One of the abandoned pavilions on the ring road.
PHILIPSBURG--With the peak of the hurricane season near, residents are concerned about three pavilions abandoned by Charlotte Brookson Academy (CBA) for the Performance Arts and St. Maarten Academy. The tents were used for temporary classrooms until repairs to the schools were completed.
The pavilions arrived in St. Maarten aboard the Karel Doorman on its first trip to the country and were part of the relief items from the Netherlands in 2017. The construction of the first of four pavilions began on the ring road in October. The pavilions were given to the schools that had sustained the most damage and had been left without classrooms or an alternate location.
Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) Wycliffe Smith said he is aware of the empty pavilions and is working on a plan to take them down and ship them back to the Netherlands.
“My Ministry will be meeting with a company to take down the tents. I am aware that it is hurricane season. Once we have a quote in, we can move along and remove the tents,” stated Smith on Wednesday.
Methodist Agogic Centre – Comprehensive Secondary Education (MAC-CSE) still uses its pavilion as it awaits the full renovation of its classrooms in Ebenezer.
The pavilions were constructed by representatives of Intertent (the manufacturer of the pavilions), the Marines, the GENIE group of engineers, the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI and local contractors.
Concerned residents of the neighbourhoods in question hope the removal of the pavilions takes place soon, as the materials could become a major hazard once they fly loose due to storm winds.
