Residents repair Portland road on Labour Day - Ticketing booth built at Carder Park

Residents of Reservoir in Kildaire, Buff Bay, western Portland, turned out in large numbers on Labour Day, Monday, to carry out minor repairs to a deteriorating road surface and drainage system.

The project, supported by Member of Parliament Daryl Vaz and bottled-water company Lifespan, reflected the Labour Day spirit of community volunteerism.

“Lifespan had to get involved as this is a community located in the same parish where we do business,” commented Karona Atkins, brand manager at Lifespan Spring Water Company in Spring Garden, Portland.

She continued: “We provided all the volunteers with bottled water so as to keep them hydrated throughout the day. The Labour Day project entails minor restoration of a section of the roadway, bushing, and repairs to the drainage system. It is very important for us to participate, and this is our way of giving back to the community, knowing that we are all a part of this parish, and we have to ensure that growth is achieved”.

Reservoir Road had deteriorated after heavy rainfall in December 2025 and in January and February this year. Residents selected it for attention, aiming at least to restore vehicular access.

“And so today, we are out in our numbers to try and make the road surface a little better for motorists, who have been having a difficult time,” said Austin Bartley, speaking on behalf of residents.

“We acknowledge the help that we got from the MP, who donated sand and gravel for the work to be done. Another resident also donated cement, and for that we are very thankful. We have been having bad road situations for years, so today, we as a community decided to come out and see how best we can work together to try and fix this roadway known as the reservoir road.

“Without the help that we got, in terms of cement, sand, and gravel, it would not be possible. We also thank Lifespan for providing us with water, which is a good thing, as for most part, the day was extremely hot. It is a community effort, and this will benefit everyone,” he added.

Meanwhile, the parish’s main Labour Day project took place at Carder Park in eastern Portland. A team from the Portland Municipal Corporation, led by its chief technical engineer, Raymond Grant, built a ticketing booth to improve access and ease congestion at the entrance of the popular sporting venue.

“So we got building materials from several local hardware operators in the area to do the actual construction of this ticketing booth, which will be used to assist patrons entering the venue and ease congestion,” stated Grant.

gareth.davis@gleanerjm.com