We want to make an impact without cutting the government budget

During a public meeting in Aruba’s Parliament, Minister Geoffrey Wever focused on the ongoing efforts with a focus on downtown Oranjestad, as well as San Nicolas.

In Oranjestad among others invested in the renovation of Huize Veneranda. Although the work has not yet begun, soon you will see the groundbreaking. The vision is to increase the flow of people into the city. With the move of the Department of Economic Affairs to Huize Veneranda, and the same idea for other projects in the area such as Freezone, CBS, Aruba Fair Trade Authority the Government of Aruba is showing its commitment to invest in creating the necessary atmosphere to attract private investment in the area.

Renovations of Columbusstraat and Wilhelminastraat have encountered delays, but the minister indicated that the additional investments needed to be made to repair the underground riooling infrastructure. Although it is not work that people will see or appreciate, it is necessary to do the reconstruction work of the underground trench in the area first, in order to continue the work above ground. Soon phase 1 of the area’s revitalization will be completed, and the area will be able to benefit from its space, accessibility and beauty, which, in turn, will bring added value to all nearby companies.

Minister Wever indicated that there will be 500 thousand Florins extra allocated in the budget for the Organization. Originally the project included 3 phases, including parking. But to ensure that the parking area is not sacrificed after the extra costs of backprofiling have arisen, this fund was allocated to complete the project in its entirety, so as to have added value for retailers.

We want to make our impact without cutting the government budget.

Minister Wever mentioned being grateful for the inter-ministerial collaboration with ministers Tjong, Oduber, Arends and his person, to raise security in the downtown area, which supports the overall vision.

It is important to be clear about where we are investing Aruba’s funds. I thank the Members for their questions, Minister Wever concluded.