In his first interview after being sworn in as the new Mayor of Falmouth, JLP Councillor Colin Gager (Warsop) laid out his intention to clean up the town of Falmouth.
Gager’s priority will be the problem of vending in Water Square.
Speaking with the Jamaica Observer, Gager stated that: “We will have to re-resurect Water Square for what it was meant for. It was not meant for a market place; it was meant for a place where you can come and have recreation. It wasn’t meant for what it is used for right now.”
He said vending will no longer be tolerated in Water Square.
Gager, who was deputy mayor of Falmouth under the recent PNP-controlled Trelawny Municipal Corporation, formerly the Trelawny Parish Council, said that there are streets outside of Water Square where vending is allowed.
“There are streets that are designated for vending so we will have to cooperate and people will have to go on those streets. It can’t be on the brick that is laid there on the beautiful place, it can’t be,” he insisted.
The square has become a free-for-all, especially in the evenings. On weekends, parts of Water Square is transformed into a satreet marketplace.
He also stated his ambition to partner with other agencies, including the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ), to give the town a facelift.
Apart from the cleaning up of the town, Gager stated that he intends to improve the traffic management system, improve on the use and development of the transportation centre, and the completion of the new market in the town.
Falmouth News was spot on in outlining all these problems that the new Mayor would face after being sworn in.
Ironically, Mayor Gager was nominated by outgoing PNP Mayor and Councillor for the Falmouth Division, Garth Wilkinson. The nomination was unopposed.
Donovan White (JLP) of the Duncans Division will serve as Deputy Mayor to Gager.
Six (6) JLP and three (3) PNP councillors were sworn in on Thursday. These were Garth Wilkinson, Phillip Service and Dr Pauline Foster of the PNP, and the JLP’s Colin Gager, Donovan White, Dunstan Harper, Jonathan Bartley, Desmond Smith, and Nicole Nugent.
