This week marks another anniversary of the passing of hurricane Luis.
It has been 14 years since this deadly storm hit St. Maarten, leaving behind a trail of material damage and human suffering, previously unknown to this island.
Steadfast, devoted and resilient, it is the people of St. Maarten that will forever be remembered for doing an extraordinary job in getting the island back on its feet, in the wake of hurricane Luis.
It is against this background that I wish to send a clear message regarding what was, once, the island’s flagship institution.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the 600-room Mullet Bay Resort and Casino was one of the finest resorts in the Caribbean.
Today, during the last seconds of an airplane’s approach, our visitors are exposed, as a first impression, to roofless ruins of two-level buildings littering a large golf course, in an area looking like a war zone.
There have been ample opportunities for the property owners to demonstrate some seriousness towards resolving this situation in a decisive manner. This has not been the case and for 14 long years, the public has had to bear witness to a lack of accomplishments in this matter.
While insurance money had been released after the 1995 disaster, we have had to endure legal battles between the individual owners of the condominium units and the former managing company.
The period for excuses has now passed. It is high time that significant deeds get underway, starting with the property owners and former managing company.
The people of St. Maarten deserve better and the present situation cannot continue without being addressed, once and for all.
The same can be said about abandoned buildings in the Cupecoy area, left behind as dilapidated structures. Here too, the situation must be resolved in the shortest possible period of time.
Frans Richardson – Commissioner