The Office of the Lieutenant Governor, in partnership with the University of the Virgin Islands and the Eastern Caribbean Center, will soon launch the pilot phase of the territory’s street addressing initiative by implementing street addresses in three local communities. The pilot project is the initial component of introducing Virgin Islanders to a standardized addressing system for the territory’s roads, according to a press release issued on Tuesday by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor.
The custodian of the territory’s GIS (Geographic Information Systems) data, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor has steadily worked towards making street addressing a reality, to include undertaking a study of the territory’s existing addressing environment. This study, which was conducted by nationally recognized leaders in geospatial infrastructure development, was completed last year. Completion of the study positions the Lieutenant Governor’s Office to create an addressing system that allows for the efficient use of GPS technology, full functionality of the emergency 911 system, and expanded postal delivery to 911 homes.
Lt. Gov. Gregory Francis is eager for street addressing to become a reality in the territory. “The lack of a standardized addressing system affects more than the ability of our residents and tourists to navigate our streets with ease,” Francis said. “It is a public safety issue that we are committed to improve.” Francis is hopeful that the pilot projects will boost the community’s participation in the Street Addressing Initiative. “Address assignment cannot take place on unnamed roads. Street addressing is a community initiative, and community participation is critical to our goal of achieving addressing throughout our community.”
He is calling on residents to work together within their communities to collect and submit their street name recommendations to the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Representatives of the project team are also available to meet with neighborhood associations to discuss the Street Addressing Initiative.
For more information or to set up a presentation for an organization’s next event, contact Chris George, GIS coordinator/SAI project manager, at 776-8505, ext. 4321 or e-mail vistreets@lgo-vi.gov.
