~Several persons have been filing complaints, Simpson Bay, Cole Bay not defined as a commercial area— De Weever.
PHILIPSBURG:— Minister of TEATT Ludmilla de Weever said in response to questions posed to her regarding the saga taking place between her person and District 721 that the audio-video that has been circulating does not give both sides of the story and that while she would not give details, she said her personal safety had been threatened.
De Weever said she did reach out to the business and asked them to resolve the situation while asking them to be reasonable with their music levels. The Minister said she also offered her assistance to the business to assist them in resolving the discrepancies in their business operational license. De Weever said the business owners responded with resistance, intimidation, and threats to her personal safety.
De Weever said while St. Maarten is promoting economic activity proper procedures must be followed while businesses must operate within the laws of the country. De Weever further explained that the controllers along with the police have been responding to complaints in several districts and have beefed up controls. Asked if the department is measuring the noise levels, the Minister said that inspectors and police have been measuring with professional-grade sound meters. De Weever said the results must coincide with the business license and its conditions and the law on noise pollution. The Minister further explained that Simpson Bay and Cole Bay have not to be defined as a commercial area as is speculated. She said there are residents and businesses in both districts and business owners must keep that in mind.
The Minister made clear that the Department of Economic Affairs has increased their controls in several areas since numerous complaints have been filed against businesses and residents for noise pollution. De Weever said that St. Maarten has been struggling with noise pollution in several areas over the years and it was not properly handled. She said that it is the government’s responsibility to cater to its residents while giving investors the opportunity to do business.
The Minister said that even the Ombudsman contacted the government and informed them that the noise pollution has been neglected, however, she said this was not done on purpose but in fact, the lack of manpower hindered the controls. She said that nuisances will be controlled and these controls will continue in all areas.
