NAIN, St Elizabeth – When it was first formed in 1994 the mandate of the Alpart Community Council was to ease the sometimes fractious relationship between the bauxite mining and alumina processing company and its host communities.

Hobbled by the global economic recession and high energy costs, the Alpart plant ceased operations in early 2009, leaving hundreds of people out of work and the local economy in tatters.

The Lenworth Blake-led community council moved swiftly to address the changing realities by forming a business entity — Essex Valley Community and Associates (EVC) — which supplies workers to maintain the mothballed plant.

Blake, a former member of parliament for South East St Elizabeth, now boasts that “we (EVC) have 280-odd people on the payroll on a rotating basis, with an average of 70-odd persons per week”. They provide a range of services at the Nain plant, including cleaning, descaling of equipment, landscaping and janitorial.

But the visionary leadership of the community council and the EVC went further. Having paid the workers, the EVC found that “small surpluses” could be accumulated for community development in recognition of the reduced capacity for outreach programmes by its “partner”, Alpart.

Administrator of the EVC Camilla Blake (no relation to Len) told the Jamaica Observer that over the last three years “we (EVC) have done close to 60 (development) projects in the communities” of South East St Elizabeth and South Manchester, targeting mainly schools “because education is paramount for development”.

More than $7 million has been spent on such projects, said Blake.

The direct benefits aside, she pointed to spin-offs since “the persons who work on the projects are from the communities, so they get a chance to get temporary employment. Also, the materials — building material, paint, furniture, whatever we need — is supplied locally, so there again we create employment and income generation…”

The leadership of the community council and the EVC recently showed off some of the more recent projects to managers of Alpart during what the company’s public relations officer Julian Keane described as a sensitisation tour.

“We speak of these projects at staff meetings and we do newsletters, but when persons are able to go out there and see what we have been doing in the communities and also to interact with those who have benefited, it’s a win-win situation for all,” Keane explained.

The tour started at Austin Primary School, where electrical outlets have been upgraded and an air-conditioning unit installed in the computer lab with the help of the EVC. Even as he expressed gratitude, school principal Wayne Mullings made it clear that he would soon be approaching the community council for more help to acquire additional chairs and computers as well as a multi-media projector.

At New Forest Primary and Junior High, principal Arnaldo Allen displayed a hurricane-wrecked cottage that had been substantially rebuilt with help from the EVC and which now incorporates the school’s sick bay and guidance counselling centre. Like Mullings, Allen signalled his intention to seek more assistance. He wants to pave a section of the schoolyard as a multi-purpose court for sports.

The tour moved on to Junction where the Alpart managers and directors inspected a fence installed by the EVC around the fire station.

At Ballards Valley Primary School, vice-principal Delorica Myers showed off a computer lab, again built with help from the EVC. Staffing presents a problem, but Myers said thought was being given to get “a youth service worker to help us in the lab”.

Carol Baker, principal of Gazeland & Steven’s Run Basic School, pointed to the roof of her small school which she said had been leaking badly until the EVC intervened and made repairs.

“Every time rain fall we had to be moving up and down,” she said.

A proud Len Blake said the latest projects underlined the value of the work being done by the community council and its EVC.

“Look at it, right now Government is strapped for cash. If we hadn’t gone and done these projects, where would we be? Everybody would be worse off,” he said.