SINT MAARTEN — The official groundbreaking ceremony for the reconstruction of the Sint Maarten Library took place on September 8, International Literacy Day. The ceremony marked the start of the second major construction project under the Fostering Resilient Learning Project (FRLP), following the start of works at Sister Marie Laurence Primary School in the Middle Region in May this year.
The National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB), on behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten, has signed a contract with Steel Structures T&T Ltd for the reconstruction of the library. The activity is one of several investments financed through the Sint Maarten Trust Fund that support the country’s recovery while building stronger, more resilient education infrastructure and public services.
“We are rebuilding the Sint Maarten Library as an investment in our people and their future. The new Library will be a modern center for learning and innovation, while providing a dedicated place to preserve and share our culture. Future generations will have access to the tools and opportunities they need to learn and succeed. This project demonstrates our commitment to strengthening public institutions and ensuring they can continue serving the people of Sint Maarten for years to come.” – Honorable Prime Minister, Dr. Luc Mercelina
“I grew up spending lots of time in the library, so this one is personal for me. It was a place to read, explore and feed my curiosity, sometimes without even realizing how much I was learning. That is what I want this new library to be for another generation of Sint Maarten children: a place that opens their world a little wider and lets them imagine what is possible.” – Honorable Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, Melissa Gumbs
Designed to respond to the changing ways people learn, work, create and access information, the new library will have modern facilities including children’s areas, facilities for book collections, conference and meeting areas, recording rooms, a café space and a dedicated Sint Maarten Collection to preserve the island’s cultural archives. The bust of Simón Bolívar and the commemorative Rotary Club sculpture currently located on the site will be carefully preserved during construction before being reinstated once the project is complete.
“We have been operating from a temporary home since 2019, but we haven’t been standing still while waiting for a new building. The Library has continued to serve the community and develop its services during that time. Now we have get to bring that work into a permanent home again, and we’re looking forward to what this next chapter will mean for the Library and the community we serve.” – Joseanne Peterson, President of the Board, St. Maarten Library
The design for the library was developed through consultation during both the conceptual and detailed design phases. Representatives of the Library Board, former librarians, members of the public and other stakeholders contributed feedback that was incorporated into the final design.
The library will be a single-story building constructed with a structural steel frame, concrete pile foundations, and reinforced concrete masonry walls. Construction is expected to take approximately 14 months following mobilization on site. The revised site layout will improve access and make more efficient use of the available land, with future public access and additional parking to be available from Buncamper Road.
Consulting civil and structural engineering firm KS&P Ltd designed the library and will also provide construction supervision throughout the works. The design allows for future expansion. The structural steel frame and foundations have been designed to support an additional floor should more space be needed in the future. The building has also been designed to withstand Category 5 hurricane winds and earthquake risks relevant to Sint Maarten. Flood hazard assessments informed the design of the drainage system and the elevation of the building to strengthen its resilience.
The project is implemented in accordance with the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF), which helps protect workers, neighboring communities and the environment throughout construction and after. Members of the public can submit concerns or complaints through the project’s Grievance Redress Mechanism (GRM) which can be found on the NRPB website.
The groundbreaking also represents a new chapter in a history that stretches back more than a century. The Sint Maarten Library first opened in 1923 as the Philipsburg Jubilee Library, named to mark the Silver Jubilee of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. After Hurricane Irma in 2017, the library building was extensively damaged and services were relocated. Since March 2019, the library has operated from a temporary location on the second floor of the Adolphus Richardson Building on W.J.A. Nisbeth Road.
Satellite branches of the library have also been in operation in Cay Hill, Belvedere and, at the Point Blanche correctional facility, expanding access to library services across the community. The library has continued expanding its digital services, increasing its digital collection from approximately 600 e-books in 2019 to more than 6,000 today. Library members also have access to approximately 70,000 digital books through a partnership with the Royal Library of the Netherlands.
$26.7 million has been allocated to the Fostering Resilient Learning Project (FRLP) from the Trust Fund to support the reconstruction of the Sint Maarten Library, Sister Marie Laurence Primary School and Charles Leopold Bell Primary School, the development of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport’s Management Information System (MMIS), inclusive education programs and educator training and national learning assessments.
FRLP is implemented by the National Recovery Program Bureau on behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten in close collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport. It is financed by the Government of the Netherlands through the Sint Maarten Trust Fund and administered by the World Bank.
