St. Maarten Concrete General Manager Kenecia David (second from left), VROMI Minister Miklos Giterson, Eagle Minds Construction Company representative, and St. Maarten Concrete Managing Director Franklin David.
PHILIPSBURG--Organ Pipe Cactus Drive off Arch Road in Sucker Garden now has an entirely new look, thanks to a “first of its kind” collaboration between the Government of St. Maarten through the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI and private company St. Maarten Concrete.
VROMI Minister Miklos Giterson cut the ribbon on Wednesday afternoon to mark the official reopening of the road. Giterson said the collaboration on this significant project “is proof that the character of the people of St. Maarten is key to us achieving the goal of a sustainably redeveloped St. Maarten. True commitment to country was shown when the concrete supply company St. Maarten concrete agreed to donate some US $150,000 worth of cement towards the completion of the entire road.”
Giterson, who hails from the Sucker Garden area, said seeing the project completed was personally satisfying for him because it was the first project he had approved when he took office in June 2018.
“This was one of the first projects I was able to approve when I came into office and although it has taken some time to reach fruition, I am happy for the residents on Organ Pipe Cactus Road who no longer have to endure the constant flying dust that for years made it painful for them to open their front doors,” he said.
He added that much more roadwork is needed and while the Government has the intention to construct and improve several roads, it will take other initiatives and collaborations such as the one between St. Maarten Concrete and the government to get all the streets on the island up to par.
St. Maarten Concrete Managing Director Franklin David and General Manager Kenecia David were also on hand for the “proud moment.” They expressed gratitude to government for the opportunity to partner with it on such an important project.
According to Franklin, “This project is a testament to my belief that together we can do great things. It is also the beginning of even greater things to come, and I am happy that St. Maarten Concrete was able to give back something to the community which has supported us since we started.”
The roadwork took some three weeks to complete and construction was coordinated by Eagle Minds Construction Company, which hired mainly Sucker Garden area residents to perform as much of the labour as possible.
