PORT ANTONIO, Portland — More than two months after it was deemed unsafe by health officials and ordered closed by local authorities, the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS) building on Harbour Street, Port Antonio, has finally been made inaccessible to the public.

It was boarded up in late July.

During June’s meeting of the Portland Municipal Corporation (PMC), acting CEO Megan Bramwell stressed that the building had been deemed unsafe and should have been boarded up from May 23. However, efforts to have this done dragged on as there were attempts to have the building declared a heritage site. As the JAS awaited word from the culture ministry, the PMC repeatedly expressed concern that vending was taking place inside the unsafe structure. Councillors also warned that the building posed a risk to pedestrians using the sidewalk under its veranda.

Now that the structure has been boarded up, passing pedestrians, as expected, are forced to walk into the road at certain points.

The JAS is working on a redesign, with new drawings to be presented to the municipal corporation for approval.