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The Bottom, Saba – On August 18th, the Long Haul Grill B.V., located in the Windwardside on Saba, received the very first Operational Permit (‘exploitatievergunning’) in the history of the Dutch Caribbean Islands. This Operational Permit was granted to the Long Haul Grill by the Governor of Saba, following their request for a permit on Friday August 12th. All relevant authorities and departments (e.g. the Fire Department Caribbean Netherlands, the Police Department Caribbean Netherlands and the Public Health Department of Saba) showed exemplary cooperation as all relevant inspections and reports were finalized within three days, and because of this the Governor was able to grant the Operational Permit within 6 days.
Based on the law, the Governor has several independent duties and responsibilities. One of the main roles is that he is responsible for maintaining public order and safety. The Governor may take action against violation of laws relating to public order and safety. One of the most vital tools the Governor has to ensure proper public order and safety, is the general local ordinance (in Dutch: ‘Algemene Plaatselijke Verordening’) (the ‘‘Ordinance’’). Therefore it is important to have a strong Ordinance in place, as it provides the solid foundation to ensure public order and safety. As per April 18th, the previous and outdated Ordinance was replaced and a new and revised one entered into effect. This new Ordinance was discussed with the general public before through several Town Hall meetings in March of 2016, and a separate meeting was organized with the business owners in Saba. There was a great turnout during all of the meetings. The Governor provided a brief introduction, after which the Island Secretary and legal advisor gave a presentation on the new Ordinance. During the presentations each topic of the Ordinance was discussed and the Business Owners and general public could ask questions, provide feedback and discuss.
Two topics that are further regulated in the new Ordinance are permits for events and permits for operating a Public Establishment (in Dutch: ‘Openbare Inrichtingen’ such as a restaurant or a bar). Recently, separate meetings with individual business owners were organized to get their feedback on a workable and well-balanced format to request for event permits and operational permits. It is important, for example, that the event permit requirement does not impede businesses. Therefore, their feedback was vital. The goal is to safeguard a proper balance. Together with these business owners, a simplified request form was finalized. This new simplified form is now available at the Government Administration Building on Saba, the different bulletin boards and on the Government’s website, www.sabagov.nl.
Press release GIS.