KINGSTON, Jamaica — Mayor of Kingston and St Andrew and Councillor for the Vineyard Town Division, Andrew Swaby, says he will demand an audit and update from the Jamaica Public Service (JPS) regarding the functionality of streetlights along the main thoroughfares to the city.

Swaby was speaking at his pre- labour day project in Nannyville Gardens on Sunday.

The mayor noted that he is scheduled to meet with members of the JPS on May 27.

“I’ll also be speaking with them about the general street lights in terms of maintenance of our streetlights. I think it is supposed to take 14 working days when you report a streetlight for it to be fixed and they are not keeping that,” Swaby said.

He continued, “I intend to raise with them also an audit, I had pushed for an audit when I was on the minority side at least twice a year and I am still on that to do an audit.”

“Another thing that I want to raise with them is that on the main thoroughfares to the city, I am talking about the Palisadoes Road, I’m talking about the Sir Florizel Glasspole Boulevard, I’m talking about Michael Manley highway, I’m talking about Marcus Garvey Drive, I’m talking about Washington Boulevard. These are issues that I have raised for the last four years in the council about the gateway to the city, plenty lights are not working,” the mayor stated.

“I think the last quote I did was over 80-odd lights not working on Sir Florizel Glasspole Boulevard, only on that one, are not working. I was told that those were under auspices of the UDC (Urban Development Corporation), now I’ve seen something in the paper, sometime last year, that those have been handover to JPS, I am going to demand from the JPS what is the plan to have these lights fixed,” he said.

At the same time, Swaby expressed disappointment in regards to garbage and cut down trees left behind due to hurricane preparation activities undertaken by the JPS recently in the area.

“I believe that JPS in anticipation for the hurricane season, that they are cutting down some trees and I commend them for that. What I can’t commend them for is that having cut down the trees three weeks in Nannyville Gardens and other communities, they have not yet come and clean it so I have to be cleaning up some of their own garbage,” he said.

The councillor said cleaning up activities in Nannyville Gardens are a part of his commitment to get Kingston clean.

“Too many dumping taking place. Persons who are building their house, who can afford to build their house, come and throw their rubbles right on Mountain View Avenue. This is embarrassing. It doesn’t go well for the community or for the Mountain View Avenue. Matter of fact, you have a no dumping sign right there and persons are still dumping things there. I’m encouraging residents to make sure that they bag their garbage, the garbage truck comes once a week, and put it out.

“We are also creating additional parking because there is limited parking in Nannyville Gardens so we’re using some of the dump sites to create parking for persons,” Swaby said.