Mayor of Kingston Angela Brown Burke, in a release shortly after the incident, said it would do its part to preserve the historic landmark and appealed to citizens to allow the authorities to complete their work unimpeded.
Meanwhile, Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange has instructed the Jamaica National Heritage Trust (JNHT) to see that no further damage is done to the clock tower.
Minister Grange said she was “grateful that no one was hurt in the fire”, but expressed “concern over damage to iconic clock”.
Grange’s ministry said that the initial report from the JNHT team, which assessed the damage, said there appeared to be no major damage to the tower; however, the clock itself was exposed to the fire. Other assessments are to be done.
Minister Grange, meanwhile, said the JNHT must now do whatever is necessary to protect the tower from any exposure that may do additional damage.
In 2003, the Victorian-style clock was retrofitted with a Global Positioning System traceable digital clock and an electronic chiming system at a cost of $2 million.
You must log in to post a comment.