Elderly couple claims property loss, disputes compensation amid road project

WESTERN BUREAU:

An elderly St James couple is speaking out against what they see as unjust treatment by the National Road Operating and Constructing Company Limited (NROCC) during the Montego Bay Perimeter Road project.

The couple’s two Irwin properties have been affected by the construction of the roadway, but they believe they were “forced” to move from their primary home by NROCC and China Harbour Engineering Company.

Beverly Berley-Lee and her husband, Delroy, said they were in the process of relocating their belongings from their Riverside Drive home when the house was demolished last Monday.

Berley-Lee told The Sunday Gleaner that they were frustrated because they expected to receive 65 per cent of the promised $63-million compensation before construction began on their land. They had already received 15 per cent along with other relocation fees from NROCC.

“It was a 1.9-acre property and had two dwellings. The main dwelling was a five-bedroom house with a kitchen, a separate dining room, a living room, and a huge veranda. It also had a double garage. Outside, we had a gazebo, a goat pen, and a chicken coop. [There was also] a two-bedroom dwelling with a bathroom and a kitchenette,” Berley-Lee explained.

She believes a lack of communication has been a major source of their dissatisfaction with NROCC.

“We were nearly at the end of handing over because they gave us the 15 per cent and $75,000 a month for rent for three months, and $20,000 to move. We had a large property. We couldn’t just move immediately, and they never gave us any time frame.

“However, ... we were at the tail end of moving. Initially, we didn’t have enough space to store our stuff, and they offered us a container. We used to go down to take things and so forth. We went down there last week on Monday morning, and after leaving, we got a call to say that the house was demolished,” Berley-Lee said.

Her husband said that he had been compelled to protect his property on several occasions, owing to workmen encroaching on their land. He said that this has fuelled their belief that property owners are being “bullied” into moving away without the completion of sale.

“Several times, I had to go down there personally in confrontation with them because they weren’t supposed to be on the property,” he said.

“We used to operate a nursing home, so we had walkers and other things stored inside there. I even had a small tiller. We weren’t here for a weekend. When we came back, we realised that they went on the property and bulldozed down the goat pen, so everything that was inside was buried. They had no permission to be on the land. It’s when we move out and sign off that they are permitted to be on the property,” argued Lee.

“I think it’s an intimidation tactic to get you off. It’s like they don’t respect you. All they are thinking about is wanting the place to cut the road. It stresses me out to the point where I make some utterances that I wouldn’t normally do. We have nobody to talk to and nowhere to turn. I was even called the village lawyer for speaking out,” he told The Sunday Gleaner.

The couple was also trying to remove hardware and other items from the building. However, Berley-Lee reported that their windows were removed from the property without permission.

“It was during that weekend that somebody went in and screwed out all of the windows. They just took all of the windows out of the house,” she said.

“At the back gate to Riverside Drive, we had a padlock, and it was cut off. Apparently, to take out the windows. All of that was reported to them,” Delroy added.

Though they are not casting any blame, the elderly couple is disappointed that they did not get the chance to move all of their belongings before any work was carried out on the property.

At the same time, Delroy stated that he has recently discovered that work has begun in the backyard of their second property on Fairfield Road. However, Berley-Lee claimed that no money had been transmitted to them. She stated that NROCC has agreed to pay about $57 million for that property.

There was supposedly an issue with the property title because it included her deceased mother’s name, but Berley-Lee stated that this has since been resolved.

“First, they wanted to take the back of the property, and then after that, they said they wanted the entire property. We didn’t get a sales agreement. I signed the offer letter, returned it, and we are just like pigs in poo sitting here. We have a link fence around the back, but that separated half the property from the inline that we had. They are on top of the incline, clearing and digging away. My property goes beyond the fence, and they are the ones who knocked down the peg,” she said.

“We nuh sign off on anything, and these things get us so frustrated,” Lee chimed in.

However, in an email to The Sunday Gleaner, Stephen Edwards, managing director at NROCC, indicated that they have been working to make the process as simple as possible for the Lee family. Edwards claimed that the issuing of the 65 per cent for the now-demolished property was delayed due to Berley-Lee’s request for payment in United States currency. He also reported that the property was inspected and deemed vacant before demolishing.

Edwards said that the elderly couple had been instructed to remove everything they wanted to keep from the house.

“Mr and Mrs Lee vacated the premises voluntarily. As agreed, Mr and Mrs Lee removed the doors, windows, security grilles, light fixtures, the roof, water tank, and other fixtures from the structure for personal use. Following this, the property was inspected and confirmed to be vacant,” Edwards said.

“Mrs Lee requested that the further payment of 65 per cent be made in USD. While there were initial difficulties processing the payment due to issues with the account information, NROCC staff, Mrs Lee, and her bank worked collaboratively via a conference call to resolve the matter. The payment has been successfully processed in USD as requested. In accordance with the terms of the sales agreement, the remaining balance will be paid once the title has been officially transferred to NROCC. The vacant structure has since been demolished,” said Edwards.

Checks made with the Lee family have indicated that the monies were received on Friday.

At the same time, Edwards told The Sunday Gleaner that the current disagreement between NROCC and the elderly couple stems from their desire to renegotiate the sales deal after it was signed.

“Mrs Lee is now requesting additional compensation for the driveway. We have clarified that this item was already considered and included in the valuation and compensation package, as per the signed sales agreement. Nonetheless, NROCC staff remain in open dialogue with Mrs Lee, and we value the respectful and constructive relationship we have maintained with her throughout this process.”

However, Berley-Lee believes that they weren’t properly compensated for the road.

“We had a very nice road that was built in 2007. We lived at the bottom of a hill, so we had to divert the water off the road. It had pipes and drains. That was one of the things I was negotiating about. They said that they paid us $2.5 million for the road. There is no way on God’s earth you could build that road for $2.5 million,” she said.

Meanwhile, Edwards said that the couple’s second property has not been breached. He said that the couple has raised this concern; however, it has not been validated.

Edwards said he is looking forward to completing the sales in short order.

“With the title issue now resolved, we anticipate that the acquisition process will be finalised quickly, based on the compensation amount that was already agreed upon,” he said.

The Montego Bay Perimeter Road Project is approximately 65 per cent complete and is on schedule to be completed in May 2026. A signature piece of the project is the Montego River Bridge, which is almost complete.

“Upon completion, the Montego Bay Bypass will help to alleviate the traffic congestion in Montego Bay and increase access to lands for development,” Edwards explained.

rochelle.clayton@gleanerjm.com