Safety issues stop projects

KINGSTON, Jamaica – Safety concerns in Spanish Town, St Catherine, have prevented at least two deserved cultural monuments in the old capital from being developed and maintained as heritage sites.The historic iron bridge in Spanish Town – which is the oldest of its kind in the hemisphere and which should be on the world’s list of heritage sites – and Emancipation Square are unlikely to get the esteemed status because of violence and criminality in the parish.Everton Hannam, secretary general of the Jamaica National Commission of UNESCO, said discussions had been ongoing for a long time, but safety issues had prevented advancement.“The discussion has been going on for sometime about that bridge, and that bridge would be a perfect heritage monument. One of the realities that has to go along with a heritage site, is safety to ensure that it can be visited anytime,” (Jamaica Observer)