Four representatives of the Cay Bay Community Council board during the council meeting in Parliament on Thursday, February 17. From left: Treasurer C. Thomas, Treasurer D. Arrindell, President S. Cannegieter, District Marshall T. Charley and Community Police Officer S. Crispallo.
~ Industrial dangers, sewage problems and safety concerns ~
PHILIPSBURG--Four representatives of the Cay Bay Community Council came to Parliament on Thursday, February 17, to voice their concerns regarding the Cay Bay area. The residents said they were worried about various health hazards and social problems relating to industrial dangers, sewage problems and safety concerns, and proposed solutions to some of these issues.
Cay Bay Community Council President S. Cannegieter demonstrated their concerns in a presentation to the Members of Parliament present.
The council was established in 2019 as legal body and described Cay Bay as a small community within the Cole Bay district, “connected not only by streets and alleyways, but by the family bond.”
“Cay Bay is unique,” Cannegieter said, “not only because of its geographical location, but unique in the sense that our community is made up of a mixture of residential and industrial occupants.”
She explained that the residents’ health is at risk due to the ever-expanding industrial companies. “There are even more industrial companies that are being proposed, discussed or in the process of being built,” she added.
Industrial dangers include heavy fuel, jet fuel, gas and electricity. “Combined, these are the ingredients for a major combustion. Residents go about their daily lives not really taking note of the dangers that lurk, should one holding tank sustain damage or an undetected leak take place.”
Cannegieter explained that the industrial companies do not inform residents about the dangerous contents of the various tanks close to their homes. She said their main concern relates to disaster management. The residents are not only concerned about what to do during an emergency, but also how they would be warned, as there are currently no alarm systems or emergency drills in place.
Another concern pertains to hurricanes because of the industrial presence in the area, for example, a gas leak after Hurricane Irma that was fortunately uncovered in time. Cannegieter said the council has requested a hurricane contingency plan and an assigned hurricane shelter from various government and disaster personnel, but to no avail.
Thankfully, the Netherlands Red Cross offered to equip Cay Bay’s residents with hurricane preparedness equipment, she said. The community council therefore requested the creation of a hurricane contingency plan and training for residents.
Furthermore, there is only one working fire hydrant in the area, while “there are too many possibilities of fire/explosion, too many structures that are not built according to [the – Ed.] building code,” Cannegieter said.
Additionally, Cay Bay cannot be accessed by emergency vehicles if there is an obstruction on the main road. The council proposed to widen the Windsor Road junction to solve this problem.
Cannegieter said that Aaron Jacobs Drive is the road everyone thinks of when they think of Cay Bay. Here, persons were allowed to build without building permits or any form of guidelines, Cannegieter said. “As a result of this fiasco, an area known as Aaron Jacobs Drive has been created, commonly referred to as the ghetto,” she added.
According to the council, “the blind eye that is given to the mushrooming of these structures” in this area is a major part of Cay Bay’s social and environmental problems.
According to Cannegieter, sewage and drainage are other serious issues, as Cay Bay’s streets are on the same level as the sea and its underground springs hinder evaporation. There are no proper drainage systems in place to guide the water, resulting in overflowing streets, she said.
“There are also some residents who have built homes and/or apartments without the proper building permit. These structures are not connected to a septic tank or a septic system, and the raw sewage runs through regular water pipes under these structures and is then led to evaporate in the ground or flows onto the street,” she added.
The sewage sometimes runs along the streets used by pedestrians. “In some cases, it is unavoidable, and one must walk in the filthy water or risk being splashed by passing vehicles,” Cannegieter said.
Not only is this an inconvenience and not the best-smelling perfume, but it is also a health hazard, as the sewage water comes into their schools, homes, drinking water and places of work, she added.
Another problem has to do with the fact that garbage collectors only service the main road and there are an insufficient number of trash cans in the area.
Another community concern relates to the Ms. Lalie Center. Cannegieter called the juvenile detention centre “a nuisance to our community” due to its proximity to an elementary school. Residents complain about “the noise and obscenities that come from that centre at all hours of the day and night,” claiming that the seniors are unable to sleep because of it.
“The little schoolgirls on their way to and from school are told all types of indecent sexual innuendos as to what they would do with them and to them. This is an elementary school, so obviously we are not speaking about adults or young adults.” The young boys are not spared either as they are threatened when walking their sisters home from school, she added.
Other security issues pertain to the area’s port. According to Cannegieter, there are no mechanisms in place to divert illegal activities and the areas in which these activities are conducted are poorly lit. She suggested better lighting, more police presence and more frequent Coast Guard patrols to solve this problem.
The council also requested that the old basketball court be enhanced by turning it into a recreational area with a park for children and families, complete with a fully repaired sports court. The representatives of the community also said it would be greatly appreciated if the area surrounding the cemetery could be beautified and cleaned up and if a law could be proposed to protect the area from further vandalising.
Cay Bay residents also enquired whether an old limestone home could be placed on St. Maarten’s monuments list, as it has been in existence since the 1800s and is now filled with garbage.
