SGIS Newsletter April 2009
April 28th, 2009
Archive
Archive for April, 2009
Saba represented at “Rediscover the Caribbean” show
April 19th, 2009
Director of Tourism, Glenn Holm
April 17, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:
This week Saba will be represented for the first time at the “Rediscover the Caribbean” tourism show held in Barbados. This event has been held for six consecutive years, and this is the first time that participation has become a reality for the Island of Saba. Commissioner of Tourism, Chris Johnson, and Tourism Director, Glenn Holm will be attending the event.
The conference will be held at the Sandiford Conference Center on April 24th and April 25th. This show has already started its promotion as of April 14th and the participating islands have been highlited on the popular morning show, Channel 8 “Morning Barbados”. Saba’s new promotional video is also being aired on the morning show.
Holm informed GIS that Saba will have an 8×8 stand at the event where they are distributing tourism information such as attractions and accommodations. Approximately five thousand people are expected to visit the show over the two day period.
The Island Territory of Saba in recent months has discussed remarketing Saba’s tourism strengths to a more regional market. “Our reasoning for attending this event is because we’re concentrating more on regional tourism”, confirmed Director Glenn Holm.
In addition to attending the show in Barbados, Saba is also advertising in the TV guide of French Sint Maarten and St. Barths. Next month Saba will also be represented at the SMART show in Sint Maarten.
Source: Saba Government Information Services – gis@sabagov.com
Saba delegation trains in Holland
April 19th, 2009
Rolando Wilson, Akilah Levenstone, Bruce Zagers
April 14, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:
Today a delegation of three Island Council members left Saba to go to Holland on a training trip hosted by the VNG. The Delegation was led by Chairman of the Central Committee / Leader of the WIPM Party, Mr. Rolando Wilson. Wilson was accompanied by Island Council Member and Commissioner, Bruce Zagers, as well as Island Council Woman, Ms. Akilah Levenstone. The delegation will be away from the 16th of April to the 21st of April to attend these training sessions.
This trip was funded by VNG which included training costs, travel, and accommodations. The Saba delegation expects to be joined by its surrounding Island representatives in Holland.
The sessions should contain workshops and training in Zoning, the WOLBES, crisis management, dealing with press matters, and finances in regards to municipalities. The agenda should prove to be well organized and tightly planned.
Delegation Leader, Rolando Wilson stated that he is, “very optimistic about these workshops and looks forward to the experience”.
The agenda is as follows: Thursday is a meeting with VNG association of the Netherlands Antilles Municipalities. Friday is a meeting with the Ministry of BZK. Saturday is a workshop held in Amsterdam. Monday is training sessions in the Municipality of Dordrecht on zoning laws. Later Monday is a meeting in the province of Breda to meet with the Raadvergadering Council. Tuesday is a meeting in The Hague in regards to finance.
Wilson also further stated that he hopes to fit in some time to visit Saban students who are currently studying in Holland.
Commissioner Zagers stated to GIS before boarding his flight, “Seeing that we will become a public entity with Holland, this information can be directly used during the transitional process on Saba”
Source: Saba Government Information Services – gis@sabagov.com
Commissioner Johson meets with Tourism Stakeholders
April 19th, 2009
Commissioner Johnson addressing Hotel Owners Association ( Sub-committee of the SBA) and Director of Tourism, Glenn Holm.
April 14, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:
Commissioner of Tourism, Mr. Chris Johnson and local Tourism Director Glenn Holm recently held a meeting with stakeholders in the tourism sector. Discussions surrounded several pending issues that the island is currently facing; such as the effect of the economic recession on the islands tourism market, joint marketing strategies, and low-season preparation.
This meeting was requested by Mr. Wolfgang Tooten of the Saba Tourism and Hotel Association, sub-committee of the Saba Business Association. The meeting was organized to cater to the hotel owners and dive shop operators as being the most influential to the local tourism market.
Those in attendance were open in discussion while also analyzing the closing of the 2008/2009 high-season. Many of the stakeholders voiced the opinion that communication needs to be improved from the tourist bureau and the Hotel/Dive shop owners. Director Glenn Holm agreed to send monthly updates as to the marketing actions of Government and the Saba Business Association agreed to compile a comprehensive email list in order to carry this out. Commissioner Johnson reminded the group that Government serves as a facilitator in these matters and that he hopes that the main players in the tourism market would start combining their efforts in marketing, instead of competing with each other on a small scale.
The meeting concluded with several action points including a follow-up advertisement in Duiken, a Dutch Magazine, more focus on regional markets, and better cooperation with transportation providers (such as Winair, The Edge, and Dawn 2).
Source: Saba Government Information Services – gis@sabagov.com
Cost of Living paid out
April 19th, 2009
April 9, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:
Commissioner of Finance, Bruce Zagers announced today that the cost of living adjustments for 2006 & 2008 will be paid out Thursday by the Island Government of Saba to all of its civil servants. 2007 cost of living has already been paid out last year. The reason why 2006 is being paid out now, is because previously there was a misconception about which table was being used for that year, and it was recently concluded that indeed a cost of living adjustment was necessary for the year of 2006.
The statistics used to make these calculations come from the Central Bureau of Statistics.
As for the highly anticipated retroactive payments coming from the periodic increases the Executive Council would again like to ask all parties involved to be patient. The Council is still waiting for the completion of the financial audit which has been started by the accounting firm Ernst & Young. Upon the completion of the audit, the report will be forwarded to the CFT as well other relevant Dutch parties. As soon as this money becomes available, this much deserved retroactive payment will be dispersed.
Source: Saba Government Information Services – gis@sabagov.com
Garbage Truck to arrive next week
April 19th, 2009
April 8th, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:
Last year in November the Island Government of Saba purchased a brand new garbage truck for approximately 200,000 FLS from Netherlands Antilles Import & Export NV in Curacao. This purchase was made possible through the Island Government budget. This garbage truck will be arriving on the Island ahead of schedule, next week. The vehicle carriers an Isuzu chassis and engine and is outfitted with a Wayne compacter.
The Planning Bureau of Saba was very instrumental in making the purchase of this much needed garbage truck a reality. This truck has been specifically designed to navigate the steep and narrow roads of Saba.
The Sanitation Department is already equipped with two compacter trucks and one open truck for larger debris. Currently, one of the compacter trucks is being overhauled through a project financed by the Saba Island Enhancements Fund. This is the second truck that has been restored by the Enhancement Fund.
Commissioner Zagers stated that, “once all three compacter trucks are functioning; the residents of Saba can expect a much improved level of service”. In the near future, a garbage collection schedule will be made to further improve the service which is provided by the Island Government.
Source: Saba Government Information Services – gis@sabagov.com
Government workers complete computer course
April 4th, 2009
April 3, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:
Today, a class of twenty-four Public Servants that were taught by Mr. Delroy Sinclair received their certificates. The certificates awarded were in the areas of Microsoft Word 2003 / 2007 and PowerPoint 2003 / 2007. The ceremony was held in the court room in the Government administration building within The Bottom.
Training for Government workers began in the third week of October and has been running successfully since. The funding for this training was provided by USONA. Mr. Sinclair expects to continue teaching Microsoft Excel in the near future. These courses are anticipated to enhance upon the technical skill set of public servants and be directly applicable in their daily jobs.
Commissioner Bruce Zagers, stated, “With technology constantly evolving, it is really nice to see public servants continue upgrading their computer skills”.
Source: Saba Government Information Services – gis@sabagov.com
Johnson holds engaging Town Hall meeting
April 3rd, 2009
April 3, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:
Last Thursday night Commissioner of Constitutional Affairs, Chris Johnson, hosted a Town Hall meeting on Saba. This meeting was held within the Eugenius Johnson Center in Windwardside. The turnout was larger than expected and brought in a diverse set of people from within the community.
Johnson presented the crowd with updates and news on the constitutional changes that will affect the Island Territory of Saba. Following a PowerPoint presentation, he spoke about the constitutional timeline, information from the BES weeks, structure of Government, recent decisions made, and the 5 five year evaluation period after the transition.
Johnson hammered at the significance of the “Four Pillars” and how important it is that we upgrade these pillars to modern standards. These four pillars are known as Education, Health care, Justice, and Social Services.
The information session included conclusions made during the constitutional changes. Some of these include the US Dollar as official currency, 24 hour medical evacuation that Saba has needed for years, Fiber optic possibilities, BES police corps, improved welfare, Youth and Family center, and Single health insurance. These decisions when implemented should slowly move Saba towards raising its four pillars of society.
Another highlight during the session was the additional funding of 24 Million Euros in the areas of Public Health, Youth & Family, Education, and Public Safety, which will be dispersed over the 2009/2010 period.
The session was wrapped up with questions and answers from the audience. Commissioner Johnson was upfront, stating that he may not have all the answers asked, but would supply them with everything that is known up to this point. The audience was not timid in presenting their question and the majority of concerns were laid to rest with detailed and historical explanations from Johnson.
Following the event Johnson was able to spend informal one-on-one time outside the center with members of the audience. Commissioner Johnson later spoke with GIS and stated, “I enjoyed taking the opportunity to answer questions and inform the community of these pertinent constitutional changes”
Source: Saba Government Information Services – gis@sabagov.com
European election forms available
April 3rd, 2009
Lt Governor Jonathan Johnson holding forms
April 3, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:
The Lt. Governor of Saba, Mr. Jonathan G.A. Johnson, would hereby like to make known that it is possible to register for the European Parliamentary Elections of June 4, 2009. Dutch citizens residing on the island can go to the Census Office in the Bottom to acquire an application form. The application forms are available in Dutch and English. The completed form together with a copy of your passport can be submitted to the Secretary of the Lt. Governor.
Applications need to be submitted before April 21, 2009 to ensure that they can be processed by the Dutch Representation on St. Maarten. “This is a right that has not been afforded to us in the past so therefore make use of it and vote.” stated Lt. Governor Johnson
Source: Saba Government Information Services – gis@sabagov.com
Minister of Justice visits Saba
April 1st, 2009
Minister David Dick, 2nd from left
April 1, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:
Today the Minister of Justice, Mr. David Dick, paid a working visit to the Island of Saba. During this visit the Minister went over the Youth Policy Plan as well as some other programs that are in effect for Saba. This plan was developed by Saba and executed by the Department of Education; however, the Ministry of Justice has provided the funds for the prevention programs.
Mr. Dick made the police recruitment campaign part of his agenda as he visited the schools and spoke to the local students. A video and presentations were given to the local youth on what it is like to be a police officer on the Islands. Minister Dick hopes to encourage the youth to join the force and serve their local islands and stated that they welcome people with all kinds of skill-sets – since there will be a place for them.
The Minister also signed for the expansion of police facilities which include the renovation and maintenance of the Police Headquarters, as well as a gate to be installed on the Harbor pier. The harbor gate should give the police a firm hold on immigration and securing the port. Another police station in Windwardside is in the works as well. Mr. Dick briefly spoke about the new immigration software system saying that, “The software for immigration has proven successful and effective. Thanks to this system we can, at this moment, have a clear idea of who is coming in and out of Saba.”
The Minister also spoke about the various prevention projects that are running on Saba. Many of these Youth programs that have been USONA funded on Saba have been successful. Some of the projects currently on Saba are: Vocational training in Carpentry, Home Economics, Housing Project, as well as a Theater Production, Awareness for Animals/Nature, and teacher training in communication with students. The concepts of these projects proved very positive on Saba, and Minister Dick hopes the other islands can learn from this and implement them as well.
Source: Saba Government Information Services – gis@sabagov.com