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St. John-St. Croix Land Trade Proposed for School

May 23, 2008 — Gov. John deJongh Jr. is proposing to trade the placement of private land into the national park system in exchange for V.I. National Park land on St. John upon which to build a school.
For at least three decades, St. John’s public high school students have had to travel by ferry to St. Thomas. For many students the journey begins before 5 a.m. and doesn’t end until the early evening. DeJongh is proposing to give the National Park Service land including Alexander Hamilton's childhood home on St. Croix in exchange for a plot of park-owned land in Estate Catherineberg on St. John that would be the site of a future St. John School.
This proposal comes on the heels of an unsuccessful effort to lease national park land for the school.
“While the climate in Washington, D.C. clearly suggests that the long-term lease arrangement with the National Park Service is not feasible, it does not mean we cannot use our cooperative relationship with the National Park on this issue to come up with a solution that builds on our existing partnership," deJongh said in a written release from Government House, "Especially as we have undoubtedly demonstrated to them our commitment to identify land for a new school.”
Sens. John D. Rockefeller IV and Orrin Hatch are on board with the idea, he said.
“Senators Rockefeller and Hatch agree with my Administration’s concept that this proposal is the most realistic and that we must continue to work towards a solution,” deJongh said.
Hatch has submitted legislation to have the National Park Service, working with the Government of the Virgin Islands, acquire about 115 acres of private land in Estate Grange on St. Croix where U.S. founding father Alexander Hamilton lived in his youth. This would become a national park memorializing Hamilton. Meanwhile, the current owner of the property, the Armstrong Trust, has executed a short-term lease with V.I. Farmers Cooperative for about 30 to 40 acres for farming. The administration supports that initiative, deJongh said.
“This approach will produce another tourist attraction and historic site on St. Croix," he said. "(It) will add 30-40 acres of agricultural land to our St. Croix inventory while implementing a worthwhile program with the farmers, and also delivers us the long-needed land on St. John for the new school."
The need for a school is urgent, deJongh said.
"It is very upsetting when we hear stories of young school-aged children having to be on the Cruz Bay dock in the pre-dawn hours of each weekday to catch a ferry, ply the waters of Pillsbury Sound, and once on St. Thomas, walk about half a mile to the campus of Ivanna Eudora Kean High School for classes,” deJongh said. "I will not waver in the commitment I made in 2007 to take whatever steps are necessary to ensure the construction of a new and modern school on St. John."
Ed. note: The V.I. Government does not own the St. Croix land that would become a national park, so it is not proposing to trade land for land, but trading the placement of private land into the national park system in exchange for park land on St. John.
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