FALMOUTH, Trelawny — Mayor of Falmouth and chairman of the Trelawny Municipal Corporation (TMC) C Junior Gager is inviting Dr Wykeham McNeill, the People’s National Party (PNP) standard-bearer for Trelawny Northern, to meet with the municipality to be briefed on plans for the parish.

The invitation was extended after Dr McNeill blasted the TMC for its failure to, among other issues, repair bathrooms that are currently out of commission at Falmouth Market — home of the popular ‘Bend Down’ flea market.

McNeill made the scathing condemnation while addressing Wednesday evening’s PNP rally in Albert Town Square, in the Trelawny Southern constituency where the PNP’s Paul Patmore is seeking to unseat Member of Parliament Marisa Dalrymple -Philibert.

McNeill lamented that whenever it rains the roof of the market leaks and three of the four bathrooms are out of service.

“The other day I went down to the market in Falmouth, and when I was at the market, I buck up a Comrade. I will be honest with you, the Comrade is a good Comrade from South Trelawny, and I sat down and talked to her, and she was bawling. She said, ‘How you can have a market that when it rain, the rain a fall through the roof? How you can have a market that the taxi want [to] leave you outside because you can’t drive inside the market? How you can have a market that have four bathroom stall and three of them not working?’” he told orange-clad supporters.

The former tourism minister pledged that should the PNP win the next general election, due this year, the facility is among those on a list of markets to be brought up to par.

“It is a disgrace, and we need a better market. This is the biggest Bend Down market in Jamaica. It is in the capital of the parish. It is in a historic town, and it is in disgraceful condition, and we are going to fix the market and carry it to the standards that people should have to work in as Jamaicans,” McNeill said.

But speaking with reporters following Thursday’s regular monthly meeting of the TMC, Gager suggested that McNeill was uninformed. He suggested that McNeill seek guidance from the municipal corporation, or from Councillor Garth Wilkinson (People’s National Party, Falmouth Division).

“Mr McNeill needs to come in and sit down and then he will get familiar… or he could ask the councillor. We are aware that there are some issues at the market. Funding has been found,” Gager said.

He said the municipal corporation is now awaiting procurement approval to address issues with the bathrooms and leaking at the market. Additionally, the TMC is working in collaboration with the National Water Commission (NWC) to address some challenges.

“What is hampering the bathroom from flushing as it should is a leak is outside the facility on the works of the National Water Commission. We have made arrangement with [NWC] so that should be resolved soon,” Gager said.

He added that there is no leak at the market and explained why it may appear there is one.

“In terms of how the market was built it was joined together; so when you have a heavy rain the water goes underneath. It is not that it has a leak, as such, but it is at the joining. The procurement is being done for that and that will be done as well,” he said.