THE LOOK of the area behind the St Lawrence Primary school seems to be deceiving.
The track running behind the school has what appears to be an abandoned hearse and unused buses, trucks and other rusting vehicles, about which one grandparent of a child at the school has raised a health concern.
The woman, whose identity was not ascertained, told the NATION she did not think such an environment was healthy so near to a school, adding she saw rats running around the area.
However, when a DAILY NATION team investigated yesterday it was discovered all was not as it seemed.
Desmond Croney, who assists his family in collecting the vehicles for parts, said they were not responsible for any health threats in the area and in fact, they helped keep it clean.
“We have had health inspectors pass here on numerous occasions and we make sure to either get rid of any containers which could harbour mosquitoes or my dad throws kerosene oil in any such container,” he said.
Croney said they often used their vehicles to clear bush from the area and even assisted in keeping the grounds of the school tidy.
As for the vehicles, he said his brother had been in contact with B’s Bottle Depot in Cane Garden, St Thomas, to have some of them hauled away, adding his brother was about to have it done personally as the bottle depot had been slow in responding.
Croney said any rats in the area came from the nearby Graeme Hall swamp where they were numerous nests in the trees. He said the swamp was the real problem after Government cut the track through the area, resulting in a clog.
“The main problem around here is that the swamp waterway is clogged. When rain falls and the water level rises, out here is like a lake and then when people complain, Government sends a tractor to lift the sluice gate (located on Worthing Beach) for an hour. That gate really needs to be fixed,” he said.
Principal of the school, Gloria Bryan, expressed amazement at the claim there were rats on the premises. She said she had never seen any over the three years she had been principal and she had no problem with the Croney family.
“If not for them, I couldn’t get this place cleaned up. Mr Croney (referring to an elder in the family) is a fisherman and teaches the children about nets and catching fish,” she said.
