THE BOTTOM- Through a creative solution, a large amount of old batteries has been brought down from Mt. Scenery. The batteries were removed using a helicopter that came to Saba from Saint Martin on Friday, October 29 to lift new communication equipment to the top of Mt. Scenery.

The Public Entity Saba has been working with the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard on improving naval communication systems on Saba. Together with the Coast Guard, the Public Entity is establishing a VHF connection to facilitate communication for boats on the north side of the island. The VHF system will be connected the first half of 2022. Once the system has been installed, boats from all sides of Saba will be able to communicate with the Harbor office in case of emergency.

Helicopter

Local authorities decided to make optimal use of the helicopter’s presence to solve the long-lasting problem of the old batteries lying at the top of the mountain. The exercise was the result of a quick collaboration between the Public Safety Department, the Public Works Department and the Harbor Office.

The helicopter brought down 3,500kg of batteries. Airport security officer Verna Robinson informed Island Governor Jonathan Johnson of the mission’s successful completion. The batteries had been lying in and around the telecommunications tower from before the local telephone company SATEL started operating the facility. The batteries were brought to the waste management facility and will be shipped off island for further processing.