BELVEDERE--St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) celebrated another milestone in its on-going social housing construction project, reaching the highest point of a dwelling-in-construction with a rafter-wetting ceremony on Friday afternoon. Construction began in August.

During the short ceremony, it was also announced that the project is two-and-a-half weeks ahead of schedule and that in addition to the eight planned houses which will go up for sale, another building will be added, which will be made available for rent.

The newly announced plan entails a building with four modern one-bedroom apartments, aimed at students returning home to St. Maarten from abroad. The building will be named after Ruphus William Plantz, who sold the land in Belvedere symbolically, making social housing possible.

SMHDF Interim Co-Directors Errol Neuman and Helen Salomon, and Project Manager Telston Bell recapped progress and offered congratulatory words amongst colleagues, contractors, and construction workers, before making their way to the roof and popping open a bottle of champagne to celebrate.

Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Claret Connor and SMHDF Chairman Elston Fos were also slated to join the ceremony, but did not make it.

Two houses are scheduled to be completed by February, and the others should be completed by mid-2016, the co-directors announced.