Simpson Bay Fishermen
Get New Jetty as RESA Works Kick Off
Simpson Bay fishermen will soon operate from a brand-new jetty. PJIAE
Management and representatives of the fishermen were witnesses on Monday
March 23, 2009, as Aviation Commissioner Sarah Wescott-Williams,
daringly sporting a hardhat, climbed into the operator’s cabin of crane,
to drive the first pile of the dock into the Simpson Bay Lagoon, at the
north end of the Princess Juliana International Airport runway. The
jetty construction is a prelude to the construction of the airport’s
Runway End Safety Area (RESA). "Moving this project from planning to
construction phase means a lot to me, because it brings us closer to
being one of the few regional airports that have the required RESA,"
said PJIAE President drs. Eugene Holiday.
Mr. Holiday extended thanks to Mr. David Martin Peterson, the lessee of
the rights to the property where the jetty is located. Mr. Peterson was
represented at the ceremony by his nephew. "Without his cooperation we
would not have been standing here this afternoon," said the PJIAE
President, characterizing Mr. Peterson as one among few in today's world
who still puts country development before self.
Budgeted for US$ 850,000, the work will be carried out by contractor MNO
Vervat. drs. Holiday said the job should be finished in four months,
creating the foundation for PJIAE intentions to reroute the existing
airport road along the southern, eastern and northern shorelines of the
Simpson Bay Lagoon, which will subsequently pave the way for the
implementation of the RESA. The PJIAE President said the construction of
the RESA will be tendered in a few months.
Aviation Commissioner Mrs. Sarah Wescott-Williams too expressed
satisfaction with the fact that the project is finally getting underway.
"The construction of the RESA is important for us to maintain
international requirements," she said. The Commissioner expressed hope
that the airport’s sign of encouragement would revive the fishing
industry. "I have recently been told that there are only few local
fishermen left. I hope this encouragement will make fishermen and other
people from this area view that tradition once again and get involved
with fishery here in St. Maarten," she said.
The new jetty is definitely an update to its predecessor. While the old
dock was in bad state and only had surface, the new will have to
concrete surfaces spanning 1.20 meters in width, stretching out 11
meters into the Lagoon. In addition, next to the jetty there will be a
ramp, where fishermen can launch their boats into the water and there
will be piles nearby where boats can be anchored.
drs. Eugene Holiday and Commissioner Wescott-Williams
operating the crane during the pile driving
