MONTEGO BAY, St James —— The St James Municipal Corporation is claiming that it is set to realise millions of dollars in savings following the acquisition of a new Christmas tree.

According to Mayor of Montego Bay Richard Vernon, the previous Christmas tree cost the corporation a significant sum each year when it was put up and removed during and after the festive season.

“The other one was heavy and as a matter of fact, the other one cost us several millions to install each year. It cost us approximately $2 million to install each year,” said Vernon at the tree-lighting ceremony on Sunday.

“We had to use welders, bucket truck, manpower and then, of course, because it is so heavy, you have to factor in the transportation costs from the stadium where we stored it to Sam Sharpe Square where it would be installed. All those factors contributed to the costs for the previous tree,” added Vernon.

He said that tree had been in use since the 1980s after it had been commissioned as the replacement for the one that had been destroyed in a fire.

“We have been using that one for several years but it has outdone it’s time and it has served us well. Now it is structurally compromised and we decided to do away with it because we don’t want it to be a hazard to the space by attempting to put it up and it causes any type of accident,” said Vernon.

He explained that it is much easier to manage and to put in place the new tree and therefore the corporation should see a big saving each year.

“This one, the material it is built from is lighter, still iron but lighter iron. This installation is a simple process, manpower and a bucket truck and you get it installed,” said Vernon as he indicated that the tree arrived in the island less than one month ago.

“We decided to buy the new tree and this one came in about three weeks ago and it came it at a cost of about $6 million. It came from China, shipped straight here with no mark ups or anything,” said Vernon.

“It cost about $600,000 to decorate it, so in total, we have invested $6.6 million on this tree. The good thing is that we are going to have it for many more years to come. This one, it is cheaper to install, it is a one-off payment and we will have it for a longer period of time,” added Vernon as he declared that this will be the tallest Christmas tree in Jamaica.

“It is 65 feet and the last tree was 50 feet…it is wider and taller than the one we had before. If you’re going to get a new tree, you have to get a modern one and you have to get a bigger one. You don’t want to do the same thing that you’ve been doing for many years,” declared the mayor.

He is hopeful that this new tree will have the same, if not greater, impact on the residents and visitors to St James.,

“I just want them to embrace the tree, enjoy it. It represents hope for some people, for some people it brings back memories, it brings happiness, it brings joy and children love to see it,” said Vernon.