The Philipsburg marketplace vendors have been through a lot. They were promised a new marketplace well before Hurricane Irma damaged several stalls and government decided to demolish most, with the – as it turns out false – assurances that better facilities would soon be provided.
The licensed operators have in fact been left to their own makeshift accommodations behind the courthouse in the past seven years, remaining exposed to the elements as shown on several occasions with inclement weather. Following the recent passage of Tropical Storm Ernesto they had practically no income for more than a week.
However, following persistent discussions about the design, ground was finally broken for the Soualiga Market on September 9, with St. Maarten and Royal Caribbean Group each contributing US $350,000 as agreed since May 2022. The vendors were temporarily moved to a pavilion placed at the old Administration Building site, but even this had to be postponed for a while.
In addition, the chosen location is hardly ideal, United People’s (UP) party leader Omar Ottley argued after the groundbreaking ceremony, because the vendors are too “hidden” from pedestrians and vehicular traffic, especially with a lack of marketing and signage to inform people of the change. He proposed a less obscure section of Clem Labega Square parking near RBC Bank.
Regarding the start of construction on the new marketplace, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Grisha Heyliger-Marten at the time pointed to mobilisation challenges. She said she also was awaiting appropriate signage.
The latest news (see Monday paper) is that the project has been delayed due to soil quality issues encountered during excavation work. The latter required an adjusted foundation plan to safeguard the structures’ stability.
The minister did not say how long all this will take, but the mentioned completion target of January 2025 already seems unfeasible. This means the vendors will probably have to remain in their current spot for much of the high season.
Their saga is thus far from over.
