Dear Editor,
We, the concerned residents of Carbon Grove, officially known as Broadleaf Tree Drive in Cole Bay, respectfully submit this petition to urgently seek your assistance with several critical infrastructure issues affecting our community.
Over the past few years, our neighborhood has been facing serious challenges, including:
1. Lack of Proper Utilities (Water and Electricity):
We urgently need proper and reliable access to running water and electricity from the utility company GEBE. Many residents continue to experience inconsistent or inadequate services, which severely impacts health, safety, and daily living conditions. Water is a basic human right, and no citizen should be forced to live without reliable access to it in the year 2025.
2. Unreliable Internet Service:
Limited and inconsistent Internet service has disrupted the education of our children and the ability of residents to work from home or run small businesses. We kindly request government support to ensure Internet service providers deliver consistent coverage to our community.
3. Deteriorating Road Conditions:
The road networks in Carbon Grove are in dire need of repair. Potholes, poor drainage, and lack of proper paving have made it difficult and unsafe for vehicles and pedestrians, especially during the rainy season.
4. Retaining Walls and Infrastructure Stability:
Several areas lack proper retaining walls, which poses a serious safety hazard to residents, especially those living on slopes. Without these essential structures, there is an increased risk of soil erosion and property damage during heavy rains.
It has been extremely difficult for many residents, as some have invested their life savings into building a home and now have nothing to show for it. Others, who were fortunate enough to acquire a deed, are still living in turmoil due to the actions of the developers of Carbon Acquisitions Group – Dwayne Carbon, Dwight Carbon, Felix Carbon, and Don Barran. These individuals took people’s hard-earned money under the promise of building condos and townhouses, which were paid for in full or in part by many residents. To this day, those developments were never completed, and in some shocking cases, the same units were sold two and even three times to different buyers.
What makes this situation even more distressing is that some residents are still paying mortgages to the bank for properties that have no structure on the land – nothing but empty lots or incomplete buildings. This financial burden, paired with the emotional stress of being misled and left in limbo, is unacceptable and deeply unfair.
We believe that addressing these issues will significantly improve the quality of life for residents and contribute to the overall development of the Cole Bay area. We humbly request that the government consider allocating resources or collaborating with the relevant ministries and agencies to initiate immediate improvements in these areas – and to also investigate and bring accountability where necessary in relation to the development scandal that continues to affect so many.
We trust in your commitment to the well-being of all communities on our beautiful island and hope that this petition will lead to prompt and meaningful action.
Thank you for your time, consideration, and dedication to serving the people of St. Maarten.
Sincerely,
A concerned citizen
On behalf of the Residents of Carbon Grove (Broadleaf Tree Drive)
Cole Bay, St. Maarten
Name withheld at author’s request.
