Jubilee Market 90 per cent complete

Restoration of the Jubilee Market in downtown Kingston, which was gutted by fire several years ago, is 90 per cent complete.

The update was provided by Mayor of Kingston, Senator Councillor Delroy Williams, during the monthly meeting of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation on Tuesday.

He said the restored facility, which houses 40 shops, will provide an environment conducive to vending and shoppers. The mayor informed that discussions regarding the flooring of the facility are still ongoing.

"When we are thinking about the flooring, we're not thinking about aesthetics but we are thinking about maintenance, because we can't just restore these markets. We have to have a plan for maintaining [them] and ensuring that the maintenance plan is effective," he said. Williams said the new and improved facility will assist in removing vendors from the streets.

He also said that discussions continue regarding works to be undertaken at the Queens Market and Redemption Arcade, adding that the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development has been engaged for its input.

"All those markets are basically... in the same location, and we believe that if we address all three, then the impact would be greater and it would also help us to remove the vendors from the streets in those areas," he added.

Additionally, Williams said the proposed design for the Oxford Mall has been shared with the Urban Development Corporation (UDC).

"We have already started a design that we have shared with the UDC for the general Oxford Mall area, which is going to require greater input from the UDC and other agencies, because that would include the Ray Ray ground," he noted.

The mayor pointed out that meetings have been held with vendors of Ray Ray ground and options have been discussed.