MONTEGO BAY, St James — Montego Bay Mayor Councillor Richard Vernon on Monday assured vendors who make a living at the fire-ravaged grounds of Old Shoe Market that, despite delays, the St James Municipal Corporation is committed to rehabilitating the facility.

“I hear a whole heap of foolishness being said, including how we want to use the space down by the shoe arcade to turn into car park, bus park, give Chinese — all kind of nonsense. I said to you then that it is a space that we want to develop for you and that is still the plan,” he said during a meeting with vendors from across Montego Bay to discuss plans for Christmas vending.

He used the opportunity to address what he said were rumours and innuendos about the fate of the Old Shoe Market. After shops were destroyed by fire in October 2023, the mayor had promised that the structures would be replaced and amenities added to improve the shopping experience.

The plan was to retrofit 70 containers, putting in electricity, running water, cameras, and other necessities. Vernon admitted that his vision had been a challenge to get off the ground.

“We could not find the $150-million at the St James Municipal Corporation by the time we done our calculations, so what I did was that I reached out to central government,” he explained.

That step in the process was time-consuming, and now a different design is being mulled.

“Central government is pushing a different design, a more modern-looking kind of thing,” the mayor told the vendors.

He said the municipal corporation has been working to get things moving.

“I went there about a month ago with UDC [Urban Development Corporation]. When they did the tour, at the end of the tour they said that we now needed to provide them with the boundary information and all of that,” Vernon revealed

“At the end of the walk, when they requested that, we decided we are going to move forward with the UDC to work towards a proper solution for the area,” he said.

He conceded that the project had taken a lot longer than he would have liked but stressed that he is still committed to seeing it through.

“I’m telling you the truth, it is taking me longer than I expected. I am trying to identify the funding, we putting the things together, working closely with UDC, and I have to update you every step of the way as to what is happening,” he said.

“In the meantime, while we take the time to put all of this together for you, I have no issues with you setting up a tent to operate. We don’t really like the tarpaulin kind of look [as] it looks tacky in the town,” said the mayor.

To ensure that the facility operates effectively while he pursues the long-term plan, he appealed to vendors to follow the rules regarding the use of electricity. Old Shoe Market, and others like it across the country, have long been plagued by fires often linked to illegal connections or overcapacity.

“When you want to run one AC unit and five deep freeze[r] on a small wire, burn down the place, and then call saying that, ‘Mr Vernon burn down the place’… no, I will not facilitate those conversations,” Vernon warned.

“When you run the electricity and do not adhere to certain specifications — you run it on a zinc, wrap it around a nail, and send it down a piece a board — and it shorts out and burn down the place, the easiest thing to say is that, ‘They are trying to burn us off because they want to give their friends.’ Foolishness!” he said.

He also urged some vendors who are still selling on the streets to consider relocating to Old Shoe Market.

“If your business has reached a size where it can no longer be facilitated on the street, you need to rent a place, because street vending is for persons who are doing small businesses,” the mayor said.

He assured them that the facility will always be there, as long as he has a say.

“What I want you to understand is that there can be no other plan for that area as long as I am here as mayor of Montego Bay,” he said.