Down Street merchants cry foul

~ No security at pier keeps water taxis away ~

By Alita Singh

PHILIPSBURG--Merchants of "Down Street" are up in arms, because water taxis are not dropping off cruise ship passengers at the Down Street pier, a development that they contend is slowly strangling their businesses.

Adding to their worries is the discontinuation of security services by St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies at the jetty, reportedly because water taxis no longer take passengers to that part of town.

Prem Sadarangani of Queen Fine Jewellery echoed the sentiments of the area's merchants. He told The Daily Herald he would soon close his jewellery store and only continue with his liquor outlet. "This is the period we have to make it in, from December to April, but we are suffering."

The merchants' biggest issue is the water tenders not dropping off cruise passengers in the area. This issue was raised with Harbour Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Mingo in November and a promise was made that the problem would be remedied, with the harbour taking responsibility for much-needed security for cruisers getting off the jetty and accessing Front Street via the Sea Palace alley.

The merchant said Mingo had kept his promise, but this was short-lived at the beginning of the cruise season, with water taxis dropping off cruisers at the Down Street pier for some five days before discontinuing the operation.

Sadarangani said that on making enquiries about the stopping of the water taxis service, he and other business owners were told by Head of Security at the harbour Max Phelipa that Connecting Waves N.V., the company that transports cruisers to the Down Street pier, was boycotting it because of "a deal" with Diamonds International (DI), the largest jewellery store chain on the island.

The Deal

That "deal" between the water taxi company and DI, according to what the merchant was told, is that a certain number of passengers must be taken to Captain Hodge Wharf (the centre of town) by Connecting Waves, where the flagship DI store and other branches are closely situated.

The merchant said, "I am just a little business. I am no DI, so we need the passengers to come to this part of the town." He added that the barricade placed at the L'Escargot alley on Front Street, when more than two ships are in port, is also contributing to stifling the businesses in Down Street. "People see the barricade and think there is nothing else down the street, so they turn back."

The merchant said the barricade issue had been raised with the harbour. "We were told that the harbour has nothing to do with this; that was Public Works. And that the barricade is placed for the market [vendors selling T-shirts, etc.] and the person operating the market has contacts high up in Public Works Department, so what can we do?"

Asked about the so-called deal, Phelipa said that Connecting Waves did have a contract with DI and it was "much-talked-about" by the Down Street merchants. "DI pays for ads [on the water taxis-Ed.]; that's what we understand." He said, "They [Connecting Waves-Ed.] don't want to go in that direction [Down Street jetty-Ed.] and they are not giving us [the harbour-Ed.] a reason why. No one wants to go to that area." Phelipa did allude to the possibility of Connecting Waves boycotting the Down Street jetty, because the DI stores are in the centre of town.

DI Managing Director Moshe Hakimi was asked by this newspaper about his deal with Connecting Waves. Hakimi said the contract was similar to advertising on the water taxis and it had nothing to do with where cruise passengers should be dropped off. "I sell jewellery. I am not the port authority; I can't tell the water taxis where to bring passengers."

Connecting Waves Managing Director Abdul Meyers told The Daily Herald that DI advertises on his water taxis. "They can't and don't dictate to me where to drop off cruise passengers."

Security

Meyers said he believed in spreading the cruise passengers around and that a concerted effort was made to drop off passengers at the Down Street jetty when there were three or more ships in port. He pointed out that if there was no security in the area, he would not let the cruise passengers off.

Case in point, Meyers said, was Thursday morning. "I went with a boat full of passengers to that jetty and there was no security in the area, so I turned back." He said he called the guy who rents the beach chairs and umbrellas in the Sea Palace area to tell him he was not bringing passengers there, because no security was present. "The guy told me he was going to call the harbour to see what was going on. He never called back, so I didn't go back there."

Commenting about why no security was present in the area, Phelipa said the harbour had discontinued the security around Tuesday, because the water taxis were not going to the Down Street jetty. Asked if the water taxi company had been informed that the service had been discontinued, Phelipa said, "We don't need to tell them anything."

The security will be reinstated in the area when the water taxis "decide to make regular trips to the area," the head of security said.

When asked why such a drastic move had been made to stop the security in the area, which is a another major blow for the merchants on top of the recession, Harbour Group CEO Mingo said he was unaware that the security had been stopped, as no such decision had been made. He will look into the situation.

Heyliger's promise

Another area businessman restaurateur Michel Hodge, who is also a former Harbour Group board member, said the tenders had started well and "a lot of hopes were raised and then it all stopped."

Hodge, who will soon open Coconut Cove bar and restaurant in the area, added that messages had been sent to Mingo and Harbour Chief Operations Officer Keith Franca about the stoppage of the water tender service, but "we can't get no answer."

When some US $2 million was poured into constructing the jetty, then-Harbour Affairs Commissioner now-Deputy Prime Minister Theo Heyliger had said "it was to expand tourism and help the Down Street businesses," Hodge recalled. "Now it is up to the port and the water taxis to make this happen. It is the water taxis coming in this area that bring success to the businesses."

He pointed out that businesses in and around Captain Hodge and Bobby's Marina were doing well, while those of Down Street were suffering. "I have seen tenders sometimes drop off passengers in the area and never come back for them. The passengers have to walk down all the way to Captain Hodge [Wharf-Ed.]."

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/23490-down-street-merchants-cry-foul-at-.html

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