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VROMI AND WORLD BANK LAUNCH CRITICAL SANITATION WORKSHOP TO ADVANCE WASTEWATER REFORMS

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure Ministry (VROMI), in partnership with the World Bank and the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB), officially launched a two-day sanitation workshop focused on enhancing the Sint Maarten Wastewater Management Project (SWMP), a transformative initiative to initiate the modernization of the island’s wastewater infrastructure towards safeguarding its marine environment and the overall health and quality of life of the people.

The Minister of VROMI, Honorable Patrice Gumbs, opened the session with a strong call to action: “We meet at the interface of sanitation and the sea,” the Minister said. “When wastewater is safely managed, both public health and our blue economy flourish; when it is not, both are threatened.”

The workshop brings together a range of stakeholders, including local NGOs, community leaders, technical experts, and representatives from key ministries, the Wold Bank and the NRPB, united by a shared mission to deliver sustainable sanitation solutions and build climate-resilient infrastructure.

The SWMP will contribute directly to the Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, and represents a concrete step toward implementing global commitments at the local level. The project secured US $25 million in financing last September, combining a $10 million grant from the Sint Maarten Recovery and Resilience Trust Fund and $15 million from the Government of Sint Maarten.

Progress is already underway:

  • A water quality baseline assessment is underway.
  • The design-and-supervision consortium for the wastewater treatment plant and sewerage network expansion is contracted. This group will also carry out the technical, social and environmental assessments needed to ensure a robust and sustainable solution can be tailored for the central part of St. Maarten.

Still, the Minister acknowledged the challenges ahead, including supply chain volatility, high bid costs, and the complexities of connecting individual households to the upgraded sewer network.

“Let’s be practical,” the Minister urged. “Flattening protocols and limiting bureaucracy is key. Our ability to be agile and efficient will determine how far we go.”

The workshop is guided by four core principles:

  • ⁠Inclusivity – every household matters.
  • Climate resilience – infrastructure must withstand future shocks.
  • Evidence-based action – guided by science and field data.
  • ⁠Collaboration – breaking down silos across sectors.

In closing, the Minister shared a hopeful vision for the island’s future:

“Picture a child diving off the jetty at Great Bay in 2030, clear goggles, clearer water. That future is the dividend of the choices we make in this very room.”

VROMI reaffirms its full commitment to leading this effort, supported by a dedicated team of wastewater experts.

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SXM DOET 2025 IS ON – SIGN UP AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE. “It’s time to do our DOETy”

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The largest volunteer event on the island, SXM DOET, is happening this Friday and Saturday, May 16 and 17, 2025! All persons of the community are encouraged to visit www.sxmdoet.com to browse through almost 100 impactful projects and sign up for the one that sparks your interest.

SXM DOET is more than just volunteering — it’s about networking, teambuilding, and rolling up your sleeves and working together to uplift our beautiful island of St. Maarten. Whether it’s painting, gardening, spending time with the elderly and differently abled, or repairing, there’s a project for everyone to get involved and contribute meaningfully.

This incredible initiative is made possible by the generous support of the Oranje Fonds and the Be the Change Foundation. Their ongoing commitment to community development continues to inspire action across St. Maarten and the entire Dutch Kingdom & Dutch Caribbean.

Don’t miss the chance to be part of this island-wide movement. For more information, email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and stay connected via our social media channels — you might just spot yourself giving back in action!

Let’s unite for change. Let’s DO-ET!

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NAPB Sint Maarten Raises Alarms Over Officer Safety After Prison Riot Response

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) — NAPB-Sint Maarten is expressing grave concern following the recent deployment of police officers to a violent prison riot at the Point Blanche Prison without confirmation of valid insurance coverage.

On Wednesday 14th 2025, dozens of KPSM officers, on & off duty, were urgently dispatched to respond to a large-scale disturbance inside Point Blanche Prison. While the officers acted with professionalism and courage, placing themselves in direct danger to protect lives and restore order, it has since come to light that they may not have had valid insurance coverage at the time of deployment.

“This is unacceptable,” said Marcus Pantophlet, President of the NAPB-Sint Maarten. “Our officers risk their lives every day to protect the Community of Sint Maarten. Sending them into a volatile situation like a prison riot without the basic safety net of insurance is not only irresponsible, it's a betrayal of their service and sacrifice.”

NAPB- Sint Maarten is calling for immediate action with respect to this oversight and is demanding assurances from the Ministry of Justice that all officers will be covered under comprehensive insurance policies before being sent into high-risk situations in the near future.

“We expect — and demand — that officer welfare be a top priority,” said Pantophlet. “No officer should ever have to question whether their health, livelihood, or family’s security will be protected if they are injured in the line of duty.”

NAPB- Sint Maarten would also like to take this time to commend all of their members to who assisted in ensuring that order was restored to the Point Blanche Prison.

NAPB- Sint Maarten urges the administration to take swift corrective action, including reviewing all current insurance protocols, notifying affected officers, and ensuring no future deployments occur without proper coverage.

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Military assistance requested after Prison Disturbance and Fire

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The Ministry of Justice is currently holding an emergency crisis meeting with the leadership of the Sint Maarten Police Force (KPSM) in direct response to the critical situation at the Pointe Blanche Prison, where a fire broke out earlier today, Wednesday, May 14 within the facility.

Emergency units from the Fire Department, Ambulance Services, KPSM, VKS (Voluntary Corps), and the Koninklijke Marechaussee were deployed and successfully restored order and ensured the safety of all involved by 6:00 pm.

Initial reports indicate that there were three minor non-threatening injuries, which were treated on site. All prisoners are safe and accounted for.

The Minister of Justice Nathalie TackIing visited the prison and has officially requested military support to further secure the prison and maintain order.

“This is a serious threat, and we are acting with full force and urgency to secure the safety of the public at large. The safety of the public, prison staff, and detainees remains our top priority.

“We will not tolerate lawlessness, and we are taking all necessary measures to maintain control and uphold the rule of law. I commend all emergency units for their swift response and diligence, and for ensuring that all prison staff and prisoners were safe,” the Minister of Justice Tackling said on Wednesday evening.

The Ministry of Justice will provide further updates as verified information becomes available.

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TelEm Group network restoration update

SINT MAARTEN (POND ISLAND) - TelEm Group technicians are actively working to restore the company’s mobile voice and data networks following a system crash early Thursday afternoon.

At approximately 12:45 p.m on Thursday, March 27, 2025, an alarm was raised when a node located in the Smitcoms building, Harbour View, stopped operating. The issue was traced to a faulty card, causing service interruptions for business customers and mobile radio users.

To restore services as quickly as possible, TelEm Group engineers and technicians to an alternative network path.

As of 7:00 PM, LTE voice and data services have been restored, and technicians are diligently working to fully restore all remaining networks. Full service is expected to be restored by midnight, March 27, 2025.

TelEm Group sincerely apologizes to our business and residential customers for any inconvenience caused by today’s outage and service interruption.

We are actively working on both short-term and long-term solutions to address these issues and improve overall service reliability.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue to enhance our network infrastructure.

For further updates, please stay tuned to our official communication channels.

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Police Officers Support Curaçao’s Parliamentary Elections as Part of Regional Cooperation

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY/CURACAO) - The Police Force of Sint Maarten (KPSM) is pleased to announce the successful deployment of several of its officers to Curaçao in support of the country’s parliamentary elections, which took place on Friday, March 21, 2025.

This deployment was part of a broader cooperation agreement among the Dutch Caribbean islands to provide mutual assistance during major events requiring enhanced security measures.

KPSM officers joined their counterparts from Aruba, Bonaire, Saba, and St. Eustatius to assist the Curaçao Police Force (KPC) in ensuring a smooth, secure, and orderly electoral process.

Their presence reinforced regional collaboration and highlighted the shared commitment of law enforcement agencies across the Dutch Caribbean to maintaining public safety and upholding democratic integrity.

The Minister of Justice of Sint Maarten, Miss N. Tackling, played a key role in facilitating this collaboration. KPSM extends its sincere appreciation to Minister Tackling for her steadfast support, as well as to all stakeholders involved in making this cooperation possible.

This joint effort underscores the strong partnership between the Dutch Caribbean police forces and their dedication to assisting one another in times of need.

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VROMI EROSION PROJECT COMMENCES, ANNOUNCES ROAD CLOSURE

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment, and Infrastructure (VROMI) hereby informs of the temporary closure of a section of Ebenezer Road, i.e. the intersection of W.R. Plantz Road and Johannes C. Paap Road, as part of the Hillside Stabilization Project.

This closure is necessary to facilitate critical construction and safety measures for the project. The closure will be in effect from today, Monday, March 10 th 2025 to Wednesday, April 9th, 2025.

The Hillside Stabilization Project is the Ministry’s response to severe erosion along the Ebenezer Trench that has led to the collapse of this essential infrastructure. Over the years, this has led to the inability of contractors to clean the trench and, in some cases, left residents of Ebenezer prone to increased flooding.

In 2010 residents expressed concern over the manner in which excavation and construction were taking place. In 2020 and 2021 letters were submitted to the Ministry highlighting eroding hill face and impact of falling soil.

Tropical storm rains in early August 2024 worsened the state of erosion, leading to the collapse of a septic tank and cistern from a residence in the hills of Valley Estate into the yard of neighbors below Ebenezer.

Upon taking office at the end of June, current Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs, finalized the halted three-year tender process for trench cleaning, issuing, in mid-August, the contracts for regular maintenance.

To support the operationalization of these contracts and to address the complaints and concerns of the residents, the Ministry identified the repairs of the trench and the stabilization of the eroded cliff face as critical.

Assessments began at the end of August 2024 and were completed in early February 2025. The closing of this section of the road will facilitate mobilization, allowing the project to begin with the creation of a staging area for equipment and dumpsters for removed debris (Phase One).

Phase two of the project will be the physical intervention into the hillside against erosion to reduce the chances of landslides in the future. In preparing the intervention, the Ministry received a report on the possible causes of the erosion, which the Minister stated underscored, in particular, the importance of sound spatial planning.

This is aided by things like the civil works permit and continuous oversight by the inspection department.

Minister Gumbs expressed his thanks to the residents of Ebenezer for their patience and their trust in him, his team, and the Ministry; and apologizes for the inconvenience that addressing this longstanding issue will inevitably have.

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SMFC - Over 800+ Pounds of food harvested this week for Saturday’s Farmers Market

SINT MAARTEN (ST. PETERS) – Day by day we continue to give gratitude and appreciation for the seed, sun, rain, nature and the community members that continue to support St. Maarten Farmers Cooperative’s (SMFC’s) Farmers Market at the St Peters Rupert Maynard Community Youth Center.

This week we are grateful to harvest over 800+ pounds (400kg+) of produce from our farming project and partners in St Kitts. This strategic partnership continues to reap its rewards and serve its purpose by means of delivering healthier quality food at an affordable cost directly to our community members and networking supermarkets.

The long-term goal and aim are to ensure that prices for quality produce and goods can at all times remain at an equilibrium standard cost. This simply means that the cost of goods and fresh produce will remain at a balanced price at the market for as long as we can despite economic challenges and inflated prices. From here we can only hope it gets better based on the increase in production and cost for transporting goods.

As we continue to express how grateful we are, there is no other way to do so than to give back to those that have continuously supported us from that start. This Saturday we will be giving away a box of carrots divided into amounts community members supporting the farmers market. So get there early, as the early bird always gets the worm.

SMFC invites the general public to come out this Saturday March 8, 2025, for another day of jollification and get their hands on quality produce, products and positive community engagement at the Farmers Market.

This Saturday the Farmers Market will offer once again a wide variety of produce and products from the dedicated community, farmers and product developers.

The variety of items available this weekend will be fresh cold press juices, banana bread, local cookies, baked pumpkin Jonny cakes, veggie soup, honey, coconut oil, castor oil, fresh eggs, plants, gardening materials and locally made natural soaps, skin \ body care products.

Freshly harvested Produce available this week from our local and regional farmers will be season peppers, sweet peppers, avocado, carrots, pumpkin, cucumbers, sweet potato, papaya, pineapple, lettuce by Farm 4 You, salad mix, tayerblad, basil, mint, lemon grass, big leaf thyme, bayleaf, celery, parsley bak choy, chives and hot peppers.

The Farmers Market begins at 9 am until 2pm, so we encourage community members to come out early as 9am to get their first picks.

SMFC once again would like to thank the general public for supporting the Farmers Market. Your support continues to demonstrate the need for positive community development, engagement and agricultural\ product sustainability. See you on Saturday March 8, 2025, from 9am to 2 pm, at the Rupert Maynard Community Center, St. Peters.

Farmers Mkt thur06

 

 

 

 

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Young Entrepreneur Kenneth Cook Meets Mercelina. "His drive is an inspiration for young people to follow." – Prime Minister Mercelina

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - It was an inspiring moment when Kenneth Cook, a young entrepreneur with a deep passion for his craft, sat down for a meaningful conversation with Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina at the Government Administration Building. What was meant to be a simple meeting quickly turned into an exchange of motivation, ambition, and encouragement.

Kenneth, a driven young man with big dreams, shared his journey—his hard work, struggles, and the determination that keeps him pushing forward. His story resonated deeply with Prime Minister Mercelina, who sees him as a symbol of what’s possible for Sint Maarten’s youth.

"Kenneth’s passion and determination are truly remarkable," the Prime Minister said. "He is proof that with vision and hard work, anything is achievable. His drive is an inspiration for young people to follow, and I hope his story encourages others to chase their dreams just as fearlessly."

Prime Minister Mercelina reiterated his commitment to supporting young minds like Kenneth’s, emphasizing that the future of Sint Maarten depends on ambitious, forward-thinking individuals.

"We need to nurture and uplift young people who are working hard to make a difference. Their success is Sint Maarten’s success, and my government is dedicated to creating opportunities for them to grow."

The meeting ended on a powerful note —one as a leader, the other as a rising force ready to make his mark. It was a reminder that greatness begins with a dream and that Sint Maarten’s next generation has the power to shape the future.

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MP Omar Ottley: Update on one year of parliament

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - Member of Parliament (MP) Omar Ottley reflected on his progress as a Parliamentarian and the leader of The United People’s Party over the past year since his swearing-in on February 10, 2024.

Despite the elections held in August 2024, Ottley has remained committed to his role in Parliament, emphasizing that his duty as an opposition member does not hinder his ability to promote progress and hard work for the people of St. Maarten.

As he marks one year as an opposition MP, Ottley has been actively involved in legislative initiatives.

He has submitted various draft legislations such as Amendment to Civil code to finally eliminate the abuse of the short-term contract, Amendments to LTU to regulate residency for children born in St. Maarten of non-documented parents, Amendment to LAV to revamp permit processing and implications for expedited fees, and Amendments to Profit Tax Law to implement a phased reduction in profit tax from 34.5% to 15%.

These amendments have begun the legislative trajectory and are currently being reviewed by the advisory bodies - soon to be handled on the floor of Parliament. Notably, he also successfully passed a motion for GEBE relief, which is now awaiting execution by the Government.

Additionally, Ottley co-legislated a budget amendment aimed at increasing Parliament's staffing, which he believes is essential for enhancing productivity and efficiency in legislative work.

MP Ottley and The United People’s Party prioritize transparency and communication with the public, ensuring that the citizens of St. Maarten are informed about the initiatives and efforts undertaken by their representatives in Parliament.

Through these actions, Ottley aims to foster a collaborative environment and address the needs of the community effectively.

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