. It will host a new St Thomas Municipal Corporation building, the parish’s first-ever Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) restaurant, a National Commercial Bank building, the St Thomas Parish Court, a call centre, and a Hi-Lo supermarket.

Another resident in Albion, who gave her name only as Ms Lynch, said the investment the Government is making in the parish is “a good idea”.

“As persons often say, St Thomas is the forgotten parish but now I see we are on the map with the development happening here so it’s a good thing for us,” said Lynch.

“Businesses will be greatly benefited from, especially, the highway because you have persons coming here now. A lot of businesses are also opening because of the road so we will have new businesses here — so now persons, instead of going into Kingston for everything, can stay in St Thomas,” she added.