THE BOTTOM- Commissioner of Finance, Bruce Zagers says he feels positive about the year 2022. The commissioner, among others, points the a number of important projects either underway or in the pipeline for the island. 

“As we continue to roll out our Saba Splash product, considerable efforts will continue to be made to ensure that the availability of affordable, quality drinking water, becomes more attainable for every household and business. Ongoing initiatives such as the hydroponics farm should soon start to deliver tangible results, while we must continue to promote and support traditional farming techniques and responsible animal husbandry. This will reduce our dependency on imports while providing a source of fresh and healthy food.”

Efforts in waste management will also continue to improve, while significant progress should soon start to be realized with the enforcement of the single-use plastic ban. Creating a mobility plan, which focuses on public transportation, will become a priority as there is a considerable strain on Saba’s infrastructure, especially the availability of parking places.    

New harbour

The tendering for the new harbour should start this year. “The road to the new harbour location has been under construction now for several months. This will be the biggest project in Saba’s history, and it will have considerable positive spinoffs during the construction phase for our economy while creating many business and employment opportunities in the short and long term.”

After many delays, progress is being made for the school housing project. All the relevant stakeholders are involved and a start should be realized in the first half of this year. Efforts are ongoing to create a bypass road which will reduce traffic while increasing the availability of parking around the schools. This bypass road will especially be useful during the construction phase of the school buildings, according to Zagers.