KINGSTON, Jamaica — When students of Ferry Basic School in St Andrew step back onto campus for the new school term, they will be greeted by a fully renovated, safer, and more functional learning space, the result of large-scale improvement works completed by the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and its partner stakeholders during this year’s national Labour Day.
The comprehensive upgrade project addressed a wide range of longstanding infrastructure needs at the institution. Works carried out included critical roof repairs and structural reinforcement to shore up aging building sections, full demolition and reconstruction of the school’s non-functional kitchen, drainage system clearing and maintenance, and plumbing repairs across the campus. Additional upgrades covered landscaping and expansion of the school’s outdoor play area, installation of new playground equipment, construction of two new bathroom vanities, and fresh repainting of multiple school buildings. As a key safety addition, the UDC team also installed corrugated steel mesh covers over open drainage zones, eliminating a major hazard for young students and staff.
In an interview with JIS News, UDC Customer Service Manager Diane Hanson explained that the renovation initiative forms a core part of the state agency’s annual corporate Labour Day community engagement program. The UDC invested approximately JMD $1.7 million into the remedial and upgrade works at Ferry Basic School.
Hanson highlighted that one of the most impactful changes addressed a critical daily need for students. “When our team first conducted an assessment of the school, we found the existing small kitchen was completely non-functional. We know how important it is for children to access a hot, nutritious lunch every day, rather than relying only on cold snacks,” she noted.
“What we delivered is a fully rebuilt kitchen with new cabinetry and all the necessary infrastructure to support daily meal preparation. Now, long after our team has left, the school will have a fully operational kitchen, and students will be able to enjoy warm meals every school day,” she added.
Hanson also shared the reasoning behind selecting Ferry Basic School for this year’s Labour Day project: the institution’s close proximity to the Raintree Development Complex, one of the UDC’s flagship urban development projects, making the upgrade a natural part of the agency’s commitment to supporting surrounding local communities.
Photos from the Labour Day work day show Hanson working alongside UDC technical staff — including Junior Civil Engineer Kuffy-Hi Smith and Landscape Supervisor Christopher Cole — to complete repainting work at the school on May 25. Ferry Basic School is just one of several educational institutions and community public spaces that benefited from UDC-led rehabilitation projects across Jamaica this Labour Day.