Middle Region Park Near Completion
Article via The Daily Herald News Paper ~ MIDDLE REGION–The construction of a multi-functional recreational park, situated next to the Sister Marie Laurence Primary School in Middle Region, is currently in its final stages of completion.
The last element to be constructed is the playground, which will be located behind the brand new basketball court and the soon-to-be-completed Garden Community Space.
“This new multi-functional recreational park aims to offer immediate uplifting to the district of Middle Region, and it ties directly into the vision of the new Exceptional School – Sister Marie Laurence, a construction project that will be financed with the Trust Fund monies,” said the Foundation Catholic Education St. Maarten.
<br\>According to the foundation, the new school will be in the form of a community school with integrated community facilities, including the facilities of the recreational park. The funding for the infrastructure of this long-awaited playground was secured via the Resources for Community Resilience R4CR.
The R4CR Programme is a grant scheme that focuses exclusively on financing and strengthening local civil society organisations (CSOs). The program is financed by the government of the Netherlands via the St. Maarten Trust Fund. The latter is administered by the World Bank, implemented by the National Recovery Programme Bureau (NRPB), and executed by the “Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten International” (VNGI) in close cooperation with Foresee Foundation-NPOwer and other local partners.
The foundation said, “The aim is to engage the entire district of Middle Region and to provide an uplifting experience by enhancing this area on a social, educational and recreational level. The facilities offered in the multi-functional recreational park are an extension of the school.”
The facilities are offered to the community of Middle Region for their use as well, from 5:00pm to 10:00pm on school days, and from 7:30am to 10:00pm on non-school days.
According to the foundation, the goal of the various elements of the recreational park is to offer something positive, relaxing, and enjoyable for all age levels. “The playground will offer a safe and adventurous environment for the youngsters to build social, emotional, and cognitive skills,” said the foundation.
“It will allow for exercising and free/creative play which will have a positive effect on their executive functioning and it will increase their capacity to develop coping skills which will strengthen them and make them more resilient.
“Our youths have really faced much adversity these past 3.5 years, with the passing of Hurricane Irma and the emergence of the [coronavirus – Ed.] COVID-19 virus. Offering them a place to enjoy themselves will have so many added benefits for their well-being,” the foundation expressed.
The Foundation Catholic Education St. Maarten further shared its gratitude for the support and commitment of R4CR regarding the construction of this playground.
To further assist with the realization of the playground, contributions in various forms were made by Foundation Catholic Education St. Maarten, the Municipality of Amsterdam, the Rotary Club of St.Maarten, GEBE N.V., Windward Roads, Caribbean Palms, and Dijtham.