President of the Collectivité Louis Mussington presenting his New Year Wishes.
MARIGOT--President of the Collectivité of St. Martin Louis Mussington presented his New Year wishes on Monday evening, an annual tradition for every president before him, at a large gathering in Daniella Jeffry High School that included government dignitaries from both sides of the island.
Following a long recap of many accomplishments by the administration in 2022, Mussington switched to the perspectives for 2023.
View of the audience in Daniella Jeffry High School listening to the President’s address.
“At the beginning of my term of office, I defined three very clear political phases for development, to further improve what is already well known for St. Martin: training and innovation; to make the Collectivité an exemplary community, a community that interacts perfectly with the regional basin to which it belongs; and finally, to improve the quality of life throughout the territory and make our community a place of fulfilment. Our social commitment is a strong marker of our policy,” he said.
The fundamental missions that have been set for the Collectivité will be strengthened in 2023 and main objectives remain centred on the development of our territory, he explained. The people of St. Martin will be at the centre of those efforts, continuing the efforts made in 2022.
“Proximity to our citizens is a strength and we will maintain it,” he assured.
Among the projects underway in 2023, whether or not they have already been financed, are Collège 600 in Quartier d’Orléans; Collège 900 in La Savane; transformation of the old media library in Concordia into a Micro-Folies centre and a hurricane shelter; development of La Savane sector (roads and bridges); installation of smart public lighting on the majority of the road network and within the districts of the territory; development of Grand Case as a tourist centre; launch of studies for construction of an administrative centre for the Collectivité of St. Martin; continuation of rehabilitation work on Louis Vanterpool Stadium in Marigot; reconstruction of Albéric Richards Stadium; and transformation of the former Soualiga Collège into a Cité des Métiers (centre for trades)
Other projects, that have been funded by the programme Recovery Assistance for Cohesion and the Territories of Europe (REACT-EU), include the creation of the Centre for the Promotion of Culture and Intangible Heritage of St. Martin (former Tourism Office building, Sandy Ground); beautification of tourist areas and the image of destination St. Martin (2-million-plus euros); upgrading of the La Savane fire station (2.5 million euros); and creation of a connected campus (0.4-million-plus euros).
“The Collectivité is not alone in this territory,” Mussington continued. “With our partner organisations, we will continue to coordinate many actions for the benefit of the territory and for the benefit of all residing here. We will set up a strategic steering committee to develop, among other things, new collaborative and interdisciplinary projects.
“All the major projects I have just mentioned, like many others, will be carried out with commitment and coherence, in a new and structured quality approach, with the support of real management tools and strategic decision-making support.”
He said 2023 will see a draft of a multi-year vision of Collectivité actions over the next 10 years, a vision reflected in daily activities within departments, with a view to simplifying processes and increasing collective efficiency.
Finally, the year 2023 will place emphasis on arts and culture, which are both a source of creativity, links, and positive values accessible by all and for all.
“Just like the development of sports activities, I want the development of artistic practices and partnerships, in the field of leisure but also in the fields of training and research,” he said.
Directing a special mention to the media, he said, “The year 2022 has allowed us to highlight the values that belong to our community, values of innovation, of creation, increased solidarity, of commitment, determination, hope and success. It is on these values that I wish for the projects of 2023 and the future of our community to be built. It is on this basis that I wish to propel us forward.
“In this sense, I offer you my best wishes for this new year. I hope that it marks the return of a serene overall atmosphere and new collective successes. I want our social commitment to be the strength by which we accomplish our challenges.
“I know I can count on you, on our high regard for community values and on your mobilisation for all future projects. Together, with the support of our partners, we will be able to do everything possible to ensure the success of this first real year of mandate and the success of 2023.”
