A row has developed over the lease of one of two markets to be privately operated in St Ann.
The markets in question are in Cave Valley and Discovery Bay.
Both towns now do not have regulated markets although there are spaces for such. For years there have been concerns expressed about vending of food and dry goods on the streets and the operations of informal markets in both towns
The St Ann Municipal Corporation (SAMC) has moved to lease both markets and reached the stage of interviewing likely operators who responded to requests for bids to run the markets.
At the SAMC’s monthly general meeting on Thursday, September 14, the Corporation was told that two persons had been interviewed for each of the two markets and the information coming out of the interviews were sent to the Commercial Services Department for a recommendation to be made.
Councillor Winston Brown, representing Cave Valley took exception to not being informed about or involved in the interview of the candidates. He found that unacceptable especially because councillor Carlton Ricketts of the Dry Harbour Division, covering Discovery Bay, was involved in the interview for the lease of the Discovery Bay Market.
After some discussion, chairman of the SAMC, Michael Belnavis said the committee concerned should get Councillor Brown involved and if the procedures were still not acceptable, the process should be redone.
In the case of the Discovery Bay Market the Corporation is to get a recommendation from the Commercial Services Division. In an interview after the meeting, Chairman and Mayor of St Ann’s Bay, Michael Belnavis instead said that no decision had been taken about who would be awarded the Discovery Bay Market.
