The Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) says it is working to reopen the Blue Lagoon, Portland’s best-known attraction “in the shortest possible time”. However, in a release late Friday, March 3, the agency was unable to give a timeline for the reopening, even though six months have passed since the attraction was closed to the public.
Attention has become focused on Blue Lagoon after some area residents of Portland called a march for today Saturday, March 4, to press for the reopening and transparency about plans for the future.
One of the groups, Portland Environmental Action (PEA) has also pointed to the economic importance of the attraction to people from the area.
PEA and Jamaica Beach Birthright Environmental Movement (JaBBEM) in their release Friday said they were “more than concerned about a threefold problem that the Jamaican public is experiencing at the Blue Lagoon in Portland, Jamaica. These include the protracted closure, operational transparency, and most importantly the lack of public access to this world-renowned National Monument, the Blue Lagoon. These concerns are adversely impacting leisure, health and wellness, cultural practices, economic livelihood and are also fueling an atmosphere of corruption.”
Another group the Blue Lagoon Alliance, made up of vendors, craft traders raftsmen and others who made their livelihoods around the attraction, said it also wants the reopening but not without proper sanitation, toilet facilities, and parking.
The JNHT says it has been working on these issues but is seeking to get private landowners to provide access to the attraction. This as Government does not own the lands surrounding the Lagoon itself
According to the JNHT, it has received a setback because its initial plans included providing some of the facilities along the Portland Municipal Corporation (PMC)-owned roadway to the Lagoon. However, the PMC has rejected those plans, the JNHT says.
It says: “The JNHT is exploring other options which include possible access to privately-owned lands adjoining the Lagoon and once concluded will resubmit to the PMC.” After that construction of the facilities would start, the JNHT says.
C Hall
