GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Government of St. Maarten will be hosting a public town hall meeting for Dutch Quarter residents on Thursday May 12, in connection with the Dutch Quarter sewerage project, which will take place from 6:30pm through 9:00pm at the Dutch Quarter Community Center in Zorg & Rust located next to the Martin Luther King Primary School.
All Dutch Quarter residents are invited to attend and retrieve insight on the project’s main objective, which is to upgrade the sewage, drainage, drinking water and road infrastructure of Dutch Quarter.
The activities surrounding the Dutch Quarter Sewerage Project include: improvement to the A. T. Illidge Road through the construction of a new gravity sewer collector and new pump station, construction of a sewer network, including house connections in communities, discharging of sewerage into the main sewer line to convey to the existing wastewater treatment plant, local upgrade of the drainage, and sidewalks, installation of street lights and fire hydrants.
The benefits of this project are expected to improve the living conditions of all residents in the Dutch Quarter area by increasing property values, improving infrastructure and living conditions that brings at least 25% of the district out of a socially deprived situation, 75% reduction in waste water and drainage water on the streets and ultimately the impact will reduce smell, mud and incidence of diarrhea, and dengue in the district of Dutch Quarter.
Furthermore, the project will reduce traffic congestion at peak hours in adjacent side roads and improve traffic flow in adjacent side roads.
However, the project will have several impacts on the community including traffic deviation leading to congestion, parts of A.T. Illidge Road will be closed for works, and traffic flow on secondary roads will be disrupted due to the civil works.
The project is financed by the 10 EDF. The European Development Fund (EDF) is the main European Union (EU) instrument for providing community development aid on St. Maarten.
Launched in 1959, and with implementation periods of approximately five (5) years per term, 2008 marked the inception of the 10th EDF. The key areas for cooperation within the EDF include: 1. Economic development, 2. Social and human development and 3. Regional cooperation and integration.
On December 5, 2013, the EU Commission signed the financing agreement between St. Maarten and the EU Commission for the 10th EDF. The 10th EDF will contribute €4.75 million and the Government of St. Maarten will contribute at least € 1.4 million to the district upgrading project.
The project is estimated to commence February 1st 2017 for duration of 24 months.
