SXMElections.com

St. Maarten—A clean up of the Simpson Bay Lagoon is scheduled to take place this Saturday December 6 and Vromi Minister Maurice Lake is calling on the marine community, organizations, businesses, volunteers and students to come out and support this clean-up.

 

Minister Lake’s initial appeal for a coastal clean-up of hurricane related debris in the lagoon due to the passing of Hurricane Gonzalo, was publicly stated early November and the St. Maarten Marine Trades Association (SMMTA) took the lead in organizing the clean-up. A meeting took place with the minister on November 10 and representatives from the St. Maarten Marine Trades Association (SMMTA), Nature Foundation, St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies, Maritime Affairs Authority, and Ministry Vromi, to discuss the minister’s initiative and how to move forward from a logistical and planning perspective. Various marinas along with Simpson Bay Lagoon will be providing boats, work rafts, and equipment to assist with the clean-up.

 

The clean-up and removal of hurricane related debris within the lagoon will include the marine sector, general public volunteers, other private sector companies as well as schools that have community service programs. “I am encouraging everybody to get involved.  Let’s clean-up our environment.  I call on other businesses to join the clean-up effort of our lagoon by contacting the SMMTA,” Minister Lake said on Tuesday. “It’s our environment, and our responsibility as well as the responsibility of stakeholders to take care of it and keep it clean.  I do HOPE the lagoon clean-up will become an annual affair,” Minister Maurice Lake concluded.