The front page news item in the Observer this morning.
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/westernnews/html/20070117t220000-0500_118024_obs_ treasure_beach_hurting.asp

The editorial comments following this article:
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/editorial/html/20070117t220000-0500_118013_obs_tr easure_beach_tragedy.asp

Well we only hope and pray that they utilize that money quickly to fix the roads. From my last visit to TB over the holidays I myself was in shock of how bad the roads are down there. It's really a darn shame that the residents of TB have to travel those roads practically every day, what would take them maybe 5 minutes to get somewhere now takes about 15 because we have to be literally crawling our way through all the moon size pot holes on the roads. Really disgusting

Re: The Road Situation
Has anyone considered suing the state, it would seem that their dareliction of duty is the cause of great financial loss to the community on a whole, In America it is possible for a citizen or group to sue the state if they fail to perform any given duty, especially if the failure to do so results in hardship to such individual or group,
Upon obtaining a ruling or judgement, the state would be ordered to compensate such individual or group for their loss, and also to perform such duty to correct the situation that caused the loss
a failure to do so within a reasonable period of time would result in the agencies responsible
being held in contempt of court, needless to say the penalties would then be severe, including
individuals within said agencies being sent to jail,
Jamiacan law is derived from english law and perhaps the overiding precidents remain the same
untill now. ref. The Prince of Hanover versus the Attorney General in 1782, (don't quote me on the date)
Of course i am not loosing sight of the fact that this is jamaica we are talking about,
however I still believe that we have retained certain vestiges of a civilised society

Good Luck

Food for thought!!!

As a concerned citizen in treasure Beach...,,,,,,,,I am wondering if tourism in TB has helped Jamaica to earn the amount that the tourism minister has spoken about?
The roads to this community has been in a deplorable condition for years-i think it's time the MP does something to change this situation. It is a shame for the residents of Treasure Beach and the tourists to be treated in this manner. PLEASE DO SOMETHING QUICKLY Mr.Buchanan

those roads wont get fixed until elections are near thats how they do it all the time

You sound like you have some knowledge of the law. You need to notify the State and obtain a sort permission for you to sue the State. So you mentioned USA and the English Law. It will be a freezing day in hell if any of the govermental bodies in Jamaica acquiecse to such law suit, not to talk of what lawyer wants to ruffle the feathers of the State in Jamaica. All I can say is GOOD LUCK. May be worth trying. Just do your research very well and hope you are not nailed with frivolous lawsuit, you may have to pay the State,State Attorney, the Judge and any additional cost and expenses. I will rather go the way of the ballot, if your Parish Council people has no muscles in Kingston, replace them. Elect the people that can bring to bacon to your community. Just my two cents

Bravo, Kory!! Thank you, Observer!! Does someone have an e-mail address for Letters to the Editor at the Observer?

After encountering what I feel might be "the final straw," I just found an address and sent a letter to the Observer's Editor. We were just told that the parcels we regularly send via air courier (containing checks for salaries, groceries for guests, etc.) are no longer being delivered to Rainbow Tree because of the disgusting road conditions.

Karen:Is Fedez/DHL now delivering at all to TB out of MoBay (once a week seemed to be the average max delivery) or Kingston -- or just
not to parts of it, i.e.,Fort Charles, Billy's Bay, Great Bay? If not to TB itself, do you know closest point(s) to TB for same? Many villa/guesthouse/hotel owners will want to know...

I THINK THE MONEY IS THERE FOR THE FIXING OF THE ROADS BUT, IS BEING USED FOR OTHER THINGS NOT EVEN RELATED TO "ROADS".I DO NOT KNOW WHEN JAMAICA WILL EVER GET SOME HONEST PEOPLE TO DO RIGHT FOR THAT COUNTRY.
SHAME ON YOU ALL.

WHY EVEN ADVERTISE JAMAICA ON THE TV AND THE INTERNET ALL OVER THE WORLD WHEN WE KNOW THE ROADS ARE IN SUCH DEPLORABLE CONDITIONS ALL OVER THE ISLAND.WHO WANTS TO VISIT SOME PLACE LIKE THAT.
I WILL GO TO ANOTHER CARIBBEAN ISLAND WHERE I CAN DRIVE WITHOUT FEAR OF GOING OVER A PRECIPIT JUST BECAUSE I WAS TRYING TO AVOID POTHOLES AFTER POTHOLES OR WHAT LOOK LIKE SINK-HOLES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROADS.

Don't mean to butt in but I saw a Fedex van driving down from Translove last week, I remember cos I was quite shocked to see it,having seen how much worse the roads have got in the last 12 months since our last trip.The drivers all need danger money (including all the residents!)

Sasha, we had a very unfortunate problem with FedEx from Jamaica to the US, so we refuse to use them. Without elaborating, it involved an entire bag of letter mail just "disappearing" off the tarmac in MoBay. UPS does, however, definitely deliver to Treasure Beach on a daily basis. Our villas are in Billy's Bay, so I'm guessing (but do know know) they serve the entire area. It takes three business days from the U.S. They've been ultra-reliable.

Thanks for heads-up, Karen. Will suss out the situation with our Fdx rep tomorrow.

Does anyone know the cost to send a parcel to Treasure Beach by UPS from Canada.

Canada, that would depend on the size and weight of the package and how soon you want it delivered. I suggest once you know those things, you check http://www.ups.com/

Thanks Milwaukee Mike, can always depend on thsi site to get help.

I just heard a quote from Mr. Shaw of the NWA on the radio news that road work is going to start here before the end of the month. $19 million has been allocated for this project and will include road repair from Round Hill to Treasure Beach.

Hmmm, this was what was printed in the Observer article on January 18.

National Works Agency (NWA) communications and customer service manager, Stephen Shaw, told the Observer West that a $35-million contract which was awarded to Construction Solutions Limited last November to fix the road will bring a reprieve anytime soon.

Jazzing, jamming in sold-out MoBay

Mark Wignall
Thursday, January 25, 2007

Treasure Beach travesty

Two Sundays ago I felt the need to rid myself of the smog, the noise and the criminal predictability of the Kingston Metropolitan Area. "Honey, let's go someplace today.We can go to the beach at Fort Clarence or. want us to go to South St Elizabeth?" The lady opted for the south and, as her willing chauffeur, I accepted the orders.

Quiet, laid-back, "other-worldly" and a passage into a side of Jamaica that is fast fading. At the top of Spur Tree Hill we gazed out at the large expanse of the plains and the Santa Cruz mountains in the distance. One could feel the peace slowly being infused into the body, the mind.

A stop at Flaggaman to greet friends then on to the rest of the south, just driving and allowing the car to pick the way. Jamaica is not very big on road signs. Stopping to seek directions is highly recommended.

Treasure Beach eluded us for a while and then we found it. And what a mess the road was! In the constituency of Donald Buchanan, minister of information and development, the Treasure Beach road is in an appalling state. I have seen bad roads all over Jamaica, but the Treasure Beach Road is special.

When I inquired of the residents as to how long the particular stretch of road had been the way it is, a man leaving church said, "It stay so since Hurricane Ivan in 2004." I actually had to step down into a part of a huge three-foot chasm in the road to take pictures. Some road for a constituency held by a man who has "development" in his portfolio!

Minister Buchanan, there are enough damaged road surfaces in the city, so please, when residents like myself want to visit your constituency to spend money there, make us feel as if we are welcome. While the people in South St Elizabeth are still in the same hospitable mode as old-time Jamaica - and that is a definite pulling factor - the roads are chasing us away. Action now!

- observemark@gmail.com

Hi TB peoples.

Check out today's Observer, Column, written by Mark Wignall.

Look like the publcity is getting us some help for our really really bad roads.

Keep the faith.

well lets keep our fingers cross again. Enough is enough now. These people need to stop driving around in their SUVs, stop making promises and start doing the repairs that is so badly needed.

So this was announced at the end of November:

The contract (worth $23,974.483.98) to do work “on the road from Round Hill to Treasure Beach” has been awarded to the firm, Construction Solutions. The National Works Agency (NWA) will monitor the project.

This was announced yesterday (November 20) at the post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.

Preliminary work is to commence in December while the main construction activities are expected to begin in January.

Then this was printed on January 18:

National Works Agency (NWA) communications and customer service manager, Stephen Shaw, told the Observer West that a $35-million contract which was awarded to Construction Solutions Limited last November to fix the road will bring a reprieve anytime soon.

And then this was announced on the radio on January 25:

Road work is going to start here before the end of the month. $19 million has been allocated for this project and will include road repair from Round Hill to Treasure Beach.

It would be great to know why the above information has the funds going from $24 million (November 20) to $35 million (January 18) to $19 million (January 25). Can anyone explain this discrepency?

election soon come!

All these beautiful guest houses/villas, gorgeous blue sky and warm crystal clear ocean friendly natives we all would love to spend a wonderful vacation with but, the only draw-back is those awful roads to drive around on.
I pray they will be fixed soon because that's the place I want to be in April.I will be renting a car and that is my biggest fear.

I've heard the heavy machinery is being moved in tomorrow for work to start next week.

Fingers are crossed!

I AM REALLY PRAYING FOR THE ROAD TO FIX AND LETS KEEP OUR FINGERS CROSS FOR NO MORE RAIN WAT ABOUT THAT....ME KNOW....

Thanks Rebecca you do a great job keepin us up to date on whats happening in the area.

Rebecca, PLEASE keep us updated. PLEASE.