It may have taken a while, but the process of “building back better” with Dutch funding now appears to be speeding up. As explained by Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin (see related story), the Netherlands so far transferred US $134.4 million to the Trust Fund managed by the World Bank, while the Dutch Parliament has approved a second tranche of US $175.5 million to make available a combined $310 million, more than half the total grant amount of $580 million pledged by The Hague in the aftermath of September 2017 Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
Hopefully this puts an end to persistent rhetoric by some that “the country has not seen a dime yet,” etc. After all, several governmental entities such as the police station, Fire Department and other first responders are included, as are various key public buildings, storm shelters, schools and government’s home roof repair programme, in addition to those of the St. Maarten Development Fund (SMDF), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and White Yellow Cross Care Foundation (WYCCF).
Not only that, but also utilities provider GEBE and St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) stand to benefit, while the same goes for Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA). Regarding the latter it was recently decided to move forward on preparing the Airport Reconstruction Project for US $50 million, with co-financing for another $50 million expected to come from the European Investment Bank (EIB).
This is clearly good news, especially because the airport’s reported financial issues had cast a shadow over the continued restoration of this crucial facility for the tourism economy to its former glory. In fact, the stated intention is to have it “fully up and running” as soon as possible.
In general, at least two of the three large Trust Fund projects currently being implemented consist of many smaller ones on which local companies particularly in the construction sector can bid. St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) in today’s paper is already inviting interested parties to pre-register for improving services at the existing hospital and upgrading the design of the adjacent new one being built to withstand category 5-plus hurricanes, making use of US $25 million received from the Trust Fund.
When it comes to the Emergency Income Support and Training Project more than 800 un- or underemployed workers are now enrolled, with 78 new participants having recently started. One can only imagine their social situation without that help and motivation.
Of course, a significant part of the Trust Fund money will end up going to foreign consultants and experts, simply because certain knowledge and experience may be in short supply on the island. However, there are undoubtedly going to be a host of opportunities for those willing and able to do the job required.
