Rebuilding the Boardwalk in Gustavia
One casualty of hurricane Omar late last year was the destruction of the wooden boardwalk along the harbor in Gustavia. Besides providing a pleasant place to walk along the water, the boardwalk also provided mooring for around 40 small boats. The Territorial Council has allocated 2,215,000 euros to rebuild the 550'-long boardwalk. However, it will not be another wooden boardwalk. Instead, it will consist of a concrete pontoon on pylons and rocks or riprap to break the swells. Work is expected to begin in June and be finished before the fall tourist season. While the wooden boardwalk was pretty, the concrete version will be easier to walk on if you're wearing heels!

Land Purchases
A little over three-quarters of an acre behind the cemetery in St Jean, has been purchased. This land is next to about one-half of an acre that the Collectivity already owns. Plans for its use have not yet been finalized. In addition, three parcels of land in Terre Neuve were purchased with the plan to trade them for some property in Flamands where the Collectivity plans to build a parking lot for 20 to 25 cars.

Housing Subsidies
The Collectivity would like to provide 400-euros-per-month housing subsidy for a two-year period to professional firemen who are transferred to St Barth. Currently, this subsidy would affect four or five firemen.

The new budget will be voted on by March 31. However, the Collectivity has already allocated 6 million euros for road work, 8 million euros for land acquisition, 5.3 million euros to construct a retirement home next to the hospital, and 1 million to lay fiber optic cable.