today's AMIGOE discussing small aquatic companies on beaches

[Andrea J.]

New policy misses zoning plan water sports
3 Mei, 2010, 08:13 (GMT -04:00)

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Aquatics companies currently still launch their boats from the beach between the Marriott Hotel and the Fishermen’s Huts.
ORANJESTAD — The new beach policy is missing a zoning plan to launch the boats from the aquatics companies. Although the policy mentions a few suggestions, it does not indicate an adequate location.

The companies in question are concerned about this, says Edwin Duineveld, lawyer of a number of small aquatics companies. Nevertheless, the latter are pleased to know they will not loose their selling locations on the beach, if they comply with the conditions, such as certification and payment of land rent.
More than thirty tents of all aquatics companies are currently spread out over Eagle Beach and Palm Beach. The companies bring in their customers from the beach and offer them sailing and other pleasure trips on the water. However, the bottleneck in their management regards the place where they could launch and put ashore the vessels (such as sailing boats, motorboats and jet-skis). This is currently done between the Marriott Hotel and the Fishermen’s Huts as the Directorate of Infrastructure and Planning (CIP) had allotted this location to them in 2007. At that time, after nearly twenty years of having to load and unload their boats along the coast at Hadicurari, the small aquatics companies had had to make room for the beach guests of the newly constructed Marriott Surf Club.

Trailers
From comments of several managers as well as of lawyer Duineveld, it appears the aquatics companies consider their new location far from ideal. The location namely overlaps the area that Vela Windsurfing has allotted her customers. As the trailer-traffic needs the deep water just in front of Vela to keep their engines vital, the windsurfers and the trailers with boats subsequently cross each other at the beach and in the water. This situation annoys many users.
Moreover, the situation has worsened since the road behind the beach – from the Marriott up to the Fishermen’s Huts – has been closed off. The road had been closed off three weeks ago in connection with the construction of the Ritz Hotel. The trailer-traffic that had used this road until that time as well as the various beach strips leading to this road, are now using a narrow path that is only wide enough for one single vehicle. This leads to buildups, traffic jams and frustrations on a daily basis.

Baranca Plat
It is not precluded that the aquatics companies, in any case with regard to the bringing and fetching of their boats, will be allotted a location at Baranca Plat, at the Divi Phoenix hotel. In any case, that was the recommendation of the H2O-committee and the RRIS-committee, and according to Duineveld, that advice is conveyed in the current policy plan.
Baranca Plat currently has a half-finished slipway to launch boats.
Aquatics companies do not oppose this option. “However, if the government wants to handle this correctly, they should consider the number of aquatics companies and build a platform that is large enough for the total number of companies”, says Robert Leeuwe of the Independent Water sports Foundation Aruba (IWFA).
Leeuwe is also of the opinion that the government should approach the Marriott Hotel to finance the new boat ramp. “For that matter, during the construction of the Surf Club several years ago, the government and Marriott had agreed that Marriott would not only construct a new road, but also a boat ramp and a parking lot for the aquatics companies. The latter had had to leave the beach at Hadicurari at that time – upon Marriott’s request. Those agreements have never crystallized completely.”

Moreover, lawyer Edwin Duineveld states, that even if the government would construct a boat ramp at Baranca Plat, it would not be realized today or tomorrow. In the meantime, the companies will have to settle for the location between Vela and Ritz. “Minister Otmar Oduber has advised us to negotiate with Ritz, and that’s what we intend to do now. My clients and I will invite the hotel for a conversation to find a solution for the problem. According to the Minister, the government itself had already forwarded a letter to Ritz regarding this matter”, says Duineveld.

[shariuno]

thank you andrea!

isnt it interesting how what goes on!!!

i hope it gets sorted, this is peoples livelihoods. Aruba is a beach destination and with that comes water sports.........surely this should have been sorted before now????

[Andrea J.]

my take on the whole thing is that the government past and maybe present ran things loosey goosey......now with the whole "ritz business", they are trying to firm things up.

then again, i am an outsider making guesses and my guesses are just that, guesses

[danadog56]

Ah, the ritz business again.....when will it end ???? LOL !!!

[Arubalisa]

"Aquatics companies relocate to Baranca Plat
4 Mei, 2010, 07:55 (GMT -04:00)
http://www.amigoe.com/artman/publish/artikel_72010.php
ORANJESTAD — Aquatics companies will be launching their boats at Baranca Plat, near Divi Phoenix hotel in the future. The Minister of Tourism, Labor and Transportation, Otmar Oduber (AVP) is negotiating this with the project developers of The Cliff Beachfront Condominiums.

They are building a luxurious apartment complex opposite Divi Phoenix. “The Cliff will be financing the new water sport facilities”, says the Minister. According to him, the plan for Baranca Plat had originated during the term of the previous government, as they had concluded an agreement with the project developers. Regarding their motivation, according to the Minister, that is embedded in the conditions of their permit to establish a business. The Cliff is to reinvest 0.5 percent of the investment amount in social projects.

For that matter, the construction of the Cliff-complex has been at a standstill for months now. The project billboard has even been removed from the location at Eagle Beach because the ground lease has not been arranged yet, in Oduber’s opinion. However, according to the Minister, it is certain the apartments will be constructed. Oduber also expects that the water sport facility in Baranca will be realized soon, as the construction documents for such are already finished. However, a starting date for the construction has not been fixed yet.

Traffic circle
Meanwhile, time presses because the location, which the aquatics companies are currently using to launch their boats – between the Marriott Hotel and the Fishermen’s Huts –; will not be accessible in the near future. The traffic crossroads at the Marriott Resort will namely be closed off soon – according to the Minister within a few weeks or months – in connection with the pending construction activities for the new traffic circle there. “We hope Baranca Plat will be ready by that time”, says Oduber. However, if the facility is not ready yet, the aquatics companies will have to relocate for the time being. The Minister is considering the small bay in front of the Governor’s residence at L.G. Smith Boulevard in Oranjestad. “It would be a temporary solution, and we would only use that option as a final resort”, says the Minister.

The new facility at Baranca Plat must become a permanent zoning for the aquatics companies. They had been forced to relocate during the past two years in order to launch their boats."

[shariuno]

anyone know where the Governor’s residence at L.G. Smith Boulevard in Oranjestad is?

[cyclone promotions]

the Governor’s residence is next of the renaissance in town and it is great that this minister is on top of this situation because it is a problem for years that other government did not pay attention to the situation

Baranca Plat will be a great area to launch boats but they need to remove the under water rocks that is in the area