Caribbean Cement Company Limited and Jamaica Pre-Mix Concrete Limited have collaborated on a National Labour Day project to clean external areas of three parks in Kingston and St. Andrew. The Nelson Mandela Park, in Half-Way Tree; St. William Grant’s Park located in downtown, Kingston, and the park located in Papine Square, St. Andrew were the focus of cleaning crews on Sunday, May 24.
“This exercise is in keeping with our company’s focus on health and safety and we identified this period when the trucks would be available, to conduct this National Labour Day initiative. We are happy to collaborate with Jamaica Pre-Mix and the National Labour Day Committee in this project to sanitise high trafficked areas major hubs of the city,” said Yago Castro, General Manager of Carib Cement.
A total area of 12,190m2 was sanitised using three concrete mixer trucks and work crew at each site. Diverted from their usual use of mixing concrete, the trucks contained cleaning mixture which was used to wash down the sidewalks and areas closest to the external sections of the parks.
“Cleaning all public spaces should be routine and frequent, and we know that public health is a priority of the government and has really taken a toll on the public purse, so we just wanted to help. By converting the use of our cement trucks, we have helped expedite the cleaning process,” said John Valentine, Managing Director of Jamaica Pre-Mix.
The Honourable Oliva Grange, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sports, and Chair of the National Labour Day Committee has described the project as timely and welcomed.
“While the public is encouraged to be at home, we are using the opportunity to do projects that involve small numbers of persons, to ensure that we can also keep our environment clean. Carib Cement and Jamaica Pre-Mix have come onboard and offered to help us to sanitise the streets around Mandela Park, St William Grant Park, and the Papine area; and I think it’s an excellent move and we really appreciate this offer from these two companies that have been like two institutions in Jamaica,” Minister Grange said.
The Mayor of Kingston, His Worship Senator Councillor, Delroy Williams said sanitisation of public spaces was a priority.
“Municipalities across the country have been grappling with the cleansing of high-trafficked public spaces. Over the years we have become committed to it and it’s good to see that a lot more entities are sharing a similar view that we need to maintain and keep clean these high-trafficked public spaces; and for us it sends the right signal.”
Following the clean-up exercise, frequent users of the parks said they noticed the difference: “From the minute I arrived at the park, I could see and smell the difference. Everything looks cleaner and brighter,” said Ryan Robinson who was sitting in the Papine Park.
In Half Way Tree, Elsa Taitt, vendor, with a stall against one of the walls of the Nelson Mandela Park said: “So many times the place is messy, so it is good to see it look clean and smell good. People will feel better to stop and buy.”
Similarly, Aaron Allen, a vendor located across from St. William’s Grant Park downtown said: “Cleaning up the place is so important because they use the corners as a toilet area, this needs to really stop. The place looks different and smell much better.”
The project was executed between 6am and 9am with the support of the National Labour Day Committee, the Jamaica Constabulary Force, Kingston & St Andrew Municipal Corporation and Fitzroy Beckford Cleaning Company.
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