OCHO RIOS, St Ann — Mayor of St Ann’s Bay Michael Belnavis is determined to rid the streets of Ocho Rios of homeless out-of-towners, vendors, and unruly cabbies. He said plans are being made to restore the resort town to its former glory.

“I’ve realised that the mentally ill and homeless people in the town appear to be dropped off because they are all strange faces –– and some you even see with their suitcase. We will be working with the health department to medicate them and take them to the drop-in centre where they can get three meals a day, medication, showers and spiritual upliftment. They have a history to attack and hurt people so that is something we need to deal with,” said Belnavis.

“We were the number one resort town some years ago so we will be working 100 per cent to have Ochi being a great resort town again,” he added. “We moving with a new initiative; this initiative will be a resetting of Ocho Rios because the state at which it is in now is unacceptable.”

Belnavis, who was speaking during last Thursday’s monthly sitting of the St Ann Municipal Corporation, also has his sights set on tackling other persistent problems that have plagued the town for years.

“The streets are congested and chaotic so the vendors will be removed from the streets and taken back into the market because there is a lot of space in there,” he vowed.

He said the police’s help will be enlisted to “reset” operations in the market, which has become a haven for criminals.

“We will be shifting up the market some because the set-up, as it was, encouraged anti-social behaviour. There have been occurrences of murders and stabbing in the market, which is pushing people away because if people see those things happening they will be scared to go in and therefore the vendors will be affected significantly,” reasoned Belnavis.

In addition to unregulated street vending, public passenger vehicles operating outside of the designated area have also contributed to congestion in the town, and the mayor also has a plan to address that issue.

“We will be meeting with the Transport Authority to see how we can get them to control the traffic, especially the taxi men. We will have them use the transportation centre so that there can be less confusion. They are not supposed to be on the road seeking passengers; they are working contrary to what is on their licence,” noted Belnavis.

He stressed that the municipal corporation will need to partner with other organisations on the initiative and he therefore urged them to come on board.

“We will need the continuous support from the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and other entities, to maintain order in the town. This has to be a multi-agency approach so we are asking them to work with us to make this possible,” Belnavis appealed.

The revamped and well-laid out Pineapple Craft Market, a cultural and creative hub in the heart of Ocho Rios, will fit nicely into plans by Mayor of St Ann’s Bay Michael Belnavis to reset the resort town.