State Secretary Knops visits road project, opens Bay Path | THE DAILY HERALD

State Secretary Raymond Knops (left) cutting the ribbon to the Bay Path as Government Commissioner Marcolino “Mike” Franco looks on.

ST. EUSTATIUS–State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops visited the road project and opened Bay Path during his visit to St. Eustatius on Tuesday.

State Secretary Knops was welcomed at F.D. Roosevelt Airport by Government Commissioner Marcolino “Mike” Franco, reconstruction project manager Mel Raboen de Sanchez Pacheco and other government officials.

Knops and his delegation, which consisted of Director Kingdom Relations Dirk-Jan Bonnet, political assistant Korné Viskil and spokesperson Simone Rouw, arrived around 12:40pm.

Escorted by the police, Knops visited various locations such as the road project, where he spoke with Head of Public Works Winston Tearr and Interim Director for Infrastructure Economy Anthony Reid.

Tearr explained that the road project would first be tackling Cherry Tree to place stumbling blocks, which are already in place at other roads. In Cherry Tree they do not have to pay landowners to widen the roads as they do with other roads.

Cherry Tree Road will be paved all the way down to Korthalsweg. There are many young homeowners in Cherry Tree who hope that the pavement of the road will improve their living conditions.

None of the roads in Cherry Tree are paved and they are not lined with barriers. When it rains, the roads turn into mud fields, making it very difficult for persons to get in and out of their homes. Cherry Tree is one of the fastest growing districts on the island as new homes in the area are being constructed.

State Secretary Raymond Knops (second left) on his arrival at F.D. Roosevelt Airport in St. Eustatius Tuesday around 12:40pm.

 

All overhanging electrical and telecommunication wires will be installed underground thanks to the European Development Fund.

State Secretary Knops opened the Bay Path for pedestrian traffic once again by cutting a ribbon. Government Commissioner Franco cut a second ribbon.

A sign was unveiled with an instruction about the Bay Path, which was closed in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma for safety reasons due to erosion. A new survey learned that the path could be reopened.

Knops said he hoped that a lot of people would use the path again as they did in years before. “This path is the centre of the island and a very important connection as it joins the upper and lower town. I hope that it will open a few new paths and we are hopeful that in a few months a few more paths will be opened that will improve the situation on the island for the people of Statia.”

Knops also visited the Housing Foundation as well as The Cliff and held talks with the government commissioners.

Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/80293-state-secretary-knops-visits-road-project-opens-bay-path

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