FREEN

°272

- M

arch

14,

201

3

Local News

in English

Published by Le Journal de Saint-Barth05 90 27 65 19 - stbarthweekly@wanadoo.fr

SAINT BARTH’S MANGROVESIN DANGER

WEEKLYSt-Barth

Weekly 273:Mise en page 1 14/03/13 09:59 Page1

2 St Barth Weekly n°273

What would SaintBarthélemy be withoutits mangroves? Thisimportant ecosystemtypically found on tropi-cal islands differs inSaint Barth, as it is notfound along the coast-line, but around the saltponds where it sheltersnumerous species offlora and fauna. Thevegetation includes theRhizophoraceae familyof mangrove trees,called “mangle” or“manglier” in theAntilles, that sit high on

stilt-like roots.In the animalworld, the man-grove serves as averitable nurseryfor fish, birds,and iguanas. Forthose notseduced by thecharms ofnature, it isimportant toremember thatthe mangrove, inSaint Barth likeelsewhere, playsan important role in sta-bilizing the environment

in a way beneficial toman. In the case of ahurricane or a tsunami,the vegetation in themangrove helps limitthe ravages of the seaand the risk of flooding.Serving as a bufferbetween sea and land,the mangrove also fil-ters sediments that arebrought down towardthe sea from hillsidesduring rainstorms. Yetthe mangrove in SaintBarth continues to dis-appear, and this is notjust a recent phenome-non. But the mangroveis suffering even moretoday due to unautho-rized destruction, anactivity that is totallyillegal, as the territorialcouncil classified themangrove trees as a pro-tected species by onDecember 30 2011.Such illegal clearing iscurrently taking place inGrand Cul-de-Sac,along the road leading

to Toiny, on a 2500 sqmeter piece of land(parcel AY 339 on thecadastre) occupied bythe Entreprise Généralede Bâtiment FelipeMarques (EGBFM).The manager of thatcompany, Jorge MacedoMarques, did not wishto respond to questionsasked by The Weekly.But the members of theterritorial environmentalcommission have notreceived a request fromthat company to author-ize such clearing of theland. On a nearby pieceof land (parcel AY 73),the Felipe MarquesCompany has stockpiledbuilding material (asseen in the photo). Alsoin Grand Cul-de-Sac, onthe other side of a tem-porary rock-crushingoperation run by PlasseRenovation Construc-tions Services (PRCS)and along the path lead-ing to the lagoon, the

SAINT BARTH’S MANGROVES IN DANGERSaint Barthélemy should take great care of its mangroves, a characteristic element of atropical island. However, this ecosystem located along the shores of the salt ponds is getting smaller and smaller, victim of illegal clearing, as is happening in Grand Cul-de-Sac.

Weekly 273:Mise en page 1 14/03/13 09:59 Page2

St Barth Weekly n°273 3

mangrove was destroyed onparcel AY 457, an area ofalmost 800 sq meters. Suchunauthorized destruction isalso happening in otherplaces on the island. Work-ing with the association, StBarth Essentiel, on a com-plete inventory of theisland’s flora and fauna,botanist Claude Sastre, anhonorary professor at theMuseum of Natural Historyin Paris, was moved by theplight of mangroves on theisland and expressed hisconcern in a specializedmagazine, “Le Courrier dela Nature.” The article istitled: “S.O.S. Mangrovesof Saint Barthélemy.”

SAINT BARTH’S MANGROVES IN DANGER

The builders of the Hotel Nii-laaia, now called Le Barthélemy,hope to finish the work in 12 to14 months. Six years after thestart of construction.

The neighborhood of Grand Cul-de-Sac has suffered from the construc-

tion of the Niilaaia Hotel. Of courseall construction projects bother theirneighbors, but the work on this 52-room hotel with two villas was start-ed five years ago, after the demoli-tion of the Saint Barth Beach Hotel,that once stood on the beach. Thenew hotel now predicts an opening

Grand Cul-de-Sac

WORK ON HOTEL NIILAAIA, RENAMEDLE BARTHÉLEMY, BACK ON TRACK

Weekly 273:Mise en page 1 14/03/13 09:59 Page3

4 St Barth Weekly n°273

The bay of Grand Cul-de-Sac is considered oneof the most beautiful inthe world. But for thepast six years it haslooked like an industrialzone. Since 2007, whenSt Barth Drep HotelInvest bought the SaintBarth Beach Hotel toreplace it with the Niilaa-ia Hotel, the land facingthe lagoon has beenunder attack, from thespot where two villashave finally been built tothe pile of debris and therock-crushing machineryplaced there by PlasseRenovation Construc-tions Services (PRCS),responsible for the con-crete work on the hotel.The presence of the rockcrusher on the site was

only necessary for thedemolition of the SaintBarth Beach Hotel,which lasted a year, from2007 to 2008. After that,the work stopped, due tolack of financing. Theconstruction companiesinvolved, such as PRCS,had not been paid for atleast five to six months.Some of them remainedon the site, in spite of thework stoppage, includingPlasse, which kept run-ning a rock-crushingoperation. Eric Plassedoes not disagree: “I con-tinued with my personalbusiness, but rather thanmoving the rock crusher,I did the opposite, andbrought my debris to thesite.” Rock crushing is anactivity that no one wants

in “12 to 14 months,”says Emmanuel Aïm,director of St Barth DrepHotel Invest, the devel-opers. St Barth DrepHotel Invest is a branchof Duet, an asset man-agement firm founded in2002 by financiers HenryGabay and Alain Schibl.Its subsidiary, Duet Lux-ury Hôtel, with assets of300 million US dollars,also owns the businessend of the Taïwana Hotelin Flamands.

Construction of LeBarthélemy (ex Niilaaia)should have been com-pleted in early 2010. Butfor the past two years,the work site was aban-doned, as everyone couldsee, due to funding thatdried up along the way.In the beginning, StBarth Drep Hotel Investput up “40% of their ownfunds and 60% on cred-it,” explains Aïm. Quite abit of debt leverage,especially consideringthe 22 million eurosspent to purchase theSaint Barth Beach Hotelfrom Guy Turbé. Thefunds were to come froma fund that Aïm refusesto identify. Did this fundrun into trouble due tothe financial crisis? Or

was it done deliberately,to take control of theproject, in assuming thatSt Barth Drep HotelInvest did not have suffi-cient means to hold on?Or maybe a little ofeach…

“They tried to double-cross us,” admits Aïm,who won a lawsuit initi-ated in Luxembourg.“We estimated we hadthe right to that credit, wesimply bought it back,”he explains. Since then,St Barth Drep HotelInvest has augmented itscapital to more than 27million euros. And a newpartner is on the scene,by the name of Barthele-my Holdings LLC, basedin Illinois. With the timedelay and interest paid tothe bank, the construc-tion of this hotel com-plex, now simply calledLe Barthélemy, is esti-mated at “60 millioneuros,” admits Aïm.“Today, we have thefunds to finish the proj-ect,” assures the develop-er. As a result, the brick-layers and bulldozers areback at work. After fin-ishing the basement,which is primarily forparking, they’ll start onthe upper floors.

SIX YEARS OF POLLUTIONFOR THE ENVIRONMENTFrom rock crushing on the site to dumping oflandfill in the salt pond, the interruption of thehotel project has hurt Grand Cul-de-Sac

Weekly 273:Mise en page 1 14/03/13 09:59 Page4

St Barth Weekly n°273 5

to have nearby, as it is a source ofnoise pollution and dust, so theneighbors complained. Question:Does Plasse have a valid authoriza-tion, without which he is in infrac-tion of article 98 of the urbanismcode? Plasse affirms that he doeshave such authorization, writtenand signed by the president of theCollectivity, and dated September25, 2008. But what does it sayexactly? Is it strictly limited to thedemolition of the Saint BarthBeach Hotel, in which case PRCSshould have left the site once thedemolition was completed? LastDecember, the Collectivity finallysent PRCS a formal demand tocease all rock crushing activity inGrand Cul-de-Sac; and requestedthat the site be restored to its formercondition. Place has responded bydismantling the machinery. As forthe huge pile of debris, it will beuse to fill trenches on the hotel con-struction site.

Another complaint is the landfilldumped in the salt pond in GrandCul-de-Sac during the years thatthe construction of the Niilaaiahotel was suspended. The Collec-tivity had an official report made:“We estimate that 300 sq meters ofthe pond has been filled in,” indi-cated Bruno Magras in 2010. EricPlasse claims he is not to blame.“What interest would I have todump debris into pond when I hadthe machinery on site to recycle it,”he asks. “It was not us whodumped debris of all sorts into thepond. I am simply the principalconstruction company on this site.You have to have thick skin,” heobserves. “If there is criticism, Iknow it is aimed at me.” Plassealso argues that he occupied“exclusively the parcels purchasedby Aïm.” In other words, he didnot increase his presence along thebay. Yet just a few meters from therock crusher, near parcel AY 457,

as elsewhere in Grand Cul-de-Sac,the mangrove was destroyed com-pletely illegally, as the trees are aprotected species.

Could the Collectivity have guar-anteed the preservation of GrandCul-de-Sac? “That is what weshould have and what we are goingto do,” Bruno Magras recentlyresponded. By invalidating thebuilding permit for the construc-tion of the Niilaaia hotel, whichclearly had been interrupted forover a year, could the powers thatbe have removed everyone fromthe site? And would that havebeen in the best interest of the Col-lectivity? “Who would have want-ed to take on such an exorbitantproject?” asks another hotelier.And so that this scar on the land-scape is not eternal, “the interest ofthe Collectivity is that the con-struction is completed. By hook orby crook.”

Weekly 273:Mise en page 1 14/03/13 09:59 Page5

6 St Barth Weekly n°273

Michel and his staff are happy to welcome you

to their pool-side restaurant for lunch & dinner.

Holiday special, in addition to our regular menu.

Lobsters Fresh From The Tank100 g for 7,00 euros

Hôtel Baie des Anges • Flamands • 0590 27 63 61

The heritage club at MireilleChoisy Junior High gets readyfor the next Youth And OverseasHeritage Meeting in Guyana

The third annual Youth AndOverseas Heritage Meeting willtake place in Guyana next Octo-ber. Organized by the French Her-itage Foundation, the first two edi-tions took place in Saint Barthéle-my in 2011 and in Martinique lastyear. Accompanied by HélèneBernier, the local delegate of theHeritage Foundation, a represen-tative of the Multi-professionalEconomic Chamber (CEM), andthe principal of their school, adozen tenth-grade students fromMireille Choisy Junior High wentto Fort-de-France last year forexchanges with their counterpartsfrom the other French islands and

Guyana, notably on the theme ofaromatic and medicinal plants.

The theme for the 2013 YouthAnd Overseas Heritage Meeting is“heritage professions.” To bestprepare for this event, “we createda heritage club as of February,”explains Bernier, noting the newclub was formed in partnershipwith the CEM and Mireille ChoisyJunior High. Participating this yearare a dozen seventh-grade stu-dents. Each week, these studentshave a one-hour class specific tothe subject, led by their teachers,with help from members of theeconomic chamber if needed.“The goal is to present the profes-sions that are related to maintain-ing the heritage of Saint Barthéle-my,” adds Hélène Bernier. In Feb-ruary, they started with straw

weaving, which for many yearshas been a specialty on the islandand still exists thanks to the experthands of a few old-timers, primari-ly in Corossol. The members ofthe heritage club met with some ofthe older women who still workwith woven straw.

This month, the accent is on gar-dening and such crops that werecultivated in the past in SaintBarthélemy—limes, cotton, andsweet potatoes—and which somepeople in Flamands and Gou-verneur are once again experiment-ing with growing. In April thetheme is architecture, and in Maythe focus is on fishing. Each classis followed by a field trip the fol-lowing Saturday, and the studentsbenefit from professional advicefrom the experts.

HERITAGE MEETING IN GUYANA NEXT OCTOBER

Weekly 273:Mise en page 1 14/03/13 09:59 Page6

St Barth Weekly n°273 7

Catholics from around the worldwill gather in Rio de Janeiro,Brazil, for the next World YouthDays on July 23-28, 2013. Threestudents from the parish of SaintBarthélemy will be among them.Nicholas Olive, Leïla Césaire,and Stella Perron d’Arc willattend this event presided over bythe successor to Benoit XVI.

Father Kaze and sister Marie-Jérôme, as well as a few adults,will accompany them, along withsome students from Saint Martin,to create a delegation from theNorthern Islands. This delegationwill meet with Bishop Mon-seigneur Riocreux in Guadeloupebefore heading to Brazil. Firststop Sao Paulo, then Rio.

The photos submitted for thecontest organized by the associa-tion, St Barth Essentiel, in partner-ship withCentre Alizés on thetheme “Wild Fauna Of Saint Bar-thélemy” will be on display from

Monday, March 18 through Fri-day, March 22 in the lobby of theHotel de la Collectivité, during itsregular hours. All are invited tostop by and visit the exhibit.

RENEWINGTIES WITHSAINT THOMASIn June, members of the heritageclub will go on a trip to SaintThomas in the American VirginIslands to get a better understand-ing of the strong historic links thatexist with many descendents ofthe Saint Barth families thatmigrated to Saint Thomas in themiddle of the 19th century. To thepoint where Carengae, a neighbor-hood on the southern coast ofSaint Thomas, was renamedFrenchtown. “We wanted toorganized a meeting with the SaintBarth families in Saint Thomas, sothey can tell the members of theclub about the history of theirisland,” explains Hélène Bernier,the Saint Barthélemy delegate forthe Heritage Foundation.

THREE YOUNG CATHOLICSFROM ST BARTH TO ATTENDWORLDYOUTH DAYS IN RIO

ST BARTH ESSENTIEL PHOTO CONTESTON DISPLAY, MARCH 18-22

Weekly 273:Mise en page 1 14/03/13 09:59 Page7

8 St Barth Weekly n°273

TAM ART GARDEN,CHARMS OF THE ORIENTTHIS SUNDAYFor the final gardenparty at Tam Art Gar-den in Saline on Sun-day, March 17, CaroleGruson has a very spe-cial evening planned,based on the theme of1001 Nights. With anOriental barbeque inthe kitchen, the garden will be transformedby belly dancers, a fire show, and hookahs toevoke the charms of the Orient. Plus musicby a stream of DJs— Carole.G, K-Rism,Eyedol, William Raidomi, Laurent Perrier—behind the turntables from 5pm to midnight.Oriental dress code suggested for the mostmagical and mesmerizing soirée au Tam ArtGarden, (ex Tamarin).

An innovator on drummachines and a skilled,eclectic musician, JeremyEllis, earned his way ontothe stage with heavy-hittingtalent in the last year suchas guestLove in the hip-hopartist's production of ShuffleCulture at the BrooklynAcademy of Music.Embracing technology,Jeremy Ellis, an embodi-ment of music, warrantedrecognition from the famedRed Bull who, with Ellis'input, developed the firstever drum pad "battle"among other famed buttonpushers. ble to perform onsamplers as though he'splaying on his first instru-

ment, the piano, this versa-tile musician has landed anendorsement from NativeInstruments to demonstrateand guide what is now hismain instrument, the Maschine.Special Guest Jeremy Ellis Friday, March 15 at La Plage, Saint Jean

Friday, March 15 at La Plage

SPECIAL GUEST JEREMY ELLIS

Weekly 273:Mise en page 1 14/03/13 09:59 Page8

St Barth Weekly n°273 9

Published by "Le Journal de Saint-Barth" ISSN-1766-9278 -Ph. : 05.90.27.65.19

stbarthweekly@wanadoo.fr Director & layout : Avigaël Haddad 06 90 54 76 24

Chief Editor: Hugo Lattard English texts : Ellen Lampert Greaux

Photos : Rosemond GréauxAdvertising : Nabil 0690 770 070

Impression : Prim Serviceswww.stbarthweekly.com

MARCH 31 DEADLINEFOR PROPERTY DECLARATION FORMThe Collectivity of Saint Barthélemy now requiresthat the persons responsible for all internationalcorporations of any sort (SCI, family trusts, real-estate holding company, etc…) that own propertydirectly or indirectly on the island of SaintBarthélemy fill out a form that precisely declaresthe name and contact information for the owners,the nature and address of the property, and the per-centage of each shareholder or partner. This decla-ration must be addressed to Bruno Magras, presi-dent of the territorial council, before March 31,2013. However, any persons owning property onthe island in their own name are not required tosubmit the form. If this declaration is not made, or not made in full,by the shareholders or partners, a tax equivalent to3% of the value of the property must be paid. Theprimary goal of this declaration is to provide theCollectivity with better information on the transac-tions that take place each tear. The tax is only duein the case of a refusal to make the declaration ordisclose full information.

The required form and detailed instructions can bedownloaded from the website of the Collectivity(www.comstbarth.fr), or the information can beprovided in the form of a letter. This declaration isdescribed in articles 110-112 of the tax code forSaint Barthélemy. The Saint Barth InternationalProperty Owners Association had the form official-ly translated into English exclusively for its mem-bers. For information contact Maria Mercaldi at mariaanita@scibo.com.

Weekly 273:Mise en page 1 14/03/13 09:59 Page9

10 St Barth Weekly n°273

Live Music� Through March 23- AABARAKI from 9pmto midnight, Bete AZ’Ailes, Gustavia� Thursday March 14- Live Music with SoulJazzy from 7pm @ La Voile Rouge, Mana-pany, Anse des Cayes- Live music with PierreNesta & Fire Show, from8pm @ Nikki Beach- DJ Yo One Sutter atBonito, Gustavia- Diner Cabaret withshow girls at Ti St Barth- Live music from 8:00pmduo pop rock at Les Boucaniers, Gustavia- Ladies First with FJFranck H from 8pm@ First Place, Gustavia- Dinner with Live Music

by Alvaro Kapaz & JoshLogan @La Plage � Friday March 15- I Love Friday! LiveMusic by Special GuestJeremy Ellis +DJ Yo-One, Cristina's Cristina'sPole Dancing Show, Fire Spinning by Cyril,Wild Side Fashion Show at La Plage, St Jean- DJ Maxx C (Resident DjNikki beach) at Bonito,Gustavia- Jules Friends from6:30pm @Table de Jules,Lorient- Ladies Night @Bagatelle, Gustavia- Soley for the sunset &Dinner from 5:30pm @ Do Brazil, Gustavia - Acoustic guitar withRobb, from 7 to 9pm at Isle de France

- Madness Week End @Ti St Barth, Pointe Milou- DJ Maxx-C (ResidentNikki Beach) from 9pm atBonito, Gustavia� Saturday March 16- Madness Week End @Ti St Barth, Pointe Milou- Bikini Brunch, from12pm until 5:30pm, withDJ Yo-One @ La PlageRestaurant- Live Music by Specialguests BOB Moses for thedinner at La Plage- DJ Yo One Sutter atBonito, Gustavia- Lunch with Live Musicwith Robb, from 1pm atMango, Christopher Hotel- Soley & Caravan Style «Jazz Manouche» from8pm at Les Boucaniers � Sunday, March 17

- Beach Lunch, Fashion-Shows, @ La Plage - Brunch with Robb, 11am, @ Toiny Hotel- Nungan & Papaguyo atBonito, Gustavia- Amazing Sunday «Oriental Party» from1pm with DJ Maxx- C @Nikki Beach, St Jean- Live Music with Soley &Co from 8pm at Bonito, - Nungan & Pierre Nestafor the Sunset, @Do Brazil, Gustavia- Dinner with Live Musicby White Limo at LaPlage, St Jean� Tuesday, March 19- Brazilian Evening : LiveMusic with Nathaliefrom 6pm @ Christopher

Pointe Milou- DJ Yo One Sutter atBonito, Gustavia- Dinner Live Music withRobb from 8:30pm, Ti Zouk K’fé, Gustavia- Soley for the sunset &Dinner from 5:30pm@ Do Brazil, Gustavia - Diner Cabaret withshow girls at Ti St Barth� Wednesday March 20- DJ Yo One Sutter atBonito, Gustavia- Diner Cabaret withshow girls at Ti St Barth- Cabaret evening, NEWSHOW Paris / St BarthFolies at Nikki Beach, St Jean- Soley from 8pm at PaCriTawana Hotel, Flamands- Diner Cabaret withshow girls at Ti St Barth,Pointe Milou

Night Club� Thursday March 14Where’s my fucking loveDJ K-RISM at YachtClub, Gustavia� Wednesday March 20«Laisse parler les gens»with DJ Eyedol at Yacht Club, Gustavia

Exhibitions� Through March 10Stanislas DefizeLe Brigantin, Gustavia

- Modernisme art & Antiques, CamarucheGallery- Dave Stevenson, Les Artisans, Gustavia- Alain le Chatelier, LesArtisans, Gustavia- Photography by Wolf-gang Ludes, Jean-PhilippePiter, Antoine Verglas atClic Bookstore andGallery, Gustavia

TIME OUTWhere to go dancing? See an art exhibit? Listen to live music? Time Out keeps you up to date on local happenings.

Let’s party !

�����������������

Charms Of The Orient For The Final GardenParty This Sunday@ Tam Art Gardenfrom 4pm to midnight

Weekly 273:Mise en page 1 14/03/13 09:59 Page10

� Classified adsReal EstateThis lovely 3 bedroomvilla with pool andJacuzzi is situated in alush tropical garden set-ting in Grand Cul deSac. Attractive price.Contact : St. Barth Properties Sotheby’s InternationalRealty: 0590 29 75 05

This charming threebedroom villa with poolis located on the hillsideof Corossol. Built in thetypical style of St. Barth,the property consists ofseveral bungalows ondifferent levels and is inperfect condition. Contact :

St. Barth Properties Sotheby’s InternationalRealty: 0590 29 75 05

This two bedroom villawith pool was recentlyrenovated. Situated onthe hillside of Toiny theproperty offers a beauti-ful unobstructed view ofthe ocean. Contact St. Barth Properties Sotheby’s InternationalRealty: 0590 29 75 05

269- Urgent : For ourclients, looking for alltypes of lands or villasfor sale in StBarths.Please contact St Barth Villa: 05 90 87 30 80.

St Barth Weekly n°273 11

Weekly 273:Mise en page 1 14/03/13 09:59 Page11

Weekly 273:Mise en page 1 14/03/13 09:59 Page12