PORT MARIA, St. Mary:
A 30-MONTH battle between the Parish Council Services Commission and the St. Mary Parish Council over the appointment of Earle Dawkins as superintendent of Roads and Works, ended last Thursday.
During the monthly Council meeting, Councillors took the decision that Mr. Dawkins be accepted as the superintendent of Roads and Works for the parish.
The Commission had been adamant that Mr. Dawkins be installed as superintendent, despite the Council's decision to accept someone else who they said has management and control qualities. The Council had said that a "right choice" had to be made because of non-performance by past superintendents.
Mayor Fitz Nicholson was firm in his stance that whoever was sent to take up the position should now be accepted. He had yielded to the Commission's decision to employ Mr. Dawkins, he told councillors, and has decided to accept him as the Council's superintendent.
During the stand-off, the Council experienced a backlog of work in the Roads and Works Department due to the absence of a superintendent. Assistance was given by regional engineer Mark Henry and director of planning Kerry Chambers, but that was inadequate to clear the accumulation of work. The superintendent is expected to take up his position shortly.
At the meeting, Chief Public Health Inspector, Anthony Robins, reported that work has started on the malfunctioning sewage treatment plant at the Annotto Bay Hospital.
Since 1996, untreated sewage from the hospital has been released on lands adjacent to the entrance of the hospital, and has also threatened to flood the National Water Commission portable water pipeline nearby.
The Health Department warned hospital authorities in January that the institution would be closed for breaching the Public Health Act if the plant was not completed in the first quarter of this year. The announcement that new pits were to be installed received a round of applause from councillors. The work to be done will also be a relief to residents who live near the plant as they have been putting up with the unpleasant odour for several years.
