Doritt Bent was lauded for 24 years of service to the Spaldings Citizens Association, Clarendon.

ST. JAMES:

Seven residents of the parish of St. James were last Monday presented with the prestigious Sam Sharpe Award of Excellence, for outstanding contribution to their communities in various fields.

The presentations were made at the National Heroes Day civic ceremony, which was held in Sam Sharpe Square, Montego Bay.

The awardees were Cynthia Grant-Brown and Mabel Hartey for education; Dorrette Grant and Edna Mitchell for health; Irving Ford for community service; Brent Maxwell for culture; and Bruce Gaynor for sports.

Elizabeth-Ann Hall and Gladston Clifton Lawrence were given special post-humous awards for meritorious service in community development.

Custos of St. James, Clarence Nelson, made the presentations at the function, which was organised by the St. James Parish Council in collaboration with the Jamaica Cultural Development Commission under the Heritage Week theme: 'Respect for our heritage. Commitment to our nation'.

The function also featured salutes to the seven National Heroes, including citations and floral tributes, followed by performances from uniformed groups and marching bands.

- JIS

Beautification for tourist towns

Montego Bay, St. James:

A six-week beautification and public-education programme, estimated to cost $40 million and targeting the island's tourist resort areas, will be launched next week.

Minister of Tourism, Edmund Bartlett, who announced the programme in Montego Bay recently, following a meeting with stakeholders in the tourist industry, said the initiative would be financed through the Tourism Enhancement Fund and private sector support.

According to the Tourism Minister, the programme will involve improving the physical outlook of the resort areas, and sensitising Jamaicans about the value of tourism, its significance in terms of the enrichment of the country, and the impact it has on every facet of the society.

He said it was important that the money earned from tourism penetrate the society, so that people will embrace the industry.

President of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Pauline Reid, in the meantime, pledged her organisation's full support and commitment to the programme.

The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association also pledged support for the initiative, which is scheduled to be officially launched on October 26, in St. Ann.

- JIS

School gets water tank

Walderston, Manchester:

Because of recent copious showers, there has been water everywhere in north east Manchester, but not a drop to drink in several schools; until the Rotary Club of Christiana quenched the need by providing 10 800-gallon potable water tanks to the basic schools across the parish.

On Wednesday, executive members of the Rotary Club donated the first of the tanks during a presentation ceremony held at the Lillian McDaniel Educational Complex in Walderston, where the Contrivance Early Childhood Institution (basic School) is located.

Among those present at the function were club secretary, Ron Hamilton; president, Lloyd Swaby; manager of the complex, Leroy 'Lizzie' Mitchell, who is also the sitting councillor for the Walderston area; president of the Citizens' Association, Raymond Robinson; students; parents and their teacher, Brenda Griffiths; and representative of the print and electronic media.

Other schools scheduled to receive similar presentations include Holmwood Technical High School, Chudleigh, Chudleigh Path, Struan, Cheapside, Chantilly, and High Gate basic schools.

- Byron McDaniel

Water rehabilitation under way

SPANISH TOWN, ST. CATHERINE:

The National Water Commission is replacing pipelines in sections of Spanish Town, including King and Adelaide streets.

The improvement work is part of the Kingston Metropolitan Area Water Supply Rehabilitation Project.

Corporate communications manager, Charles Buchanan, explained that the pipeline replacement would result in the interruption of the regular water supply to customers in those areas.

As such, the communications manager is asking all customers in the affected areas to be understanding of the difficulty which will be experienced and to store water during the periods of interruption.

Mr. Buchanan explained that the objective of the water supply rehabilitation project, which is funded by the Government of Jamaica and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, was to provide improved service to all the customers within the project area, which covers sections of greater Spanish Town, south-east St. Catherine and the southern sections of Kingston.

- JIS

Sydney Pagon to get Cuban aid

ST. ELIZABETH:

The Sydney Pagon Agricultural High School, in north-east St Elizabeth, will soon benefit from technical assistance from the Government of Cuba.

This was disclosed by Cuban Ambassador to Jamaica, Gisela Garcia Rivera, during a tour of the agricultural institution in St. Elizabeth, along with Member of Parliament for the constituency, Kern Spencer.

Mrs. Garcia Rivera, at a meeting with the principal and the school board chairman at the institution, said the Government of Cuba would be exploring ways to improve technical assistance to the agricultural institution in the areas of greenhouse, tissue development and machinery.

She said the Cuban Government had, over the years, developed a number of technological and innovative ways in agriculture development, which could benefit the school.

- Neville Paul

Veteran social worker lauded

SPALDINGS, CLARENDON:

Dozens of persons braved heavy rains on Thursday, to show their love and appreciation for 24 years of work contributed to the Mount Olivet Circuit of United Churches in Clarendon and Manchester, and especially to the Spaldings United Church, by well-known hardworking, Spaldings social worker and United Church member, Doritt Bent, at an appreciation function.

Bent, who was instrumental in the formation of the Spaldings Citizens Association and who has done much to assist with improvement work at the Percy Junor Hospital, especially with the construction of a helicopter landing pad at that health facility, was showered with praise by almost everyone who was in attendance at the function.

The active churchwoman and justice of the peace was hailed by current Spaldings Citizens Association president, Doreen Evans, as a woman who has a vision of what a community should be like, as she was instrumental in having that body set up in that small rural community.

- George Henry