THE reconstruction of the Kitty Market, which was initially expected to become a reality in time for the May Jubilee celebrations, and which has since had several delays and postponements, will no longer come on stream this year. Public Relations Officer at the Mayor and City Council (M&CC), Ms. Debra Lewis, told the Chronicle on Wednesday that the market which is under renovation is not likely to be ready for this year, because the Council is financially unable to complete it.
“We are working as the finances come to the municipality and we are not getting a grant to do this project; it is merely the rates collected that are being used,” she offered.
The M&CC, she said, is now looking at having the market in operation during the first quarter of 2017.
Town Clerk Royston King had announced that the market would have had a November 1 opening. In fact, even as only 65 percent of the works have been completed, the M&CC had said it was “optimistic” that the market will open “before” the much anticipated holiday season.
Lewis had earlier explained that the market is not being subsidised and that rehabilitation works are solely dependent on the rates and taxes, of which some $16B is outstanding to the municipality.
Meanwhile, the M&CC has received more than 170 applications from citizens who wish to occupy new stalls in the market, the ground floor of which is costing the Council roughly $35M.
The market, which has great historical significance and bears much pride for the Kitty community, is to feature a traditional health centre, an office for rates and taxes, and space for the community councillor.
“We are also contemplating putting some space for the councillor’s office at the market; and this is not only at Kitty, but wherever we have municipal buildings, we intend to make space available for councillors working with their local communities,” the Town Clerk had said.
According to him, there will be a decentralisation of Council’s work, as the market will take into account the needs of communities between Cummings Lodge and Kitty. The upper flat of the market is being remodelled to include a rates and taxes office, as well as a municipal clinic.
“People from Cummings Lodge to Kitty don’t have to come all the way to City Hall to pay their rates and taxes. We are aiming to reintroduce the system that was in place many years ago,” Mayor Patricia Chase-Green had told the Chronicle.
The Kitty Market was established in 1882, two years after the Bourda Market had come into being. Like the Bourda Market, Kitty Market is timber-framed. The 19th century structure had suffered massive deterioration over the years prior to its renovation, causing vendors operating in its environs to lodge numerous complaints with the City Council.
The Council had, however, long been citing financial woes as the reason why the market had continued to remain a “threat to life and limb.”