Magens Bay Authority board members meeting Friday heard a preliminary proposal for a “glamping” operation at the park as well as a pitch for tours highlighting aspects of Virgin Islands culture, such as the history of moko jumbies and how to walk on stilts, or the story of the johnny cake and how it is made.
Board members were enthusiastic about the proposals from Kyle Sexius, a native St. Thomian who graduated from Charlotte Amalie High School, served with the National Guard in Iraq and Afghanistan and traveled extensively before returning home.
“You go to these places and they don’t have half of what we have but the culture is speaking so loud,” he said, and he wants to see the same in the Virgin Islands, where the beauty of the place can sometimes blind people to the culture behind it all.
“I love the idea,” board Chair Barbara Petersen said, adding that a cruise ship company executive at this year’s Seatrade conference in Miami stressed that tourists today are looking for “experiences” that link them to the culture and history of a place, not just the sun, sand and sea, and Sexius’ proposals fit that bill.
“We have to do a better job” of differentiating the Virgin Islands from the rest of the ports that tourists stop at in the Caribbean. “What sets us apart from them” and will keep visitors coming back, she said.
Board member Jason Charles said they were “two very strong proposals and commended Sexius for returning home to contribute to the community. “I think this could be an asset to the beach,” he said, noting the territory’s tourism product needs to remain fluid and have new offerings. “I look forward to being able to work with you on this,” he told Sexius.
However, board members also expressed reservations, and cautioned that layers of approval would be required.
“I don’t want Magens Bay to try to be everything to everyone. We are mainly the beach,” said Cecile de Jongh. The authority also has existing contracts for cultural and history tours, which might present a conflict, she said. And the park already offers camping in the green spaces across from the beach for individuals or community groups such as the Boy Scouts, who bring their own gear.
Petersen also noted that the glamping proposal — essentially upscale camping — would require approvals from fire, police and environmental officials such as the Department of Planning and Natural Resources. Additionally, when Arthur Fairchild deeded Magens Bay to the people of the Virgin Islands in 1947 for use as a park, he stipulated that no hotels be built. The worry is that “people will say we are allowing a hotel to be built,” said Petersen, even though the structures would not be permanent.
Sexius — who is working on a similar proposal for land at Neltjeberg beach on the North Side of St. Thomas that he has declined to discuss with the Source just yet — presented the board members with booklets outlining his plans with renderings but would not share one with the media, saying everything is still preliminary and proprietary.
According to his presentation to the board, Sexius would start with about 15 to 2o dome-style tents secured to wooden platforms, ranging in size from 10 by 10 feet to 20 by 20 feet, nestled off trails in the woods across from the beach. Smaller units would have a shared bath — an environmentally friendly shower, sink and toilet — while the larger ones would have private amenities. In the event of a storm, everything could be removed, said Sexius, adding there would be 24-hour security.
“Everything is collaborative,” he told the board. “Whatever aligns with your guys’ mission,” he’ll work with that, Sexius said.
Because his plans are still preliminary, Petersen told him to keep in touch with General Manager Monique Simon, who will update the board and can arrange any future meetings on the proposals.
In other business, Bathhouse 1 that was destroyed in Hurricane Irma in September 2017 is set to reopen ahead of schedule by the end of the summer after it was completely replaced, thanks to millions of dollars in FEMA funding, which covered 90 percent of the cost.
The board also voted unanimously to contract with certified public accounting firm Benham & Hodge to conduct the 2023 and 2024 audits of Magens Bay, which are required by the government even though the authority is self-funded.
The board issued requests for proposals for the audit prep and the audit itself but received only two responses from firms that did not qualify because they did not have the required Virgin Islands licenses, said Petersen, so they had to solicit Benham & Hodge.
“It’s very hard and we’re not the only ones having a problem with that,” she said of the shortage of qualified auditors.
Board members Petersen, de Jongh, Charles and Alani A. Henneman, who is also assistant Tourism commissioner, attended Friday’s meeting. Robert Moron and Dayle Barry were absent.
