RESIDENTS of Myrtle Way in the St Catherine South Eastern constituency have welcomed a push by their Member of Parliament (MP) Robert Miller to improve the living conditions in the area, including replacing the zinc fences which were an eyesore at the entrance to the community.

According to the residents, the stigma associated with the area — called Pig City by some people — has been unbearable and embarrassing.

Peta-Gaye Clarke, who is the liaison officer for the community, told the Jamaica Observer that taxis are afraid to enter the area and she believes that the planned improvements announced by Miller will take away that widely held perception that this is an impoverished, volatile area occupied by unambitious people.

“The stigma that goes with the lane is that nothing good comes from here; however, that’s furthest from the truth. Separate from the zinc fence, we are a loving community, the last killing that happened here…was 2004, [and it was by] outside people. We don’t have gangs around here. We don’t have any form of violence, per se. Yes, we are humans so we have small domestic disputes, [but] that’s it,” said Clarke.

“I’m not going to leave here…because we are safe, to be honest. I tend to work at nights and I can be out in my yard until late. Nobody is troubling me. It’s a crime-free community. I never experienced persons stealing my things or break-ins. Persons in Myrtle can honestly say that they can sleep with their doors and windows open,” Clarke added.

She told the Observer that the community has intelligent people who have excelled in school and are in good jobs, and declared, “The zinc fence does not define us, we’re striving for better regardless.”

“We have great passes here. We have great passes for the…Primary Exit Profile (PEP) for Campion College, Jamaica College, Kingston College, Wolmer’s High, Holy Childhood High. We have recent graduates from the Jamaica Defence Force, the Jamaica Constabulary Force …we have an active lawyer, a law student coming from Myrtle Way.

“We have good people here. We have a football star over here in the [Jamaica] Premier League, so we are rounded. So the stigma with the zinc fence, really, with them gone, we can shine. Our stars are among the best of the best,” gushed Clarke.

She said the community is well rounded and residents support each other.

According to Clarke, there is a youth club in place, and a student who graduated from Bridgeport High School with eight subjects offers an after school programme for struggling students.

She said there is also a push by the community to ensure that the cycle of education stopping after high school is broken and channels are being explored for students to get financial support for higher education.

Another resident, Karel Howell, told the Observer that she appreciates the elevation to the community that the various interventions will bring, especially the removal of the zinc fences, as it will be “like a gated community now”.

“We get free Wi-Fi, we have legal light, we have water, we have everything, so we’re good,” she said.

Narval Thompson, a resident of Myrtle Way for 40 years, said he is pleased with all the efforts to uplift the community which will now look like an upscale scheme.

“We need the environment to change up, make the place look like uptown. We appreciate it. So what the MP and the councillor and the Government are doing is a good opportunity for the whole community. We like to see what they’re doing so that the community can be elevated,” said Thompson.

He said that he is proud of his community in which he feels safe and he will never abandon it.

“Even if I get rich, here I will be. This is the best community in the world. You can leave your door open here so, you can go anywhere any hours,” added Thompson.

Eighty-year-old resident Veronica Cespides concurred, noting that she loves to see the various improvements in the community she has called home since she was 17 years old.

Also grateful for the upgrades is Tia Hana, a first-year student of the Portmore Community College pursuing a degree in social work.

“I must say that I was ashamed of coming here from school. I used to attend the Cedar Grove Academy and when I would take the bus and it would let me off at the bus stop, I would literally wait until my friends passed before I crossed the road, because this area was so stigmatised. Because once you have zinc, you’re automatically classified as being poor. So I was really ashamed,” said Hana.

“So now, with the project that the MP is doing, removing all the zinc fences and giving us walls, to me, it’s a step into improvement. It shows that they are actually working and that we are gone with the past and we’re in with the now. So the modernisation gives me a sense of confidence, to say, you know what, I am actually proud of this area and that good can indeed come out of Myrtle Way and Myrtle Way can indeed look good.

Hana, who was the head girl for Cedar Grove Academy for the 2017/18 school year, said she is also pleased that residents, who were once illegally connected to the grid, now have legal electricity. She said she is especially grateful for the free Wi-Fi project.

“A lot of parents just don’t really have the support because there are a lot of single-parent households here. So with the help from the MP and us getting the free Wi-Fi, that can help the students in accessing online tools, which will help them with their education. There is also a pipeline done for water. So we’re actually now paying water bills. Nothing is illegal. We’re actually in with the now, feeling civilised and empowered to do what we do best,” said Hana.

Miller, whose intervention to uplift the area began three years ago, has seen the transformation of the once-informal community, known to be a People’s National Party (PNP) stronghold, into a more structured area with access to regularised electricity, running water, and other modern amenities.

And, Miller, who was elected on a Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) ticket, insists that he is doing this work in the community with no political biases.

He pointed out that the project falls under the Urban Renewal Programme that was announced by Prime Minister Andrew Holness in June last year, whereby each MP is given $4 million to either do zinc fence removal or installation of sidewalks or kerb walls.

“We have a lot of zinc fences in the constituency…and we decided to have the zinc fence removal. We started on Passage Fort Drive, that’s near to the [Waterford] Police Station, and that is complete already. And now we are doing the Myrtle Way area where we’re removing the zinc fences [and replacing them with concrete walls],” said Miller.

He said his intention is to ensure that the community, which has been in existence for more than 70 years, is well developed.

“Having a zinc fence on the front page somewhat brings down a community, so I want to ensure that we erase that stigma of Myrtle Way. We want to ensure that Myrtle Way is one of the best communities in south-east St Catherine,” said Miller.

“When I became Member of Parliament, I realised there wasn’t any running water. I ran pipes since [and] the persons have their meters. We decided, through the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), that we are going to wire some houses and put them on the grid.

“We wired over 140 houses through JSIF and placed them on the grid, and then we brought community Wi-Fi through the Universal Service Fund (USF) in the community as well. And now we’re looking to resurface the area. So it’s a completely new community. There are nice people living around here. They have their own properties and just want some amenities to go with it,” said Miller.

He added: “You have working-class persons here, people will regard it as [an inner-city area], but you have professionals who are living here, but over the years, the community has been neglected. This community, predominantly, over the years, supports the Opposition party, but I’m the Member of Parliament and I decided that I am gonna cater to everybody, whether PNP, JLP, I’m going to cater to everyone. So we want to ensure that we develop every community, one by one to ensure that the standard of living of citizens is upheld and they live in their properties in peace,” added Miller.

He told the Observer that he is also pleased that people from the community took part in this latest zinc fence removal venture and in the process have been certified.

“I got HEART/NSTA Trust to come in and to certify them as labourers and skilled persons. So we are trying to develop human capacity and at the same time try to develop our surroundings,” he said.

The other issue residents complained about was the state of the road, but Miller said that aspect is affected by unavoidable delays and assured that this is to be dealt with as soon as possible.

“The money is there already for the resurfacing of the road…The reason why I have not resurfaced the area as yet is because I’m waiting for the National Water Commission to come in with the sewer line, because citizens are paying for the sewer but they are not benefiting from the commodity. So basically, we want to ensure that we place the sewer line in and then we resurface the place to give the residents of Myrtle Way a better standard of living, uplift their surroundings, and increase their property [value],” declared Miller.