Vecinos Update

We thank our members and non-members for your support.

You are the heart of Akumal Norte, whose true beauty comes not only from its natural environment but from the sense of unity and peace we get from this wonderful place and the friendships we share. Our visitors come away with a warm feeling that only Akumal Norte imparts. We offer a unique experience completely different from Cancun, Playa, Tulum, or other resorts on the Riviera Maya.

 We will see you at our annual members

Meeting on February 17. 2022

January 5, 2022

To Vecinos membership and Akumal Norte Community at large:

It is the unity of Akumal Norte’s community that is the strength of Vecinos. Neighbors, both members and non-members, have contributed money and service. Vecinos serves Akumal Norte and represents us to our neighbors and the government. Please give this information to new owners and those neighbors who have still not joined.

VECINOS CHARTER DEFINED

As our charter defines our mission, Vecinos is responsible for the building and maintaining of Akumal Norte’s service infrastructure and developing relationships with all levels of government, and to protect and preserve our natural environment.

We have formal board meetings every month or two. We hold informal meetings of the Kitchen Cabinet once or twice a month where all community members are free to attend. Attendees meet and greet neighbors and board members. Committee and cabinet meetings keep us abreast of the community’s needs and provide the information that the board uses in making final decisions as to the direction the organization.

Accomplishments of Vecinos with the support of its members and the community at large in continuing the organization revived by Henning Bartsch and Jamie Cost:

SECURITY FOR AKUMAL NORTE AND SURROUNDING PUEBLOS

• Through our relationship with Mexico’s president López Obrador, we were able to secure the Guardia Nacional to provide true security for Akumal Norte and our surrounding Pueblos.
• We built the Community Center in Yalkú Park, which is now serving as temporary accommodation for the Guardia Nacional. Vecinos is giving our Guardia Nacional contingent a golf cart to increase patrols in Akumal Norte and Akumal Pueblo. This slower patrolling will bring our guards even closer to the people they protect.
• On October 2^nd we sent our representative to Mexico City, to meet with the President and five top military and Guardia Nacional generals. Our goal is to achieve absolute permanency of our Guardia Nacional guard unit in Akumal Norte. Two days after these meetings the President announced his new program, the establishment of the Guardia Nacional Turistica. Under this program 400 guardsmen are permanently stationed on the Riviera Maya.
• We secured a donation from a citizen of Akumal Pueblo of four hectares of land for the Guard to build their permanent headquarters.
• Terry Richardson started the pluma at our main entrance, and last year Vecinos took responsibility for its running and the cost of the pluma. This year we rebuilt the guard booth and Vecino’s security office.

INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES

We have been consulting with CAPA for the installation of our modern freshwater system. CAPA is scheduled to deliver plans for Akumal Norte’s’ central sewage in March of 2022.

• We completed the construction of the main road from the pluma to Yalkú Lagoon, which had been a broken-up asphalt and dirt road with potholes before Russ Motley and Rhett Schober began the community paving project. We now provide continuing maintenance and repair.
• Two storm drains were installed on the community’s main road this year and two more are scheduled for 2022.

• Restoring Yalkú Park began this year, clearing the original walking paths, and bringing in two concrete benches.
• Recently we purchased twenty more solar streetlights to add to those we installed four years ago. Ten are already in service and the other ten are on a slow boat from China.
• After much effort, we secured Fiber Optic service in North Akumal from Telmex.

PUBLIC LAND SHORTAGE AND TRAFFIC PROBLEMS

• Traffic is one of the problems our community is faced with, especially in high season. With all the service trucks and worker’s cars double parked, just getting through can be a challenge. This is a hazard both for drivers in a hurry and people walking without sidewalks. Because many private properties have been developed right out to the edge of the road, there is no community land for sidewalks.

     LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

LEGAL RECOGNITION OF AKUMAL NORTE’S STATUS (PRIORITY FOR 2022)

Our governmental committee has hired and is working with a specialty law firm to achieve this goal.

• The first item needed in the process to gain permanent legitimacy of our semi-private status is having legally registered community boundaries of Akumal Norte. We accomplished this with the survey of our communal land and legal boundaries in 2021. The surveys are now being registered with the Catastro Department in Tulum. Legal recognition gives our civil association the right to set and enforce regulations for the running of Akumal Norte. At completion of this project Akumal Norte will be protected from municipalization by the government and intrusion by surrounding developers.
• Along with securing our legal status, we must complete our community impact study to formulate our policy regarding the negotiations with our neighbor MM Desarrollos as they develop their hundred-acre project between North Akumal and the highway, and how that will affect us.
• WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE TO ATTRACT THE KIND OF TOURIST WE WANT?
  • Please read the article published in International Living all about Akumal — https://internationalliving.com/countries/mexico/akumal-mexico/ I could not have written it better myself. As the article points out, visitors come here because of our unique qualities. Akumal Norte is a small resort with natural beauty, peaceful lifestyle and is within easy distance to many of Mexico’s ancient Maya historic locations. We are surrounded by fabulous cenotes, offering great snorkeling and the world’s largest underwater cave diving system. We need to understand what is best about our community and concentrate on emphasizing those qualities that bring tourism to us. Vecinos is committed to continuing the modernizing of community services and emphasizing the wonderful arts, history, and culture of this region. Please join us in our projects to keep Akumal Norte one of the most unique tourist destinations on the Caribbean Coast.