Traffic woes, landfill sores among
issues raised at final jollification
PHILIPSBURG--Alleviating the snail’s pace traffic as well as eradicating the landfill eyesore, which sits in the heart of St. Maarten’s capital were among the issues raised during the final jollification session at the Belair Community Center on Saturday.
An estimated 70 persons from a cross-section of the community attended the session including representatives of environmental organizations, entrepreneurs, education officials, students, public works and economic affairs department representatives as well as Commissioners Sarah Wescot-Williams and Maria Buncamper-Molanus.
Several issues were raised, among them the Philipsburg landfill. Some participants felt that the landfill should be relocated and a main waste treatment facility be placed in an area such as Cay Bay said Dirk Verhagen, one of the six Dutch researchers, spearheading the initiative. Some recommendations include placing smaller treatment facilities in the various districts. Verhagen said residents were particularly concerned about pollution from the landfill, which is often on fire and which many have argued in the past, triggers asthmatic attacks and pollutes St. Maarten’s capital with smog.
Commissioner Theo Heyliger, who has prioritized this issue since assuming the public works and environmental affairs portfolios after the Island Council election in mid-2007, is currently working on solutions, which would include the construction of a waste treatment facility.
The jollification session is part of a study being conducted by the research students upon the invitation of the Department of Spatial Planning and Development VROM. The researchers from The Hague and Delft Technical Universities will fine-tune the information obtained over the next few weeks and are expected to present an official report to the Island Government by late October/early November. The intention is to incorporate the views of residents in the zoning policy being developed for St. Maarten.
The traffic, which slows to a snail’s pace, especially during peak hours in some districts, was one of the hot topics said Verhagen. Some residents embraced the promotion and use of water taxis as a viable solution. “Many people were happy with the idea of water taxis because it can be regulated and it won’t add to the traffic situation on land.”
Another suggestion was to create a recreation facility around the Great Salt Pond as an alternative to the Great Bay Beach Promenade (commonly referred to as the Boardwalk) and to create a solid drainage system for the island including the installation of water retention systems.
Some of the entrepreneurs who showed up disclosed ideas they had. One idea was the creation of a shrimp farm, said Verhagen.
The relationship between Dutch St. Maarten and French St. Martin was also raised with some suggestions that cooperation be enhanced between the two in areas such as waste management. However, these discussions have been taking place for some time now, but the French side has since proceeded with its own waste treatment facility.
Discussions centered on the areas of housing, infrastructure, education, the environment, economic development as well as issues such as immigration and tourism.
Residents felt that more of these meetings should be organized so that their voices could be heard.
Saturday’s session began with the group of researchers giving a summary of the collective opinion of the community shared during the nine preceding jollification sessions.
“We had expected more people to show up, but we are happy with the input of those who came,” said Verhagen.
