Downtown rising... but old sewage problems present nasty reality

From the vantage point of Kingston Harbour, downtown Kingston appears to be entering a new era.
New and renovated buildings are reshaping the skyline, promising a fresh chapter for an area long associated with ageing structures, zinc fences, crime and urban blight.
But, on Paradise Street, the smell tells a very different story.
Raw sewage runs through the area, continuing towards Rae Town and eventually the harbour — a foul reminder that beneath downtown’s emerging new face, some of its most basic problems remain.
A short distance away, a gully in Southside is choked with garbage. Residents say it is in relatively good condition compared with previous periods, but the piles of refuse remain an ugly reminder that development is only part of the story.
There is, however, no denying that change is underway.
Along South Camp Road, new developments are emerging. A GWM car dealership has opened, PriceSmart is establishing a presence, and Guardsman Beryllium Limited is constructing what appears to be a six-storey building on the site of the former Palace Cinema.
For 38-year-old Melissa Rose of Fletcher’s Land, the changes offer hope — but also plenty of reason for caution. She has watched companies buy out old buildings and begin developing the area, and she is eager to see the finished product.
“I’m waiting to see it all come together because companies have been buying out old buildings and developing the place, so I am looking forward to it,” Rose said.
But Rose believes development will bring little comfort if crime is not tackled alongside it.
“The crime needs to be looked at down here, still, because the development is going to attract a lot of criminals,” she said.
“People can get robbed, or criminals find ways fi plague people. The area will become a target once it’s developing.”
Her concerns come despite the Government’s repeated assertions that crime has been declining.
When THE STAR pointed to the Government’s celebration of reductions in crime, Rose responded with scepticism.
“Them always say them have crime under control and don’t things happen same way?”
For Rose, the question is not whether downtown should be developed. It is whether security measures and social programmes will keep pace with the bricks, mortar and investment.
“Developing the area is good and well, but what is being done to counter the existing crime problem? It’s a major concern that should be addressed by both the government and the private sector,” she told our news team.
“I hope the businesses invest in the area by having development programmes for the youth in the community. Build a relationship with the youths in the communities and give them opportunities.”
She believes sport could be one of the most effective ways for companies to make that investment.
“They can never lose with doing sport programmes because I find that, when the youths, especially those who are interested in sports, when they are engaged, it’s less likely for them to turn to a life of crime.”
For Rose, downtown’s redevelopment must be about more than property and new commercial buildings. The people who live there must also have a stake in its future.
A mechanic who works in the area also welcomes the physical changes, but his assessment of downtown Kingston remains blunt.
“Mi feel good fi see development here and there because, if yuh tek down zinc and put up wall, then that is a improvement,” he said.
“A nuh everywhere down here a develop. Most place yuh go, same way a board and zinc. Downtown a ghetto and some things neva change. Unno pass the gully and smell the sewage, nobody can drive wid them window down.”
His words underscore the uneven nature of the transformation.
In some areas, modern commercial structures are replacing old buildings. Elsewhere, zinc, boards, garbage and abandoned structures remain fixtures of the landscape.
And the raw sewage running through Paradise Street may be the most powerful symbol of downtown’s contradictions.
On one side is the promise of a modernised commercial district attracting investment. On the other, residents and workers are still confronted by the stench and health concerns associated with sewage flowing into the harbour.
But, for 43-year-old Keisha Stewart-Watches of Gold Street, the arrival of new businesses is reason for excitement.
Stewart-Watches, who sells goods in the area, hopes increased commercial activity will bring more people through downtown — and more potential customers.
She is particularly enthusiastic about PriceSmart.
“I feel excited, especially for the PriceSmart, because I currently go to the Red Hills Road location and sometimes mi drop asleep on the bus to how mi exhausted,” she said.
“When me leave here fi go buy things a Red Hills Road, it hectic and bus fare raise again, but, with this one open now, mi can walk go get the things dem.”
For Stewart-Watches, the development could also bring jobs closer to home.
“A nuff people want work, so the youths inna the area can get a work and get a honest bread. Imagine if people can just walk go work, that lift the weight of paying fare.”
She also believes the influx of businesses could give small operators and vendors a boost.
With PriceSmart nearby, she expects more people could host social functions, including birthday parties and cake sales.
Unlike Rose, Stewart-Watches is not particularly worried about crime.
“Crime deh there long time, even before me. The crime a cut down so me nuh fraid and the company dem have good security.”
She said she has not heard gunshots in the area for a considerable period and believes the police response is swift when incidents occur.
“Fi the longest while, a long time me nuh hear a shot fire. If a shot do fire, you see police show up same time. We a come from a far way.”
Together, the women capture the sharply different moods surrounding downtown Kingston’s transformation.
Rose fears new development could become a magnet for criminals unless security and social intervention keep pace.
Stewart-Watches sees the changes as evidence of an improving area — and a chance for jobs, convenience and greater economic activity.
But both want to see residents of downtown share in the bounty of its revival.