This letter concerns the project at the old BBW dock in Simpson Bay that has been under construction for some time now. The first stage of the project was done by a crew that lives on the site. Most of the crew, to my guess, are not even legally on the island, and they live in one building that isn’t quite livable.
I never saw any of VROMI’s [Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure – Ed.] people come to inspect the project. As any project, there is supposed to be a public notice. I haven’t seen any of the environmental groups show any concerns about the project and how it’s being carried out.
Just a few months ago, the Nature Foundation was talking about the same area being a protected area and part of a so-called marine park, but somehow the government managed to still sell the water rights to the Goya Group. Seems to me that once big money is involved and people with ties to government, they are allowed to do just about anything. I see other businesses opening up on the old Simpson Bay road that I thought was supposed to be residential.
The road leading into the old Simpson Bay is being used by the workers that live on the side on one lane to repair cars. It has become a traffic hazard, and seeing that the building on the opposite side of the road constructed a wall so high that makes it a blind spot. When the wall was constructed, they just pulled out the “one way” sign and dumped it. I have seen many close calls and a few accidents on the corner.
Government took all the land on the lagoon side without considering the Simpson Bay people having an area to put their boats. The land was sold for big money or used by politicians themselves or just fronted by others and the last little piece of land that is left on the corner of the runway can hardly hold one boat and a trailer. They can give it to a vendor not even from Simpson Bay to sell his (whatever). They could have given him an area anywhere along the road, but still gave him the only piece that is used by everyone with a boat for that matter. Now the beach is taken away from the Simpson Bay fisherman, no place to keep their boats on either side now.
I remember when I was trying to open up a little antique shop for my wife I had to go through so much to get a permit. A little plywood building 12x12, I needed to have every nail and electrical wire in perfect place and had to make sure she would hire a local. VROMI was there almost every day to inspect.
Minister Wever good luck and if you are there long enough I hope you can make a little difference.
Allen Peterson
