St. Thomas residents calling for Government’s assistance

SOME residents of Porey Spring, St. Thomas are appealing to Government to intervene to prevent a structure, which will be used to retail snacks, from being demolished.
Speaking to the media at the popular spring yesterday, residents explained that the small structure was erected by entrepreneur, Mr. Mayers-Belle. He intends to use it as the location where he will sell fish cakes, snacks, fish, chicken and drinks to locals and tourists who frequently visit the spring. It was said, he was told by the Town and Country Planning Department that the structure will have to be “pulled down”.
Giving more details, Alliance Party for Progress (APP) representative and former resident of the St. Thomas location, Patsie Nurse, said she visited the Department to have a better understanding as to why he was told this and to learn how he could go about keeping the structure up. She stated she was told two options were the next steps.
“I went to the Town and Country Planning and asked what he can do about it and they told me that they can push it down or they can carry in a letter to the Town and Country Planning for permission not to push down the structure but they say also, even although they sent in the application, they can still push it down.”
She continued, “This is why I called the media where they can come in and help, so that the minister who is responsible for entrepreneurs [could] come into Porey Spring and see what the young people are doing to keep themselves out of trouble.”
Nurse further stated that residents were unsure who is the current owner of the land. Also, they didn’t “have title for the land because [they] don’t know who own it”. She however pointed out it was the residents from the area who daily cut the grass, beautified and kept the surroundings of the spring in pristine condition. One resident, Victor Waithe, who is better known as “Bang”, said he has been beautifying the area “for over 30 years” as well as “to the top of Spring Farm”. He stated he felt unhappy that the entrepreneur was being asked to remove the structure.
“To be truthful, I don’t feel good about it because you ain’t doing nothing and you are looking for something and still people looking to stop you. I don’t feel good about that there because this world is big enough for everyone to live, but selfish people does make it look small.” He too asked those in authority to visit the area, see the structure and see how best they could assist.
“I would be truly grateful if authorities [or] those in high positions, if they can really assist and help us because nothing wrong don’t go on around here so and it is good to see that.”
(MG)