Last weekend, Feb. 17 to 19, there was a concert held in La Grande Princesse in the parking lot of the former Nissan dealership. The concert was heard by at least two readers Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and prompted questions to the V.I. Answer Desk.
Reader Christina Lannen asked why Ciga Promotions was given permits for two days of concerts that went on until 4 a.m.
Katherine Millard asked if there is an anti noise provision in the V.I. Law., and wanted to know why the former Nissan dealership is now a venue for reggae concerts.
According to the V.I. Police Department spokeswoman Melody Rames, there was a permit issued to Ciga Promotions for two days (Saturday and Sunday), spanning until 4 a.m. on Monday.
Rames said several factors were taken into account before issuing the permit. The office looked at prior events which were held at the venue, Rames said, which did not generate a significant amount of complaints, and then made a decision to issue the permit after weighing the importance of supporting local businesses and community events.
Rames emphasized that these types of events have been done before at the venue without a significant amount of complaints. However, she also said that the Police Department does take into consideration venues which cause neighbor opposition.
“Yes, there was a lot of opposition,” she said, “and it will definitely affect whether a permit is issued in future cases.”
There is no provision in the V.I. Code that mandates businesses to gather neighborhood support prior to an event. In fact, Rames said the process for getting a permit has been fairly simple in the past. A business will bring a request to the department, and it may or may not be granted after looking at several factors.
The “Noise Pollution Control Act” (NPCA) of the V.I. Code, does have strict requirements against noise disturbances and even authorizes criminal and civil penalties for damages caused by such disturbances. However, there is also a provision that allows for any person to apply for a temporary permit from VIPD, enabling them to engage in activity that might otherwise violate the NPCA.
While it appears that the parking lot of the Nissan dealership has become a venue for concerts, the Source could not confirm this. Several calls were placed to the owners of the Nissan dealership, but were not returned as of Thursday night.
