Commissioner Jean-Pierre L. Oriol of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR) thanks the community for making the territory-wide town hall meetings for the Comprehensive Land and Water Use Plan successful.
“We had an incredible turnout, with over 600 in attendance across the three islands,” said Commissioner Oriol. It was exciting to see everyone come together in support and planning of the future of the Virgin Islands.”
To increase participation, two town hall meetings were held on each of the three main islands, one in the evening and one in the afternoon. Attendees broke into small groups and discussed whatever was important to protect, strengthen and invest in, or transform in their respective district or the territory as a whole. Facilitators recorded the group discussions, and each attendee was invited to submit their ideas on a worksheet. Maps were also available to mark areas/places of interest to preserve, transform and invest in.
Since the Comprehensive Land and Water Use Plan must reflect the communities’ interests and goals, DPNR is using various tools and platforms to reach business owners, stakeholders and residents to obtain input from as many individuals as possible. DPNR encourages those who missed the town hall meetings to still give their input on the project website through a virtual open house at www.planusvi.com.
There are links to a video of the opening presentation and information boards on different topics regarding the CLWUP that were on display during the town halls. The online survey will be available until Sunday, March 26.
The Comprehensive Land and Water Use Plan is a long-term and big-picture vision that will serve as the Territory’s official guide for land and water use and sustainable development. Commissioner Oriol invites all residents, businesses, and stakeholders to continue to be involved. Those who could not attend the in-person town hall meetings visited the project website (www.planusvi.com) and submit their ideas about the Territory’s future. The public can sign up for regular updates about the Comprehensive Land and Water Use Plan and its progress on the website and is encouraged to join in any of the ongoing working groups.
Short videos of the group discussions and pictures of each meeting can be found on the project’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/planusvi.
