ROSE HALL, St James — Justice Minister Delroy Chuck says he is in full support of calls by the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI) and the Cornwall Bar Association (CBA) to utilise the area occupied by the St James Parish Library to construct the long-anticipated Western Justice Complex.

“I am in support of what the chamber of commerce is saying, but nothing is signed off on as yet,” Chuck told the Jamaica Observer last Wednesday.

At the MBCCI’s most recent annual general meeting one of its former presidents, Gloria Henry, suggested that land owned by the Jamaica Library Service and currently houses the St James Parish Library could be utilised to create the new justice complex. The land in question is adjacent to the St James Parish Court.

“I think that all those lands at the library, it is an ideal location, I said it before and I am saying it categorically…,” said Henry. “It is not that I am against the library but we need to upgrade… Most people are not using that facility anymore and I think that we should build a proper justice centre down there, including the old courthouse, refurbish and use that whole area as justice square and set aside a nice area for the library.”

Henry is also president of the Global Services Association of Jamaica; and employed by the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ) as assistant vice-president of operations and customer relations at the Montego Bay Free Zone.

Attorney-at-law and MBCCI director Paulette Neil said the Cornwall Bar Association has also been giving the issue some thought.

“It is something that we have discussed from time to time and we are in agreement with Gloria’s position. So, I am proposing that we can partner with the Cornwall Bar Association in advocating for the Megre Bay Road area to be utilised as the justice centre,” said Neil.

In making her case, Henry spoke of the challenges faced by members of the business community and others who have had to travel to Kingston to utilise the services of the Supreme Court because of the limitations of the St James Parish Court.

Henry is convinced that even though the court and the library fall under two separate arms of the Government, efforts to make the library lands available should not be difficult.

“We are one Government and when it suits us we are one Government,” stated Henry.

The Jamaica Library Service is an agency of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information and the Ministry of Justice and the Court Management Services (CMS) are responsible for the administration of the justice system.

Chuck said he has had discussions with people in Montego Bay who think that the Megre Bay Road area is an ideal location.

“If it is something where there is general consensus on that location, then I will approach the Jamaica Library Service and the Government to see if we could develop the courthouse there, which would mean not getting rid of the library but having an appropriate replacement for the service that library now provides,” he stated.

He noted that the current courthouse and the adjoining Montego Bay #1 Post Office buildings would remain. In fact, Chuck said the library could continue its service on a section of the building.

“In the interim, we might be able to fix up part of that post office so that the library could continue while we rebuild and reconfigure that area,” he said.

In February 2017, Chuck disclosed that efforts were being made to identify suitable lands to construct the complex. However, after looking at more than two properties including a National Water Commission-owned property located on Lower Bevin Ave, Montego Bay, the ministry was unable to find a suitable location.

The delay has led to money earmarked for the project being utilised elsewhere.

This time around, Chuck is hoping to get the project done through a public-private partnership.

“If that site is proposed, then the Jamaica Development Bank and myself and the Ministry of Justice working closely [can] put together public/private sector partnership to build out the parish courts, about five of them of which St James will be one,” stated Chuck.

“I am hoping that the chamber of commerce, if we get that site, can urge a couple of their members to participate in this public-private sector partnership,” the minister added.

This is not the first time that there have been suggestions to relocate the library.

In April, Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett said the St James Parish Court and the St James Parish Library would be relocated from Megre Bay Road to facilitate the creation of a “gastronomic delight” — a place where visitors and locals will be exposed to the best of local cuisine.