A dilapidated section of Front Street (John Halley photo).
PHILIPSBURG--The disastrous state of Front Street should be fixed soon with much-needed repair works to this key street in Philipsburg, and improvement to sidewalks in the pipeline.
Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Roger Lawrence told reporters on Wednesday that ongoing discussions were held with Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Minister Egbert Doran, and a formula was put together to repair the Front Street road network as well as improve its sidewalks.
“One of the priorities of the ministry in particular is the revitalisation of Philipsburg,” Lawrence said. “We planned to do the necessary components and stages. One of the necessary components now is the repair works of the road network. Within the next week, there will be much discussion and collaboration with the key stakeholders within the area, so that the plans can be shared and the inclusive buy-in and support can be achieved.”
Discussions will be held with stakeholders in town, such as Indian Merchants Association (IMA) and the Philipsburg Promotional Board (PPB).
The TEATT minister said it is key for the ministry to focus on maintaining “an excellent experience” in Philipsburg. “We have noted the urgent concerns and constructive feedback of the public regarding the repairs of Front Street, however, there were steps to be taken and discussions were held in the past weeks on how to get it done and so far, it has been positive.”
Lawrence’s cabinet told The Daily Herald that the project is in its initial phases and follow-up meetings are to be held with the relevant stakeholders in Philipsburg to finalise the approach. “Once a timeline is known we will update accordingly. However, the project is estimated to be relatively efficient with regard to timeline,” Lawrence's cabinet said.
