St. Maarten Private Eye

The Island Council unanimously moved to place the Emilio Wilson Estate on the monument list yesterday, one of the few times that there was a general consesus between the 2 parties in the Island Council. The IC meeting was not long and drawn out as most are, no bickering and back and forth volley of insults and attacks which are more common in our IC today.

The Emilio Wilson Estate foundation is pleased with this new decision that was taken to deny the Planning Permit and to place the Estate on the list of monuments. The decision states that the ENTIRE estate will placed on the monument list and no development will take place with an exception of road network link 7 and other public facilities or public necessities.

This is where the foundation has questions and reservations. The EWEF has not said much before on the link 7 as we were more concentrating on preserving the estate as a heritage and nature park. The link 7 road network has been on the table for years now and we were very aware of it.

What the foundation was looking forward to hearing yesterday is about zoning the estate as a green and heritage area. Also nothing was mentioned concrete in the IC meeting and in the resolution about firm plans to purchase the estate. We believe that zoning the estate would bring down the purchase price to a non-commercial price that the Island and NGO's can afford.

Also, the Funding agencies are interested in funding this project but would like to see government contribute their part in monies but also in zoning. Placing the estate on the monument list is a good start but we have to look further and make moves to purchase and zone the estate.

The foundation is worried by the wording "public neccessities or public facilities" as we believe that a hospital, a fire station, a school, a police station, a government building of some sort (remember we are going into a new status and country sxm will be needing many more government buildings for Ministers and foreign affairs among other "neccessities"

The foundation envisions that the Estate boasts a museum dedicated to Emilio Wilson, a museum dedicated to John Philips, ( the boiler house and the John Philips house that was destroyed in the 1995 hurricane can be restored to create these museums.) hiking trails, maybe bike paths, recreational activites that have only heritage, environment and culture at heart.

An extensive road network with roundabouts would throw this beautiful Sentry Hillside completly off balance. So while we have achieved a certain degree of victory, we will be bringing up link 7 and this "public neccessities or public facilities" to government.

We have seen several historic homes placed on the monument list only to be burnt down like the Eights family house or torn down like the Wajang doll ginger bread house, these properties have not been rebuilt in the original architecture, I remember clearly Commissioner Roy Marlin saying in a IC meeting years ago that the eights family house would be rebuilt the same after the fire.

Of course the current owner Kenny Babani saw things differently and built instead a modern concrete multi-story building somehow with the approval of the EXCO and the VROM department. The same goes for the Wajang doll ginger bread bread house that was torn down due to termites, the contractor told me that they would rebuild the same way after they have taken down the original house, this again has not happend and some sort of a wooden shack with modern doors now stands in it's place.

I am also questioning if any of the properties listed on the monument list have been approved, has the monument list been approved as a Monument ordinance? if not...... why not?? We have had ample time, if not... why aren't the monument foundation and the monument council more vocal? They could pressure government to move forward with the Monument ordinance, and if I am not mistaken the first lady Angela Richards is on one of the boards. She as first lady can use her connections to move government in the right direction.
The calenders produced every year by the monument foundation are a great awareness item but it has not produced any laws to directly protect any of the monuments so far.

The island council yesterday rejecting the planning permit is a first step, we now have to keep on the right track to zone the estate and purchase the estate as a nature and heritage park. Keep in mind that the Nature Ordinance of 2003 calls for a Natuur Park, een beschermd gebied met een ecologische waarde, een aardkundige waarde,een cultuur historische en een belevings waarde.

Certain IC members should be recognised for their contribution to both IC meetings that have been held on the EWE debate, Maria Buncamper who back in 2005 said she would back saving the estate even if her faction would not do so, George Pantophlet who listened to the foundations and called an urgent IC meeting as we requested, pulling the members out of their summer recess and debated this meeting on his birthday. (July 10th. 2007) Former Island Council woman Gracita Arrindell who also fully backed the groups for preservation of the estate.

While we celebrate victory, we still have a way to go before the people of St.Maarten owns the estate for our heritage, culture and environment.