SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - On behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten and the Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement (URSM), the Honorable Prime Minister and URSM Party Leader Dr. Luc Mercelina extends heartfelt congratulations to the people of Curaçao for exercising their democratic right in the recent parliamentary elections.

"We recognize and commend the people of Curaçao for their strong voter turnout and peaceful execution of this historic democratic expression. Elections are the cornerstone of any thriving democracy, and the people of Curaçao have once again demonstrated their commitment to shaping their country's future through the power of the ballot," Prime Minister Mercelina stated.

The Prime Minister further acknowledged the results of the elections and extended congratulations to all political parties that earned the trust of the electorate and secured the historic representation in Curaçao. In particular, he recognized the clear mandate given to the MFK party, and the continued contributions of other parties including PNP, PAR, and MAN-PIN in fostering democratic dialogue.

"The bond between Sint Maarten and Curaçao is not only historic but deeply rooted in shared values, mutual respect, and a collective pursuit of progress for our people," said Dr. Mercelina. "As sister islands within the Kingdom, we celebrate this moment with you and look forward to continued cooperation and regional solidarity in areas such as economic resilience, youth empowerment, good governance, and sustainable development."

The URSM board echoed these sentiments, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening inter-island collaboration and supporting a united voice in Caribbean regional affairs.

Prime Minister Mercelina concluded by stating, "Let this be a reminder to all within the Kingdom and beyond that democracy is alive and well in the Caribbean. We salute the people of Curaçao and stand ready to continue working alongside you and your newly elected leaders toward a more unified and resilient future."

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.

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.

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.