Oct. 7, 2001 – A community meeting is set for Oct. 18 to share information and obtain public input on a vendors plaza and parking facility proposed for construction across from the Cruz Bay car ferry dock. It will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. in the third floor meeting area of the Marketplace.
The meeting is sponsored by the Gateway Planning Council and will be co-hosted by St. John Administrator Julien Harley and V.I. National Park Supt. John King.
Harley said the purpose of the meeting is to inform the community about the status of the planned facility and to obtain on how it should be designed and managed. "This is an important and long-awaited project," he said. "Public input is critical to ensure that it meets the community's needs and makes Cruz Bay a more attractive place to live and visit."
Representatives of the Office of the Governor and the Property and Procurement Department will explain the project’s background and the process for determining the facility’s design, construction and maintenance.
Input will be solicited on issues such as what the facility should look like, how it should be used, whether parking should be paid or free, who should manage it and the parking operation, and how the cost of leasing commercial space should be determined.
A separate food court project also will be discussed.
The Gateway Planning Council was created earlier this year by Harley and King to lead community efforts in planning for the future of Cruz Bay. Its purpose is to advise and assist the territory and the National Park Service in cooperatively planning for the improvement of downtown Cruz Bay as a "gateway community" to the V.I. National Park.
The council's functions include short- and long-range planning, information sharing and coordination of activities by public and private groups involved in projects affecting downtown Cruz Bay. For further information, call Corine Matthias at 776-6484 or Jim Owens at 776-6201, ext. 247.
