Site for displaced craft vendors identified

No. 133 Friday, August 27, 2010
By Shamir Brown
The craft vendors, who for many years called Bamboo Village their place of trade, have been offered a site at a new area on Market Street by the Trelawny Parish Council, Cohn Gager, Mayor of Falmouth, explained at a meeting Wednesday.

   He said the council had identified an area at Lower Market Street, which earmarked by the council for development.
    The area is close to the new development which has come to redefine Falmouth in the last few months.
    Presently, he added, work has started to clear the land, which will be housing a new market and transport centre.
    Additional plans are afoot to turn the area into a commercial district, with the construction of a bank and other such entities. So far, five acres have been cleared, in a bid to increase that space to 15 acres.
    Gager explained that the council has been engaged in talks with the TPDCo to provide a one of a kind craft village that will accentuate the experience for those who may travel to Falmouth.
    He expects that the vendors will be able to get adequate space to ply their wares and thus provide quality service and products to those who disembark from the cruise ships.
    “It should be designed in a way to show the cultural and ethnic diversity that Jamaica has to the world,” Gager explained.
    This, he hopes, will be one of the means to help convince tourists to stay in Falmouth and spend their money there. He also believes that to develop the craft market and the local market will further benefit the locals as with ships docking heavily on Wednesdays, persons who work in the popular ‘Ben Dung’ flea Market will also be able to profit from the influx of tourists to the area.
    However, at present there has been no word as to whether the members of the craft association have agreed to take the council on their word.
    Kyan McGlashan, President of the Association, explained that she will have to put forward the proposal to members of her organization to see whether it will be accepted. Until then, McGlashan said, they will have to meet to discuss the situation in a detailed manner to make sure that the move is something feasible.
         ‘BEN DUNG’ TO RELOCATE
    Additionally, patrons who shop in the popular ‘Ben Dung’ market will soon be doing their business on Market Street as plans are underway to have that market relocated.
    According to Mayor Gaget; an area on lower Market Street will be developed to house structures displaced by the construction of the new port. There will also be a new transport centre and a new gas station is expected to be constructed at the same venue. The development is expected to be completed in January, to coincide with the arrival of the cruise vessels.