Philipsburg:--- Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams announced on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers press briefing that work on the Government Building located on Pond Island will begin sometime next week. The Prime Minister also announced that RGM Ltd., the owner and developer of the new Government Administration Building on Pond Island, filed a court case against the government of St. Maarten. That case she said will be heard at the end of October. The completion works she said will be financed by the government of St. Maarten. The Prime Minister explained that she signed off on that project about a year ago but because of government's bureaucracy the project will begin sometime next week and it will be executed by Betonbow Caribbean and Wek and Penguin.
The Prime Minister said besides these setbacks, the government of St. Maarten has been served by RGM Ltd. to appear in court where the company is demanding that government live up to the development contract. Wescot Williams said that the contract with RGM has been signed and on that basis government pays the lease for the building but RGM is now claiming other stipulations in the contract. One such stipulation is to ensure that the building is safe, and finalizing the work that needs to be finalized for government to occupy the building. Wescot Williams said just prior to RGM filing its case, government asked RGM to comply with its part of the deal in the contract. She said there were some deficiencies which has led to leakage. She said based on the contract it is RGM's responsibility to correct the deficiencies. Wescot Williams said government informed RGM in September 2012 and they met about two weeks ago and RGM agreed to conduct a site visit with its contractors and or architect and report back to government with a plan but to date that site visit has not yet been conducted.
Wescot Williams there are two court cases running between RGM and the Government of St. Maarten because RGM appealed the case Government won some time ago.