High time
The silence among those behind the Westin Resort and the Island Government when it comes to the continued problems with the road at Dawn Beach is nothing short of deafening. While the success of the project is without a doubt crucial to the tourism economy of St. Maarten and its future, that in no way justifies ignoring legitimate concerns of both residents and road users.
The matter was rightfully mentioned several times during Monday’s Island Council meeting on the budget and that will no doubt be the case again when the adjourned meeting continues today. Hopefully the Executive Council will have answers to some of the questions posed by the opposition, such as when the road will be upgraded as promised and whether the owners/developers have filed a court case against government.
While the road blocked by the developers is apparently on their private land, anyone who went there and saw the detour created through the construction yard would understand why truck drivers and heavy equipment operators object to using it, especially as the access road on the other side leading to Oyster Pond is rather steep and is slippery when it rains.
For the residents on the side where the road has been blocked, on the other hand, it can mean having to use the dark and narrow road over the hill that they in turn consider less favourable to get to and from their homes.
But the road is not the only problem by any means, as a letter to the editor in Monday’s paper from a Dawn Beach Estates resident indicated. One example is the huge septic tank that reportedly was supposed to be put underground, but for now sits there in full view and apparently clear hearing distance of homes in the area.
While the letter’s author invited the commissioners and building inspectors to come and have a look and listen for themselves, the two residential communities Tamarind Hill and Dawn Beach Estates have each filed formal complaints asking the Fire Department to stop the blocking of the access road, because of the risk to public safety. All in all, it is a messy situation that simply should not exist at a five-star resort that just opened for the busy season.
The hotel not being entirely ready and the inconvenience this brings is one thing. Having tourists become the victims of the apparent standoff between government, the developer and the heavy equipment operators quite another. When a truck was used to block the other access road in protest on Saturday, it also meant taxi drivers for quite some time could not adequately reach the hotel to pick up and drop off guests, who are reportedly paying US $400 a night to stay in one of the 310 rooms.
Surely it is in the best interest of all parties involved, including the hotel itself, residents in the area and government, that these issues be resolved satisfactorily as soon as possible. Most of all, it is high time those who carry responsibility in the matter break their silence and come clean to let the people know what is going on and what they intend to do about it.
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