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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><SPAN class=TopStory>Highway who?</SPAN>
<SPAN class=Subheadline>Marley, Shearer, Knibb among suggested names for North Coast motorway</SPAN></TD></TR><TR><TD>KERIL WRIGHT, Observer West reporter
Thursday, October 12, 2006
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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=364 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD><SPAN class=Description>A section of the North Coast Highway /Photo Horace Hines</SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><P class=StoryText align=justify>Montego Bay, St James<P class=StoryText align=justify>Western politicians and business interests are viewing with mixed reactions, a campaign to name the segment of the North Coast Highway from Montego Bay's Sangster International Airport to Ocho Rios after reggae icon, Bob Marley.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"In Jamaica we tend to name our highways after outstanding personalities......the North Coast Highway serves most of our tourist resorts in the island which focuses on entertainment, attractions and other tourism interests. Naming the North Coast Highway the Bob Marley Highway can only complement our tourism product and better position Jamaica as the home of Bob Marley and Reggae music," said Pauline Reid, president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Carmelita Olverson of the Rose Hall Resort and Country Club, located on what is informally known as the 'elegant corridor', agrees.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"We like the Bob Marley Highway and believe that it would bring more clarity and transparency," she said.
"The address for the hotel would possibly change to reflect the highway," she added.<P class=StoryText align=justify>However, their neighbours at the Half Moon Resort disagree.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"This stretch of road or area should be called the Rose Hall Highway," said Richard Whitfield, Half Moon's managing director.<P class=StoryText align=justify>According to Whitfield, the name of the highway should not be restricted to one name. Rather, said Whitfield, the road should be named according to the main areas through which it passes in order to reinforce destination marketing.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"I would look at Hugh Shearer and William Knibb," said Falmouth's mayor, Jonathan Bartley. "Hugh Shearer being a past prime minister and Knibb, who came to Jamaica and put his life on the line for our freedom."<P class=StoryText align=justify>Bartley said the Jamaica Alliance Movement's president, Ras Astor Black, had approached the Trelawny Parish Council some time ago with a recommendation that the highway be named after Bob Marley, but that this was strongly questioned by the Council.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"We told him people would not just want to come and walk on a road named after Bob Marley if they weren't going someplace connected to him," he told the Observer West.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Delroy Giscombe, the mayor of St Ann's Bay, said the St Ann Parish Council had made a submission to the Ministry of Transport and Works recommending that a section of the road that passes through the parish be named after Marley since the late reggae artiste was from St Ann and had done a lot for the country.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"I was lobbying for a section of the bypass road to be named Bob Marley Boulevard," he said.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Montego Bay's mayor, Noel Donaldson said he has not given any thought to the naming of the highway.
"I would have to give some consideration to that," he said.<P class=StoryText align=justify>And while in support of additional recognition for Marley, the Bob Marley Foundation says it will not be spearheading any movement to demand that the highway bear his name.<P class=Stor
<SPAN class=Subheadline>Marley, Shearer, Knibb among suggested names for North Coast motorway</SPAN></TD></TR><TR><TD>KERIL WRIGHT, Observer West reporter
Thursday, October 12, 2006
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width=364 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR><TR><TD><SPAN class=Description>A section of the North Coast Highway /Photo Horace Hines</SPAN></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><P class=StoryText align=justify>Montego Bay, St James<P class=StoryText align=justify>Western politicians and business interests are viewing with mixed reactions, a campaign to name the segment of the North Coast Highway from Montego Bay's Sangster International Airport to Ocho Rios after reggae icon, Bob Marley.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"In Jamaica we tend to name our highways after outstanding personalities......the North Coast Highway serves most of our tourist resorts in the island which focuses on entertainment, attractions and other tourism interests. Naming the North Coast Highway the Bob Marley Highway can only complement our tourism product and better position Jamaica as the home of Bob Marley and Reggae music," said Pauline Reid, president of the Montego Bay Chamber of Commerce.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Carmelita Olverson of the Rose Hall Resort and Country Club, located on what is informally known as the 'elegant corridor', agrees.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"We like the Bob Marley Highway and believe that it would bring more clarity and transparency," she said. "The address for the hotel would possibly change to reflect the highway," she added.<P class=StoryText align=justify>However, their neighbours at the Half Moon Resort disagree.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"This stretch of road or area should be called the Rose Hall Highway," said Richard Whitfield, Half Moon's managing director.<P class=StoryText align=justify>According to Whitfield, the name of the highway should not be restricted to one name. Rather, said Whitfield, the road should be named according to the main areas through which it passes in order to reinforce destination marketing.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"I would look at Hugh Shearer and William Knibb," said Falmouth's mayor, Jonathan Bartley. "Hugh Shearer being a past prime minister and Knibb, who came to Jamaica and put his life on the line for our freedom."<P class=StoryText align=justify>Bartley said the Jamaica Alliance Movement's president, Ras Astor Black, had approached the Trelawny Parish Council some time ago with a recommendation that the highway be named after Bob Marley, but that this was strongly questioned by the Council.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"We told him people would not just want to come and walk on a road named after Bob Marley if they weren't going someplace connected to him," he told the Observer West.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Delroy Giscombe, the mayor of St Ann's Bay, said the St Ann Parish Council had made a submission to the Ministry of Transport and Works recommending that a section of the road that passes through the parish be named after Marley since the late reggae artiste was from St Ann and had done a lot for the country.<P class=StoryText align=justify>"I was lobbying for a section of the bypass road to be named Bob Marley Boulevard," he said.<P class=StoryText align=justify>Montego Bay's mayor, Noel Donaldson said he has not given any thought to the naming of the highway.
"I would have to give some consideration to that," he said.<P class=StoryText align=justify>And while in support of additional recognition for Marley, the Bob Marley Foundation says it will not be spearheading any movement to demand that the highway bear his name.<P class=Stor
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