Dear Editor,
It is with enormous sadness that my husband and I learned of the recent court ruling against Lee’s Roadside Grill, despite the long-term lease that Lee Halley had been promised and honoured and that Mr. Halley had been operating under for years. This seems to be an arbitrary application of the law that disregarded that agreement in favour of development that will only serve to line the pockets of the developer, at the expense of small business and the character of St. Maarten. What a terrible loss for the local and tourism communities of the island.
As frequent visitors to St. Maarten, Lee’s Roadside Grill has become a place of great significance for my husband and me. I know that we share these feelings with many, many people and to say that we are devastated by the court’s decision is not in any way an exaggeration. Lee’s is a very special place. It is not just a restaurant or a charter fishing operation. Lee’s is locally owned, locally staffed and locally patronized. It is a draw for thousands upon thousands of residents and tourists all year long. The food is distinctly, deliciously Caribbean and the entertainment is perfectly-suited to all of its loyal guests.
Furthermore, Lee’s is part of the rich and wonderful culture of St. Maarten. The fact that the culture has thus far remained intact is one of the main reasons we have come back for years. It is a big part of the reason that we chose to invest on St. Maarten, instead of the plethora of other Caribbean islands. What we love about St. Maarten is simple: we love its people, its culture, its traditions, its beauty and especially, its uniqueness.
All in all, a visit to the island and to places like Lee’s is priceless. If authentic island restaurants like Lee’s are not deemed to be culturally significant, protected or preserved, then I believe that St. Maarten will lose a huge part of its identity. This can only result in an additional huge loss of the island’s appeal to many of its vacationers. How long before St. Maarten turns into something so cookie-cutter and bland that people start looking elsewhere for a unique vacation destination? We were certain that this could never happen on St. Maarten, but sadly, each year, more and more of the things that make the island special seem to be disappearing.
Personally, we are not interested in going to a place where there are big hotel chains blocking the beaches and generic restaurants serving mediocre food catering to basic tastes. We don’t want to visit an island that is best viewed through the tinted windows of tour buses making a quick drive around a few curated “places of interest.” We don’t want to visit a destination that has reinvented itself to look just like the towns at home that we were hoping to escape for a while. Orient Beach should serve as a cautionary tale. It used to be so vibrant, filled with interesting shops and beach bars and restaurants. Now, it’s a series of uninteresting, government-built sheds, differentiated only by the colour of their paint, with no other distinguishing features. Long-time tenants vacated and long-time visitors are dismayed at the change. If Simpson Bay becomes a row of non-descript, half-occupied concrete buildings, who would bother visiting?
We urge you to reconsider your decision and to allow Lee's Roadside Grill to continue operating at its present location. The island is better off for it. Very best regards,
Jill and Danny
New York City
