Cay Hill:--- Ongoing restoration and development work being carried out at Mary’s Fancy estate will take into consideration the heritage and ecological significance of the estate.
So says APS Director Nadya van Putten. St. Maarten’s general pension fund administrator has been developing and restoring the estate, following its acquisition in 2014.
Several major developments are taking place at Mary’s Fancy estate, as part of plans being formulated for the future use of the estate.
“APS envisions the preserving of the ecological system and surrounding green areas of the estate as well as the heritage and historic value of the property itself. Once completely restored, the property will still be a place of peace and tranquility, with the creation of a botanical garden”, says the APS director.
Plans for the estate include a two-story high end, eco boutique hotel with elevated pavilion-style suites for guest’s accommodation.
Customers of the nearby Rainforest Adventures St. Maarten and day visitors would be welcome to visit the restaurant or garden area.
The rehabilitation envisioned is to make improvements to the characteristic structures of Mary’s Fancy estate, including the plantation house, the sugar mill (which is actually a boiling house and chimney), the estate grounds and the rock wall.
The restoration of the estate includes not only work on the Mary’s Fancy Plantation house but also on remains of other structures considered as monuments, at the site.
The Plantation House would become a multi functional area and could, in the future, boast a lobby and an art gallery. On occasion, it may even serve as venue for wedding ceremonies.
The Boiling House could function as a restaurant while the brick oven is to be incorporated in the development plans.
With the first phase of the restoration works now completed, lights on walls at the entrance of the estate have been turned on. Works forming part of a first phase of the restoration covered the adjacent trench as well as a new entrance and exit path to and from the estate.
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The process for each real estate development project within APS consists of the development, engineering, advising, tendering, evaluation of bids, contracting out, outsourcing of the supervision of construction, monitoring of the budget and expenditures, progress reporting of and on each project. The overall projects include a pre-development phase, the (conceptual) design and engineering phase followed by construction and aftercare.
APS Moving Ahead with Mary’s Fancy Estate Development As heritage, ecological site.
