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SXM West Development Plans
Early last year and a few weeks ago I wrote about Theo's plans fill in a large portion of Cay Bay, build a new cargo and cruise ship refueling harbor and to relocate a bunch of industrial businesses there. Never mind that these businesses, believed to be some like the asphalt plant and cement companies off Arch Road are in places they shouldn't be because of the failure to implement Zoning many moons ago, eh? That's the problem with not doing what should be done, having to deal with and fix the consequences.
Anyway, since my last blog on this subject I managed to get hold of proposed plans for SXM West, mainly the Cole Bay and Cay Bay areas, and they certainly are interesting as you will see below. I'm all for planning for the future and building and restructuring infrastructure, it's vital, my disagreement is with the kind of future being planned and the cost of it, and I'm not just talking monetary costs.
Caybay residents concerned about development plans - 11th June 2009 - (With Podcast.)
It's a very interesting plan and the next pictures will show areas more zoomed with some observations from me. It you look real closely you may be able to spot some great business opportunities, buy some land that govt might need or properties that will be in prime locations, make a nice profit. Can't let the politicians have it all now can we? Nudge nudge!
First up, the lagoon and top left of the plan shows a water plant, which is great, but it also shows that there are plans to build a bridge or tunnel over/under the lagoon.
The next image shows the right hand side of the plan, note that the road across the lagoon intersects with a roundabout on the Union Road near the border. Another road, Link 4 which is often called the Cakehouse Hill Road because of the supermarket that used to be there, will be extended to run round the hills through Almond Grove and meet up with that roundabout. Also to note is a new link extending Brouwer's Road (new roundabout currently under construction) to the Orange Grove Road.
Next up, the left hand side of the plan, which shows some interesting stuff, plans for a pipe (ROFLMAO) to help current flow to the lagoon, another big chunk to be filled in for a sports field and an extension of the Orange Grove Road to across the lagoon to join up somewhere by the Movie Theatre. Hey, but at least the environmentalist get a 'Green Gutter' eh? Knowing how the lagoon used to look, having played on it's sandy shores as a child, any more filling just makes me feel ill. According to the plan legend, those little green areas on Snoopy Island (Isle de Sol) are green too! Yay!
This image approximately shows the area to be filled.
And this one shows what the lagoon used to look like in 1970.
And last of all, the plans for Cay Bay.
Here you can see the planned harbor facility, a new road running from near the Texaco garage up over GEBE to the Indigo Bay development and another that will supposedly link up with Pelican Key and Billy Folly. Environmentalists have been thought of yet again, with two 'green buffer zones' and a 'Green Square'! Never mind that one of those buffer zones is already developed and the other is currently much larger and includes a beach.
Anyway, I thought you might all be interested in what's being planned for your and your childrens future......
I have said before I'm against filling of Cay Bay, the damage will affect the entire coast line, there has been no study to say that a new harbor is needed and there are other far more urgent needs that we should be investing in. That's just my opinion, like it or not :)
Hady
Hi everyone, I'm giving up my hidden identity so if somehow I disappear, you are the only ones who know why.
Haha, OK these plans are mighty interesting Hady! You'd make a very good detective :P
Looks like Curaçao's Island Design has some serious plans, but I have better. Blow up the whole area and start from scratch.
Very effective and planning would be alot easier.
Yes, unethical, I know but still, it's a best practice...
Let me just make some comments on what I've just seen.
Another boardwalk is fun, a tube for seawater movement is an excellent idea (also for P'burg I suppose), yay more roundabouts to practice steering and at least some green buffers (guess in practice those will never ever be green, but anyway). Too bad, no dolphinarium! I really want one!
We so need an acceleration manager to hurry up with this development, because then we'll be in time to snatch all the cruise tourists that disembarked on le French side away from them :).
I'm just so excited for Windward Roads, Vervat and the rest of gov-bf's! Who said credit crunch?
Does anyone with authority read this, because I really want them to know the following: the other week, I was spending some time on the island of Dominica and the locals told me that Venezuela helps their island get rid of their landfill (Jimmit) by shipping it all out. Price tag: $10 million for 20.000 tonnes of garbage that's first compacted and then shipped out.
The commissioner for waste management should really consider the above. Again, as you know, like the area where the seacontainers are handled, the landfill is a serious eyesore to tourists visiting the island.
XOXO
Hyacinth plans to focus on unemployed yet the core of his plan seems to be to pay salaries so that companies can get a free employee for several months and hope they will take over paying that salary and hire them long term. It has flaws and it's not a long term solution for our youths and employment.
First of all, these politicians need to recognize the Global Economic slump and figure that things are unlikely to recover very much until at least 2010/11. In the coming months and year or two companies in SXM are very unlikely to be wanting to expand their payroll or have much need to. It's an expensive plan that really won't have much impact, especially not on the youths we need to be engaging.
Theo's plans for road and roundabout building etc, also don't create long term jobs for the people of the island. Great, so he'll try to make sure 'local boys' get work from these projects in their areas, but the are short term, most likely labor jobs with little chance for training and skill learning. It calls for never ending road building. Convenient eh?
My plans in my 'Draft Manifesto' would require that the Labor Department, Schools, Work Permits and Immigration and the Youth Employment program would integrate and co-operate. It's a long term plan, it would require funds and a community effort and the immigration problem would be a few steps closer to being fixed, and it needs to be. This is one reason why I advocate BESS or a Transition Period, closer ties to the EU will enable better co-operation between the two sides of SXM on many many issues.
I have offered up my ideas for discussion and debate before about better use for the money than a Ring Road, ie: parking garages, fixing public transport and thus creating LONG TERM jobs. I am unconvinced that SXM needs a new harbor too, a very expensive project that will cause a great deal of environmental harm and affect many people, and create very few new or long term jobs.
Again, just my opinion :)
Hady
Wait, since when does St Maarten cherish and protect its environment? Did I miss anything?
It's a party island! Not a National Park!
And the projects above demand a great amount of unskilled labourers. As you know, St Maarten has many men of that category, who especially now, seek employment.
See, there's a positive side to everything :)
XOXO
The unemployment issue seems to always come up with every large project. This is the only time that Theo and his gang of Toochie, Willie Haize and others start showing their true colors.
Come one people, who are these so-called unskilled unemployed? are they the boys that came for another project and are supposed to leave back to their country of origin but stay instead in order to make a fast dollar with yet another project? meanwhile they are illegal on the island? Now the elderly quack Haize is calling for environmental groups to back the ring road project, why? because he thinks it is a good idea for coconot trees and the pond will be instantly cleaned with crystal clear beach sand.
Has anyone noticed that Theo and Toochie use poor old partly demented Willy Haize to get their message across? they truly believe that Willy Haize has the ear of the people? oh please!The people see the man as being on someones payroll. Most likely Theo and his construction emporium consisting of Toochie and the bad boys. Haize should tell the true reason why he is backing the ring road project. And BTW, is UFA a labor union? yes or no? Can someone please clarify why Haize has comments about issues that are not labour related? I am sure history will eventually expose the truth and that is that Haize is on the payroll of Toochie Meyers and his "local" heavy equipment owners group.
People in the know remember that Toochie and his brother Frankie Meyers had issues when Frankie was a Commissioner, so what did Toochie do? He went to cry on Theo's shoulder in order to retain some sort of position of importance. And in the end? Theo negotiates that Toochie gets a piece of the pie and Haize is used as the bulldog to fight down any one that does not agree with the project. Get it now?
and if you don't. It is because you do not want to accept the truth of what really goes down.
So why are the gov and the telecom firms so close? Could it possibly be love? Guess it's the same old monies-story...
I wonder if the families involved even marry their kids off? Somehow this phenomenon reminds me of the Godfather, but here it's definitely less bloody :P
The golden rule: family members drag each other out of the dirt. Sweet and totally middle ages.
As an outsider, you'll have a pretty poor chance at joining their little rainbow... fascinating!
Conclusion for the day: SXM today is not a meritocracy.
XOXO
The new boys in the new coalition is about to get very rich, very quickly from the kickbacks Theo will secure for their cooperation. End of story. The party continues.
Nah, what negativity! Have a little faith in people! (I learned that from watching Legally Blond vol. 1)
Government exclusively employs humble, sweet and perfectly-happy-with-what-they've-got people, who would never dream of finding alternative sources of income that might not appear that honest. Right?
Anyway, as demonstrated by a certain person in the ExCo, with the govplans shown above in your one hand and your credit card in the other, you may be able to secure your pension with a wise investment.
XOXO
Probably a ring road around the lagoon, which would be the final filling and define where filling would stop. I'm sure calculations and studies have been made about the need for a new harbor and the project has been determined to be profitable :D
For whom? Your guess is as good as mine, but it certainly isn't for the Cay Bay residents or what's left of the island's marine environment. Very different today from when I was a kid.
Caribdude