Kingston mayor pleased with reopening of Crab Circle

By Halshane Burke    

 

Mayor of Kingston Delroy Williams has expressed satisfaction with the reopening of the popular Crab Circle in Kingston.

 

The eatery was reopened last Thursday after it was ordered closed by the Kingston & St. Andrew Health Department following the release of a video of a vendor participating in unsanitary practices.

 

The Kingston & St. Andrew Municipal Corporation constructed bathrooms at the location and vendors underwent training through the HEART/NSTA Trust.

 

Mayor Williams said the KSAMC has the responsibility to create the environment for businesses in the capital to flourish.

 

"It's a joy for us to have done the work and to have found a solution to have Crab Circle reopening, and the reopening, I would say, was a success," he touted, adding that people want to see the establishment return to and exceed its former popularity. 

 

"We will continue to monitor and maintain the space and to help to build the image again. So it's a good feeling for us. And I believe that it's also a good feeling for the vendors. And it depicts the Jamaican spirit: Things may go bad. We may have weaknesses here or there, but never give up; get up, rise up, and be strong and move on."

 

Mayor Williams said attention will be given to other locations in the Corporate Area where people sell food on the streets, including on Red Hills Road and Molynes Road. 

 

The Harbour View roundabout is another such location which the municipal corporation is aiming to renovate. 

 

"The Harbour View Citizens' Association raised some concerns, primarily that any renovation of the space would create some level of permanence at the space which they are concerned about. We don't share the view, but we still have to take it into consideration. The general transformation of the Waterfront area from downtown to the Palisadoes, we have said that in the transformation that will take place in that vicinity, we will incorporate the vendors at the Harbour View roundabout," he shared. 

 

Mayor Williams said it is important to balance the safety of citizens and vendors' need to earn a living.