The Cultural Centre, before Hurricane Irma in 2017. (Robert Luckock photo)
MARIGOT--President Louis Mussington and his elected colleagues, Vice Presidents Bernadette Davis and Dominique Louisy, Senator Annick Pétrus and Territorial Councillor Steven Cocks, were in French Quarter (FQ) on Wednesday, September 6, to meet residents of the area.
The main subject of this public meeting, which brought together around 50 local residents, was to discuss the future of the former French Quarter Cultural Center building.
The “Willing Workers” Association, owner of the premises, is ready to transfer the building to the Collectivité so that it can be renovated, an option approved by the public. As soon as the parties reach an agreement, the Collectivité has undertaken to demolish and rebuild the building in accordance with the residents’ wishes.
Public meeting in progress in French Quarter.
A think tank will be created to work on this development project. At the end of this consultation, a second public meeting will be organised to propose plans corresponding to the residents’ wishes. The Collectivité will also work on the legal aspects of the transfer.
In the second part of the meeting, residents expressed their expectations on several local issues, as follows:
* Help for the most deprived: premises were requested to create a food bank and a reception area. The Collectivité will check availability of premises with Semsamar,
* Maintenance of cemeteries: Mussington indicated that he had toured the cemeteries last Monday and that solutions would soon be effective,
* Beautification of the neighbourhoods: A beautification campaign should start soon throughout the territory,
* The dysfunction of neighbourhood councils: The election of new neighbourhood councils is scheduled for October 2023.
According to the Collectivité, the meeting was lively but constructive. The public much appreciated the opportunity to dialogue with elected officials. Mussington said elected officials will continue to meet residents in the neighbourhoods in the coming months.
