Works on road to Black Rocks harbor project

Final preparations are being made to construct the last part of road to the new harbor project at Black Rocks. Also, Saban rock walls will be built along part of the road.

Saba Roads & Construction has started to construct the foundation for the rock walls which will be built in the typical Saban style, using local rocks. The walls will not only aid in stabilizing the hillside and prevent rocks from coming onto the road due to erosion, but will also serve a visual purpose.

The rock walls will be constructed along the first 300 meters of the unpaved road. The first 500 meter of the road is now in place. Early next year, the road will be extended another 250 meters to the location of the new harbor. Because the last part is steep, the area will need to be excavated, compacted and stabilized in order to construct the last part of the road. The entire road will be paved at the end of the harbor project to prevent damage to the road during construction works.

Reforestation

Reforestation along the road to and in the Black Rocks/Giles Quarter area is part of the harbor project. Agriculture expert Jim Garza of Gezondheid Farms, the Agricultural Department and the Coordinator Goat Control, Nature and Agriculture of the Public Entity Saba will draft a proposal for the first phase of reforestation. Soil samples have been taken by Garza, the results of which will be used to determine what shrubs, grasses and trees will best survive in that area which is marked by extreme circumstances with a dry, nutrient-poor soil and a lot of wind. Earlier this year the Saba Conservation Foundation (SCF) carried out a terrestrial ecological survey to determine dominant and rare species in the future harbor area.

Reforestation is important to prevent erosion. The targeted area surrounding the new harbor serves as a start of a broader reforestation project for Saba.

GIS.