Kingston, and more specifically downtown Kingston, can be described as the cradle of Jamaica’s cultural development.  In fact, Kingston has given rise to many of our cultural icons and has been home to such internationally acclaimed artistes as Bob Marley, Dennis Brown, Shaggy and 2002 Gold Musgrave Awardee, painter David Pottinger to name a few.

Many have had an ongoing love affair with Kingston.  The city was both their inspiration as well as the subject of many of their works.

It is not surprising therefore, that when Venezuelan liberator and National Hero, Simon Jose Antonio de la Santisma - Simon Bolivar - resided in Jamaica in 1815, he lived at 33 Princess Street in downtown Kingston.  It was from here that he wrote what is reputed to be his greatest written work, the “Jamaica Letter”.

The Letter, it is believed, was Bolivar’s views on the independence movement in Venezuela and the form of government,   which was right for that country and, was in part his response to an invitation by the then English Governor of Jamaica to expound on the matter. 

Bolivar, a liberal and proponent of the free market, used the letter to urge his countrymen to work towards freedom from Spain. He became one of South America’s greatest generals who fought and secured independence from Spain for Bolivia, Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, earning for himself, the title of El Libertador (The Liberator).

Today, as the Urban Development Corporation UDC) moves towards the redevelopment of downtown Kingston, the repositioning of the city as a cultural hub is one of the guiding forces.  To this end, a cultural centre in honour of Simon Bolivar is being constructed at North Parade and Church Street in historic Parade, not far from Bolivar’s Princess Street address.

The centre which is being constructed through the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) will on completion house an interpretive museum, library, administrative block and the Simon Bolivar Exhibit Hall.  A 350 seater multi-cultural centre will also be provided. The centre is expected to build on the Bolivarian concept of cultural enlightenment offering opportunities for young children to be exposed to the cultural and performing arts. It addition, it is expected to contribute to the economic development of the city, by providing jobs for teachers and students of the arts.

The project is being constructed at an estimated cost of US$3.2M., for which a grant of US$2M in the first instance, has been committed by the Venezuelan Government. The Jamaican government is to provide US$766,000.

With its close proximity to the Ward Theatre, Liberty Hall and the historic churches, market and parks in Parade, it is expected that the Simon Bolivar Cultural Centre will help to burnish Kingston’s cultural image.

For further information, please contact
The Corporate Relations and Marketing Department
Urban Development Corporation
12 Ocean Boulevard
Kingston, Jamaica
Tel :( 876) 922-8310-4
Email: cr@udcja.com

February 23, 2010

Sponsors Support Fireworks 2009

Thanks to the support of several corporate sponsors, the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) will again this year be staging Fireworks on the Waterfront, heralding the arrival of the New Year 2010.

The Bank of Nova Scotia Jamaica Limited, National Commercial Bank, Grace Kennedy Limited, Supreme Ventures, Ammar’s Limited, Allied Insurance Brokers, Maritime Towing Company Ltd., Jamaica Freight and Shipping Company Limited and the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) are among the stakeholders who have, to date, joined with the UDC to ensure that the event is staged in an effort not to disappoint the over 140,000 patrons who attend the popular New Year’s Eve event.

The organizers of the Fireworks have however revamped this year’s format as a cost containment strategy, resulting in a reduction of over 50 percent of the actual expenditure on last year’s programme.

Beginning at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday December 31, the event will comprise a Grand Street Party reminiscent of Jamaica of former years, with music by ProSound Disco and DJ Squeeze. It will also feature a Kiddies Area for the young and young at heart with simulators, trampoleaper, trampoline and merry-go-round and vending booths and stalls along Ocean Boulevard on the Kingston waterfront. Highlight of the event will be the fireworks display at midnight. 

For those persons wishing to see the Fireworks from an elevated level, then the VIP Front Row Party will offer that vantage point from the Poolside of the former Oceana Hotel on King Street.

While it is physically located in downtown Kingston, the Fireworks on the Waterfront event  has a much wider reach with patrons travelling from other parishes to be a part of the action. 

It was first staged by the UDC in 1999 to usher in the new millennium and was intended to be a one-off event. However its absence the following year, resulted in such a public outcry that the UDC has sought in subsequent years to stage the event.

The successful staging of Fireworks on the Waterfront each year, underscores UDC’s positioning of downtown Kingston as the place for business or pleasure.  This fits squarely within the redevelopment plans for downtown Kingston being pursued by the UDC. Fireworks on the Waterfront also offers for the residents of the city, opportunities through the sale of craft and a variety of items, thus facilitating the UDC’s commitment to provide economic development opportunities. Each year scores of vendors and artisans participate in the street event which has become the premier New Year’s Eve event on the national calendar.

December 2009

UDC Honours Excellent Students in Portland

Forty three students from Portland were lauded by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) at the Corporation’s 5th Annual Students of Excellence Ceremony, which was held at the Happy Grove High School in Portland, on Thursday, November 26.

Students from eight primary and two high schools, who excelled academically and displayed exemplary conduct were recognized for their achievements in the Students of Excellence Competition. First place award for the Primary School Category of the Competition was presented to Danique Kelly of Reach Primary and Infant, who received a plaque from the UDC and a cash award of $4,000 while Tamar Witter of Fair Prospect, received first place in the Secondary School category. She received a cash award of $5,000 dollars, courtesy of the National Commercial Bank and a plaque from the UDC.

The students who received awards were required to perform at the top of their class for three consecutive years and maintain a position between first and third place, while displaying exemplary conduct through consistent punctuality and involvement in extra curricular activities.

The UDC’s Students of Excellence Competition is just one of the UDC’s community development activities in Portland. The Corporation also implements Remedial Reading Workshops, Values and Attitudes Programmes and Small Business Workshops.

December 2009

The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) will be upgrading the Old Hospital Park in Montego Bay, St. James from December 8, 2009 until April, 2010 for use as a public recreational space.

The contract which is valued at  $J29.6M will see at completion, the establishment of administrative and sanitary amenities, gazebo, viewing pavilion, open green space, perimeter fencing, walkways, seating and improved lighting.

The Old Hospital Park project is being financed by the Tourism Enhancement Fund with Lawson’s Construction Ltd. as the contractors. The National Solid Waste Management Authority will be responsible for the hard and soft landscaping portion of the works.

The upgrading of the Old Hospital Park was envisioned as part of the Greater Montego Bay Redevelopment Plan (GMRP), through which the need was identified to develop lands along the Montego Bay Waterfront in keeping with the requirements for a green space, relevant to the needs of both residents and visitors to one of our island’s most popular resort strips.

Montego Bay was designated a priority development area by the UDC in 1970.  The redevelopment plan was directed toward easing the city’s traffic congestion; implementing a planned urban expansion programme and alleviating overcrowded housing conditions. In 1972, Montego Bay was declared a UDC project area with plans being put in place for the reclamation of more than 60 acres inclusive of three new beaches, improved recreational and resort facilities, and room for urban expansion

For further information, please contact
The Corporate Relations and Marketing Department
Urban Development Corporation
12 Ocean Boulevard
Kingston, Jamaica
Tel :( 876) 922-8310-4
Email cr@udcja.com

December  2009

Dunn’s River Falls and Park wins World Travel Awards  

The world famous Dunn’s River Falls and Park in St. Ann, Jamaica has won the coveted title of leading Caribbean Tourist Excursion as part of the World Travel Awards ceremony presented on November 8 in London, England.

Laura Heron, general manager of the St. Ann Development Company, the subsidiary company which operates the facility on behalf of owners, the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), is excited about the latest award which seals the reputation of the Falls on the international scene. ‘Dunn’s River has evolved over the years as a total family experience where you can come for fun, adventure, picnics and relaxation in a tropical setting, so it is most fitting that in a time of global recession in the travel market that our Jamaican product shines so brightly, she says.

The World Travel Awards were launched in 1993 to acknowledge and recognize excellence in the world's travel and tourism industry. Now celebrating its 16th Anniversary, the awards are regarded as the very highest achievement that a travel product could ever hope to receive. Thousands of votes are cast by travel professionals from 183,000 travel agencies, tour and transport companies and tourism organizations in over 160 countries across the globe.

Just a stone’s throw from the tourism Mecca of Ocho Rios, Dunn’s River Falls is believed to be the site of the battle of “Las Chorreras”, Spanish for Waterfalls,  fought in 1657 between the British and the Spanish for possession of Jamaica. 

Since 1998, the UDC has been engaged in major upgrading of the property valued in excess of $J300M with a view to ensuring parity with other world class attractions and enriching the Dunn’s River experience. Improvements have included the creation of a central garden and picnic areas, construction of ticket office and entry courtyard, bus and car park, administrative office, staff and nurse’s facilities.  A jetty and ticketing office was also constructed to facilitate arrivals by boat. Infrastructure upgrades including water, electrical and telephone distribution systems have also been carried out.

Dunn’s River Falls and Park, Jamaica’s leading attraction has maintained its tradition of excellence and was voted by cruise officials as being the most popular and exciting in the Caribbean in 2004. The attraction saw in excess of 850, 000 visitors in the financial year 2007 to 2008. The current local rates for Dunn’s River are J$300 for visitors under 12 years old and J$600 for persons over 12 years, while the overseas rates are at US$12 and $15 respectively.

SADCO and the UDC remain committed to providing world class recreational facilities at rates affordable to all its visitors at Dunn’s River Falls, which will also be an integral part of the UDC’s major re-development plans for the greater Ocho Rios area..

For further information, please contact
The Corporate Relations and Marketing Department
Urban Development Corporation
12 Ocean Boulevard
Kingston, Jamaica
Tel :( 876) 922-8310-4
Email cr@udcja.com

November  2009

The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) has today effected the redundancy of 16 positions, affecting 16 persons in its Project Management Department.

This comes as a result of the on-going restructuring of the corporation to return to its core function of preparing and implementing development plans and recommendations emanating from the Management Audit being conducted by Price Waterhouse Coopers.

It has been identified that the department will need to be re-engineered to meet the new demands and, as was discussed with the project management staff on September 9, the opportunity exits for them to apply for the new positions. A decision had also been taken at that time to effect separation in November. However, in the current global recessionary climate, the situation has become urgent and the Corporation has brought forward the separation date to coincide with the end of this month and so facilitate a smoother transition.

The UDC has complied with all the requirements of the Employment, Termination and Redundancy Act of 1974 and all employee benefits and entitlements will be paid.

For further information, please contact
The Corporate Relations and Marketing Department
Urban Development Corporation
12 Ocean Boulevard
Kingston, Jamaica
Tel :( 876) 922-8310-4
Email cr@udcja.com

November  2009

Port Maria Civic Centre-Recapturing Past Glory

The Urban Development Corporation (UDC) is working towards enriching the town of Port Maria, St Mary through a phase 2 restoration programme at the Port Maria Civic Centre.

The contract to facilitate this upgrading and bring the centre into full operation was signed in 2008 for approximately US$2.5M under the San Jose Accord. Significant progress has already been made with the construction of new and restored facilities for a mayor’s office, council chambers, retail shops, restaurants, craft museum, commercial shops and amphitheatre, in a perfect blend of modern offices and quaint Georgian architecture.  The project is being carried out with financing from the Bank of Economic and Social Development (BANDES) of Venezuela in partnership with the Government of Jamaica under the San Jose Accord with contractors being Racar Ingeniros C.A. from Venezuela.

According to Ethlyn Douglas, secretary general of the St Mary Parish Council, “the redevelopment of the Port Maria Civic Centre by the UDC will provide a catalyst for further development by providing a town hall meeting space for community focused activities”. The Centre will also feature modern office spaces which will facilitate emerging businesses in the town.

Phase 1 of the Port Maria Civic Centre restoration project started in 1998 when the old burnt out shell was replaced by a town hall, an interpretive museum and auxiliary office at a cost of J51M. The facility is managed by the Manning Trust. 

Originally built in 1821, this fine example of Jamaican Georgian architecture housed the Port Maria courthouse and police station until it was destroyed by fire in 1988. This section of the building was reconstructed and completed by the Urban Development Corporation in the year 2000 under the San Jose Accord. It was officially reopened on February 8, 2002 by former Prime Minister The Most Hon P.J. Patterson

The Port Maria Civic Centre is surrounded by notable relics such as the Great War Monument, Tacky Memorial and St Mary Parish Church. It straddles the coastline of St. Mary's capital and is an outstanding landmark having housed in its original state in 1821, the Port Maria Court House, Collectorate, Police Station and Parish Council offices. National Hero the Rt. Excellent Sir Alexander Bustamante was once tried in the Court House.  

The Port Maria Civic Centre will form the centerpiece for the development of heritage and eco-tourism and for exposing creative talents that abound in the parish. The civic centre will also enrich the social and cultural life of St. Mary when the museum is established and the craft shops are open to the public.

For further information, please contact
The Corporate Relations and Marketing Department
Urban Development Corporation
12 Ocean Boulevard
Kingston, Jamaica
Tel :( 876) 922-8310-4
Email cr@udcja.com

October  2009