St. Maarten Private Eye

Hey Sherlock,

You are right that the beach was never very big, the photos below were taken in 1995, just before Hurricane Luis and they show is was short and that there were rocks at each end. It was sort of like Belair but with a bit more sand, there would be occational patches of round stones and rocks in places and just off the beach where the waves wash up.
That said, you can also see in the photos that the bank had lots of trees and my own recollections from about 2 years ago is that it was still very much the same except instead there was less sand and lots more round stones/rocks. Now those stones and rocks have been dredged up the bank, covering it and all the growth there. The way I see it, a good storm right now would just wash them all right back in again.

What is bothering us is two things, the first is that Indigo's PR campaign is repeatedly making claims of being environmentally friendly and green, without any peer review. Meaning, that although they say they want to work with enviromental groups and organisations, they have only been in contact with one, and that contact appears to be very limited. Limited to 'give us your advice and we will pick and choose which we want to follow'.

This is not willingness to work with and use the professional knowledge and experience of those groups, this is using them as a green smokescreen. So far their 'environmental' program seems to be saving some trees, 150 so far apparently, I estimate this to be less than 1% of the plant life that used to be in the massive area cleared. Granted, some were just weeds and thorn bushes, but still. This claim is just like the one Theo made, calling himself green for including trees in his beautification projects. Shallow and lame.

So, here we have a project claiming to be green, saving a few trees and doing whatever it wants. I have to say, the silence from the local environmental organisations is deafening and if all that is needed to claim to be green is to save a few trees then there is something seriously wrong.

And let's be clear about something, enviromental groups and organisations, including us here at SXM PE are NOT anti development, the advice and suggestions would NOT cause any financial loss, none that could not be compensated elsewhere in the project. Caribdude's suggestion of incorporating solar cells into the roofs and connecting them all to the grid is totally feasible and financially attractive to both buyer and seller. The same goes for including a recycling garbage collection into the estate.

Their plans for an incinerator should also be examined, although incinerators today are fairly clean, the ash they produce is not, it can be highly toxic and we need to know where it will go. Our Dump? Probably eh?

Anyway, I really am getting sick of all this PR crap in the papers, it reminds me of all the articles and photos about the Philipsburg improvements in the month before last election. PR and designed to deflect or discourage questions or criticism.

These developers seem to think just like our politicians, feed us shit and keep us ignorant by providing as little information as possible. In exchange we are supposed to trust and respect them. Those days are disappeaing fast and they haven't yet realised it. If they really want trust and respect, they would put their plans out there in the open, online, for anyone to see. They could even have a forum on that site for public to ask questions and get answers. But they don't really give a shit what people think as you say, bottom line is the dollar. Just like the politicians.

Indigo transfers plants and trees - 23rd July 2007

Indigo moving trees - 23rd July 2007

Indigo photo - 23rd July 2007

LH

I agree with Local Hero. I have not had contact with the Indigo people although I read their great green press releases that they feed to the media complete with Jocelyn Richardson's comments that it is a wonderful idea, of course Jocelyn has to make his money.
By the way, before anyone takes it the wrong way, I fully support jocelyn's new project that he is doing with a partner on the new road to Oyster Pond. Just to clarify, seems that many people have been calling talk shows and Oral Gibbes complaining about the loss of trees at the Cay Bay Bells Property (now Indigo) I understand that Indigo have been trying to replant trees and make efforts through Jocelyn to save some, but it seems to me that they save a few in between large cleared areas of excavated land. In any case, while Local Hero might be tired of the PR machine I believe that indigo is going a bit here and there with protecting something.
I happen to look at the Barbaron site and not one lonely tree is left. I agree that more modern projects have to have solar panels included in their buildings, trash compactors, the usage of energy saving bulbs, no lights on the beach at night to protect turtle nesting areas. The incinerator thing at Indigo needs a whole explanation, just saying something like that to the media without clarification thinking it sounds environmentally popular is like Louis Laveist last week making incorrect statements about the labour laws thinking he was making popular statements.
In any case, what advice did they receive from Nature Foundation? And what did they use and not use? We must also keep in mind that the islands beach policy reads that developments should stay away 50 meters from the water.
The policy reads that less distance is required for a rocky beach or rocky coastline which I think is ludricous, as some of our beaches had sand in the past such as Cay Bay beach. Belair Beach was a large beach before Luis in 1995 and sand was taken again by Lenny in 1999, In any case, we will continue to monitor the Indigo developments as we do with all environmental issues.

** Just received calls about a billboard being placed by Indigo at the top of the hill next to Harold Jacks, (jack on the hill) Indigo has to keep in mind that this spot is our visitors prime spot for taking island pictures and their billboard should not block island views. PRIDE foundation has always been of the opinion that billboards are more a nuisance and eyesores than they serve their marketing purpose.
I do hope that Indigo has the permit to erect this sign and that the person in government who signed off on this permit is aware that this sign is adding clutter to the environment, especially in this spot where our cruise visitors stop to take pictures.

Jadira Veen
Sint Maarten PRIDE foundation

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Not to dis joselyn in any way, but it seems to me that very few plants have been saved. With this development planned in phases for the next 5 or 6 years, it is really quite ridiculous that they had to clear it all in one go as they have done. Has the Nature Foundation made any release on the advice they gave? I'd like to know.