Dear Editor,
Providence Bay, (informally named years ago, the word means ‘to use foresight’) lies at the Eastern (sunrise) end of the Causeway bridge. It used to be a single bay of mangroves, but is now partly divided by the ‘foot’ of the bridge. Although much of the bay was badly affected during and after the unscreened bridge-dredging operations, it has slowly but surely crawled, swam and wriggled back on the road to recovery both above and below the surface.
The invasive ‘snot-weed’ which took over after dredging is fighting a slow, but we hope losing battle (though summer may bring another bloom). The sudden restriction in circulation in the bay (due to the bridge footing) seemed to contribute negatively, but life abounds! Both sides of the bridge are in recovery mode and every week we see new evidence of mangroves re-establishing themselves on the mud flat, more water birds and frogs, as well as birds of prey are slowly spending more time in the area. Sadly, the bats stay away from the bridge lights.
Alongside the transplanted mangroves, which concerned private individuals took so much effort to establish, crabs and hosts of juvenile fish and fry find their niche for a while. Canoe eco-tours and local recreational fishermen are daily visitors to the environs, we see folks fly fishing, locals catching a few crabs or fish for supper. Evening strollers with their children and the regular runners and cyclists will have seen how this area of Providence Bay is recovering. Both sides of the bridge here make wonderful and practical corner for gentle eco-tourism and resident relaxation. The egrets and herons on the flats to the South are beautiful at sunset.
The historic slave wall is close by to the North, though a scrabble to get through the bush in places. By canoe one can locate where the slave wall encounters the lagoon. Some lobster fishermen removed a lot of the rocks, but it is a pretty spot under the mangroves by the water. I cannot help wondering how many freedom seekers once waited praying in a similar hush, somewhere close to where I am, perhaps? Waiting a chance get to the wall and over; or for the sound of the dogs coming in the night. A simple trail from the bridge would allow folks good access to a contemplative spot by the wall.
Bird watching is gentle and easily accommodated for with a trail and a viewing hide or two, especially to the South. How many people have seen a raptor take a fish at sunset? The island was voted in the top 10 for bird watching destinations recently (see Herald). Passing turtles (a few each year) seem to hang out for a day or so, munching on the weeds and the varieties of jellyfish which colonise some parts. Big shoals of fish of all ages circulate in and through the bay. Rays and barracuda (one really big chap) patrol the bay.
The Southern side of this bay is one of the proposed site for a 6,000m2 sewerage plant built on a man-made peninsular or island, which will require massive dredging and its associated impact. To consider changing the circulation of the lagoon, and destroying a large area of mangrove as well as taking away from the community of St. Maarten yet another pleasant corner, surely must be seen short-sighted. The Nature Foundation of St. Maarten clearly states in its in-depth report on the proposal that they can find NO scientific environmental reason for locating the plant in this area. Read between the lines...
Other locations are available and more desirable, and certainly more ‘dead’ than Providence Bay.
Cole Bay – a diseased, over-developed and poisoned part of the lagoon is in desperate need of help and really the place to start. Cole Bay has been overloaded with heavy traffic, unscreened dredging and re-dredging for years, the tiny flow to the sea is long blocked. The Nature Foundation survey yields scary results. Compare the graphs on pages 15/16 with those on 17/18. A sewerage plant there would allow for rapid clean-up and prevention of more effluent etc. entering that part of the lagoon. If proximity to residences seems to be an issue, then build it long and narrow perhaps? The western end of the Causeway, both sides - barren and open.
The man-made land adjacent to the Isle de Sol marina is plenty big enough, out of sight and already there. No dredging, start building next week! It would serve for all the mega yachts at the marina to pump-out directly instead of trucking sewerage along the roads, or pumping their holding tanks out between island stops. Surely the community-minded owner of this land would be approachable about coming to an arrangement with Government about sharing a small potion his created land with the community for such a vital project.
Each of these suggested sites allows fairly close access to the ocean for emergency discharges of effluent or freshwater excess via a pipe-line, should that be part of the long-term plan.
The eastern end of the bridge does not need such drastic interference, some sensible community input and care, that’s all. It is also an ideal area for a possible play park, youth- sailing training, birdwatching trails, canoeing, re-energising. The politicians have apparently declared the area “dead.” I suppose it might look like that from the back of a passing car with tinted windows. Mangroves are meant to be muddy and messy.
Please and with respect, elected leaders take a better look, read the Nature Foundation recommendations, and remember who will be held accountable for your actions. No, not you of course, I am talking about the taxpayers and their children who will pay for poorly informed decisions made now, for decades to come.
With respect, I am asking all concerned people and groups to publicly voice as many questions as possible regarding the site of the sewerage plant. Wherever it is put, it will have an impact; we must use every consideration to reduce that impact to a minimum. No part of the lagoon or the island is entirely isolate from the rest. Ministers and Members of Parliament, private people, community leaders, church groups, enviro/eco groups, SMMTA, EPIC, schools, University of St. Martin, water tour operators, yacht clubs, etc.; Read or re-read the “Assessment (of) Proposed Location - Sewerage Plant” Nature Foundation of St. Maarten, available from www.naturefoundationsxm.org . It has colour photos and graphs and is for the most part clearly explained for the lay person. Take a walk or a paddle around the areas mentioned here. Talk to local environment and nature experts; get as much of the whole picture as you can.
Like the garbage dump situation, action must be taken regarding sewerage treatment, but it is how that action is taken, and with what foresight final decisions are made. Historically and globally, human “management” of environmentally sensitive areas, no matter how well-meant at the time, all too often doesn't work or rare help in the long term, and sometimes we really mess up! But at least as 21st century, environmentally-aware islanders, using knowledge and foresight we can try very hard to make the most appropriate choices. Let's do that now! The decision, possibly being made this week, should not quietly go ahead without YOUR input and questions. Sewerage is something we ALL produce.
Mason Chadwick
Dear Editor,
The landfill (dump) in Philipsburg is on fire again and the perils with the new garbage collection contracts in general have only added to the frustration.
Some might feel that this is open political season and we could now point fingers at the persons who were in charge of areas like Public Works, etc., for many years and under whose responsibility this matter fell.
We could use the lack of visible action by those persons as political ammunition and start to "shoot" at these persons who over the years and for mainly selfish reasons have stalled, turned back, reversed or whatever the case might have been, any plan that had to do with arriving at a solution for the Philipsburg landfill.
However, this blame game will not get us any closer to a solution at this time.
The people of St. Maarten are nevertheless encouraged to look back over the years and see who has been responsible for the stalling and reversing and who even in the recent past have tried to get between GEBE and a possible solution. That again will not get us out of the impasse we are apparently in.
I have said to my coalition partners that we need to cut to the chase and if e.g. the plan that is now on the table is just sitting there and coming to a power purchase agreement with GEBE does not appear feasible due to cost or economy of scale, then we need to cut it!
We need to cut to the chase and let go of unfeasible proposals.
Don't let it remain lying on a desk at GEBE, because stakeholders might not want to hear that once again and because of the passing of time, another plan must be aborted.
Let government make a firm decision if the proposed system for a Waste to Energy plan is not workable and let's move on.
We can understand that the current situation of the board and management of GEBE does not contribute to a speedy decision, but it is also a fact that GEBE has had this proposal for some time now.
And so although the DP hopes for a speedy decision with respect to management and board of GEBE, we do not believe the decision of "go or no-go" should depend on such.
In addition, we recently had a new contract for the management of the landfill signed. That contract was on the basis of how things were and how things used to be done.
If we consider the fact that even if we were to reach a firm agreement for a Waste-to-Energy or any other system to dispose of our garbage today, it would allegedly take 18 months to two years before operation, the management of the dump, in our opinion needs to be revisited.
The question to consider in that case would be: can rehabilitation of the existing dump take place while getting the new system up and running?
We really hope so.
Sarah Wescot-Williams
Leader, Democratic Party (DP)
Dear Editor,
Through time we have sought destinations away from home for our leisure. In creating traditions, annual family vacations were often planned and enjoyed to bond, enhance the love for one another, and have joyful experiences. Experiences to last a lifetime. In fact, through such vacations, permitted exposure to other cultures and religions bringing a vast knowledge and experience that would permit us to better partake in the world.
Throughout our youth, many of us were rewarded with travel abroad after having completed a school year successfully. Travel was for a long time associated with pleasure, adventure, and mere enhancement of personal wellbeing.
Travel, however, is undertaken with greater frequency for business. Business growth and so economic development have been contingent on expansion of market opportunities exceeding borders. Whilst telecommunication now enables business to be undertaken anywhere any time, in a global environment this means of communication has not mitigated the importance of travel. So travel is done by means of vehicular transport (over continents having such connections), by train, ship or aircraft.
In an article written by Chris Isidore for CNN money, the many means of travel were compared based on the number of fatalities over a five-year period. It was established that a scale ranging from most dangerous to least dangerous was represented as follows: Motorcycles-cars and trucks-trains-metros/subways-busses-planes. One may assume that these figures were based on the fatalities caused during a crash of such transportation means. However, anno 2016 we should question if the fatalities which occur in and around airports, train stations and metro stations should be considered as fatalities related to the transportation means being sought.
Terrorism attacks have in a short period of time made most means of mass transportation to be the most dangerous means of transportation. The utilization of aircrafts, the bombing of metro stations and recent bombings in the departure hall of the Brussels airport are just some of the examples in which the use of certain transportation means are targeted, simply because of the greater number of people that are transported by such means at any given time.
For years we believed that travel by air or by train were by far the safest means of transportation; that believe is now rapidly dissipating. The use of such transportation means now may make us sitting ducks in an enclosed pond, highly vulnerable to malicious attacks. The open borders in Europe, once seen as the means to attain a European Union, a higher form of economic development through trade and free movement of people, may now be the cause of its vulnerability to terrorist attacks.
It is suggested that many more attacks are in the planning and probably execution phase, cautioning travel to Europe. Yet we have seen that acts of terrorism are not confined to any area, continent or country. In fact its non-discriminatory nature is the reason why no country can become complacent or deem itself not a target.
With that being said, would it be conceivable that travellers would find themselves playing Russian roulette with their lives every time travel by aircraft, train, metro or even by ship was ventured? That realization may have far-fetching consequences for destinations strongly dependent on tourism. How do we ensure that travel through these means remains the least dangerous means of transportation?
What is required to maintain safety and security so that travel not only for business, but for leisure continues? Has St. Maarten embarked on this journey to ensure that travel to the country remains a desired and safe option? World events as far away as they may seem, can have an impact on us, so it is essential that mechanisms are put in place in the country to aid in the fight against acts of terrorism. Compliance with FATF’s recommendations as set forth in the AML/CFT (Anti Money Laundering /Combating the financing of terrorism) standards is a step in the right direction.
Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Dear Editor,
Please allow me some space in your newspaper to address Health Minister Emil Lee.
Hello Mr. Lee, and I was so glad and relieved to read your advice in the newspaper …“ If you are walking anywhere downtown, or your house is enveloped by the deadly toxic smoke billowing from the dump that’s been burning out of control for three days NEVER, ever breath. Hold your breath for as long as it takes, but never actually breath the air.”
I can see now why you got appointed as Minister of Public Health with that astounding insight and clarity of thought. Clearly all those years of professional training and experience in the field of health are really paying off. I guess that’s why you get the big money.
Now that that’s settled, how about some more of that keen Kreskin-like insight into things like… oh you know…Who is doing what to put the fire out? Or, gee, how do we keep this from happening EVERY SINGLE YEAR like the last 20 or so…you know… stuff like that.
Once again, a keen example of our tax dollars at work.
Stefanie Kaesler
Dear Editor,
The law is an interesting concept. On paper it is supposed to protect the law abiding and honest from the wrongs and criminal acts of others. If it’s a criminal act then you call the police and they arrest the bad guy and the public prosecutor does his job and the evil doer is punished. If it’s a civil wrong then, ostensibly, you get yourself a lawyer who sues the other guy and a judge decides whether you are right or not and the problem is resolved. Great concepts all of them, and the foundation of civilized societies as we know them, but what do you do when your own government are the criminals?
By now everyone knows the story. GEBE, a government operated enterprise, through its management told everyone that asked that solar installations were fine, that there were no regulations defining them and that if production exceeded consumption “you won’t get a bill.” Crystal clear, no ambiguity. Based on this promise, lots of people spent a lot of money, and I mean LOTS of money into the strong five figure range, to install complex and technologically advanced solar systems and became energy independent. Well, and again as you already know, it turned out that GEBE was lying and as soon as they could figure out how to do it they installed meters that prevent energy storage. What this means is that an individual only gets benefit from his very expensive installation if production exceeds consumption at that precise moment in time over the course of the day and then ONLY what the consumption is. Any extra gets stolen by GEBE and resold to someone else at retail rates.
In the month of May, I produced 3,430KWH or roughly US $775 worth of electricity. My consumption was roughly 1000kwh or about $225 worth. On the face of it, a rational person might think that giving GEBE about $550 worth of electricity for free BEYOND what I used might be good enough… but no… they felt it necessary to not only steal the $550, but to bill me for an additional 400 plus KWH. I suppose the fact that they didn’t use a ski mask and a handgun might mean they didn’t actually steal it as we mere mortals understand the term. The lawyers like to call it “conversion.” That’s where someone sneaky and dishonest finds a way to take what’s yours and make it theirs without paying you for it in some way.
So off I went to the lawyers to sue them. Very interesting that exercise. First of all, finding a lawyer that wasn’t already on GEBE’s payroll was almost impossible. Seems GEBE has just about every lawyer in town tied up. Ultimately, I found one and some additional interesting information developed. It seems that beyond the $400 plus an hour it’s going to cost to sue them, you can’t just file a complaint and get in front of a judge for a response. It turns out that you have to “build a file” first. That means you write a bunch of letters and requests for information, each one of which in my case cost $1,500, which are either ignored or returned as stone-walled answers, Only after you have burned up maybe $10,000 in letter writing can you go to court and spend another $20,000 or $30,000 to get to a hearing. And the letter writing itself was very entertaining. The one I did commission was sent and formally requested, under some statute, a variety of documents including the GEBE concession that Government is supposedly obligated to supply, again, under statute.
The reply from government was particularly fascinating. They provided all the documents that said nothing at all and had no substance. They failed to supply the concession from which, I am pretty sure, could be determined that GEBE is acting illegally with this whole “stealing energy from solar producers” deal and ended the letter with an absolutely wonderful catch-all paragraph that I will summarize . It says: “please note and be advised that under statute xyx we are not obligated to give you ANY documents that might help you and hurt us when you sue us.” In effect it means “remember that statute that says we, as government, have to be open and honest with you? Forget it. We don’t have to tell you anything that might help you prove we are the criminals you think we are.
The lawyers just shrug their shoulders. At $400 an hour they are happy to write letters and stonewall each other until their clients are bankrupt. If you are the one getting screwed by GEBE it means that the truth of the matter is simply that you have no reasonable access to the courts. No one is going to spend $30,000 and fight this thing to the Hague to remedy a $200-per-month electricity bill. Government knows that and so does GEBE, and that’s why there is no “small claims “ court here where an individual can stand in front of a judge and plead his case because if there was then government and GEBE would spend its life in court getting hammered.
The great Chicago Tribune columnist Mike Royko who spent a career writing about the most corrupt city in America once wrote “You can’t fight City Hall.” Nowhere is that truer than here.
Steven Johnson
