Vendors to remove tables at end of every day

Beginning this week, persons vending on the streets of Kingstown will be required to move away their tables at the end of each day.{{more}}

Deputy Warden of the Kingstown Board Benjamin Haynes told SEARCHLIGHT that beginning June 27, vendors will be required to pack their tables neatly in the area of the temporary market on Bay Street.

SEARCHLIGHT caught up with Haynes on Sunday, June 26, as he was supervising the removal of vendor tables and the cleaning of the area adjacent to the Kingstown vegetable market.

In the meantime, Haynes said, vendors will be allowed to use the tables they have now, but in a controlled manner.

Special attention will be paid to where the tables are placed and their appearance.

However, going forward, the Town Board will provide specially designed tables for sale to vendors. These tables, Haynes said, were designed so they can be easily folded and packed away. The materials to be used to construct the tables are presently being sourced, he said.

If vendors wish to construct their own tables, they may do so, once the tables are neat and attractive, he added.

Haynes said in the past, many of the tables were made from “box board” or material from old pallets. This will no longer be allowed, as according to Haynes, this material harbours pests such as rodents and cockroaches.

The decisions being implemented in relation to cleaning the town were reached during meetings held between the Ministry of Transport and Works and representatives of persons who vend in Kingstown. These meetings were chaired by Minister of Transport and Works Senator Julian Francis and included staff from the ministry, the Kingstown Board and the 20 vendor representatives.

The decision to “clean up” the town was announced by Francis on June 2, during a mass meeting of vendors at the Kingstown Market. During that meeting, Francis said the congestion of vendors’ stalls and benches was unsightly, especially after all the vendors are gone and the benches are packed and stacked up, left on the streets of Kingstown. He called on the vendors to select 20 vendors to represent them at meetings to be held to discuss the “clean up” procedure.

Haynes said among the decisions made at those meetings was that all vendors would remove their tables and pack them in the area of the temporary market by the evening of Saturday, June 25.

However, not all the vendors complied, he disclosed.

As a result, the remaining tables were removed on Sunday morning by trucks provided by the Kingstown Board.

Haynes said after being cleared, the Bedford Street area, and the Bay Street area from the intersection with Bedford Street down to the Ace Hardware area, as well as other areas of Kingstown were cleaned with the assistance of the Fire Department.

“I am quite happy with the result,” he said, and thanked the Fire Department for their assistance.

Haynes said the Town Board intends to work together with the police and the Public Health Department to ensure that the decisions arrived at during the meetings with the vendors are enforced.

“We are doing our best to ensure that we keep the town tidy, as far as possible,” he said.