PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Recently, the Honorable Minister of VROMI, Mr. Egbert Doran, and the former Interim Manager of NV GEBE, Dr. Sharine Daniel, signed a Streetlight Management Agreement. This agreement allows NV GEBE to maintain and expand the streetlight grid. Additionally, Dr. Daniel signed a purchase order for 600 streetlight fixtures. This was done in the presence of Minister Doran and the Distribution Manager of NV GEBE, ing. Patrick Drijvers.
The new Streetlight Management Agreement is a continuation of the initial agreement signed in 2014 for NV GEBE to manage and maintain the streetlight network. To date, NV GEBE has replaced the majority of the old High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) and orange lighting fixtures for more reliable, energy-efficient, and resilient streetlights which house the Light Emitting Diode (LED) components. In addition to the initial streetlight management agreement, the new agreement will have a remote management system in place that can control and monitor the streetlights. This includes switching the lights On & Off, reading/monitoring the consumption of the lights, and receiving alarms when a streetlight malfunctions. The system will make it easier for NV GEBE to address faulted streetlights more responsively and will also be used for lighting emergency routes.
During the signing of this agreement, the Minister of VROMI requested that NV GEBE focuses on the most deprived areas where public street-lighting has been a challenge since the island was struck by Hurricane Irma in 2017. Special focus will be placed on the areas where crime has increased and also in areas where there is a lot of mobility.
Minister Egbert Doran would like to thank the workers of NV GEBE for their hard and dedicated work in the recovery efforts after hurricane Irma and the upkeep of the streetlight network thereafter.
Moving forward, the Ministry of VROMI and NV GEBE will continue to monitor the areas that are in much need of public street-lighting and intend to have all roads lit during the course of this Streetlight Management Agreement.
Minister Doran and Former Interim Manager Dr. Daniel, added that VROMI and NV GEBE remains committed to ensuring the safety of every citizen of this Country.
