Berger Paints answers UDC call to brighten Ocho Rios - JHTA revitalises hospital

Berger Paints responded to a request from the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) by providing dozens of gallons of road-marking paint as the corporation spearheaded a sprucing-up of Main Street in Ocho Rios on Labour Day.

“Berger made a donation of paints towards this event, so we’re grateful for that. We reached out to various companies to provide support, whether cash or in kind, and Berger did provide their support in kind with the paints,” said Dena Chatrie, director of subsidiary management and revenue generation at the St Ann Development Company (SADCo).

Approximately 30 employees from several UDC subsidiaries in St Ann, including the Ocho Rios Commercial Centre, SADCo, Dunn’s River, and others, turned out to paint pedestrian crossings, kerb walls, and sidewalks.

With Mongoose Restaurant and Lounge, Moon Palace Resort, and members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) also lending support, the resort town received a refresh along the main thoroughfare from Island Village up to the town centre.

Sherlock Glenister, UDC’s deputy general manager with responsibility for subsidiary management and revenue generation, under whose portfolio SADCo falls, said the main street was divided into sections, with the UDC, Moon Palace, and Mongoose Restaurant and Lounge responsible for specific areas.

“The UDC would have also provided plants for landscaping; the fire brigade would have washed the sidewalks yesterday, and, of course, we got some donations from Berger, so we’re very thankful,” Glenister said.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Christopher Faulkner, who is in charge of Zone Two, was among a team of 10 JCF members specifically assigned to Labour Day activities in Ocho Rios.

“We see it as important, our partnership, because the job of policing is so great we need partners and we are partnering with the citizens of Ocho Rios, the various business communities, and we are assisting in beautifying Ocho Rios for our residents, our visitors, for everyone,” Faulkner said.

Faulkner took time to paint a section of a kerb wall and stressed that the team was focusing on various areas to ensure smooth traffic flow and the safety of the general public.

Chair of the Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) Ocho Rios Runaway Bay Chapter Vana Taylor led a team to the St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital to help upgrade the grounds.

The team included several workers from Sandals, Bahía Príncipe, and Fisherman’s Point, who turned out to help brighten the region’s main hospital.

Sandals took on the substantial task of upgrading a green area used as a mini park, providing topsoil and plants, and painting the area.

A team from the Guardian Group Foundation, led by Kaydian Broderick, provided a facelift for the Women’s Centre of Jamaica in St Ann’s Bay by painting sections of the facility. Centre manager Rackiesha Dunn expressed delight at the support shown by the foundation.

carl.gilchrist@gleanerjm.com

File name: UDC staff paint

Caption: UDC staff painting a pedestrian crossing along Main Street, Ocho Rios. Photos by Carl Gilchrist

File name: St Ann hospital CEO 

Caption: From left: Delroy Morgan, CEO of St Ann’s Bay Regional Hospital, collecting some of the items that were subsequently used on Labour Day at the hospital, from JHTA area chair Vana Taylor; Rushaine Fairclough, environmental and corporate social responsibility manager at Bahía Príncipe Hotel; and Aleppa Payne, also of Bahía Príncipe.

File name: Guardian women’s centre

Caption: From left: Rackiesha Dunn, centre manager, Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation, Kaydian Broderick of Guardian Group Foundation/Guardian Life; and other Guardian Life employees, took a break for a photo op while painting the Women’s Centre in St Ann’s Bay on Monday.