Gioia Good

VROMI’s partnership with the Gioia Group to rebuild and beautify the Simpson Bay dock is the kind of investment people actually feel and like to see. A rebuilt pier, a better parking setup, proper waste management, trees and landscaping, and support to improve the police and immigration station environment are practical upgrades that make the area work better for everyone.

The Gioia family also deserves real credit for the spirit behind it. Angel Gioia and Luis Gioia said it clearly, investment should not stop at the gate of your own development. “This pier is the first and last point of contact for many and it should reflect the beauty and hospitality that define Sint Maarten. Supporting the enhancement of the Simpson Bay area reflects our commitment to being good partners and contributing to a more welcoming environment for everyone who lives, works, and visits here.”

Some months ago in this space, we made a point that when a major development comes into a neighborhood, the residents are not just bystanders. They are the people who will live with the traffic, the parking issues, the noise, the daily changes. They should feel comfortable approaching developers and saying, if we are going to share this community, then let the community benefit too.

Whether you were for the development or against it, it was being built anyway. It will benefit the economy. The real question was always whether the people right there would also see something improve around them. This is what that looks like.

Corporate social responsibility is not something required by law here yet. The Minister of Finance said today she will look to include this aspect in tax reform, which is good, because it is overdue. Until then, we are relying on people to choose to do the right thing without being forced. That is why it is refreshing to see the Gioia family step up and invest in the area they will call neighbors.

We hope other developers take note. Not because they want a headline, but because it is the smart and decent way to build in a small country. Public private partnerships should not only move the economy, they should lift the places and the people that carry the economy every day. Cynics, be damned.

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