Suppose you wanted to do something personally to help pay down the Virgin Islands' billion-dollar indebtedness. What would happen if you were to send a personal check to a top V.I. government official as a volunteer contribution to the cause?
Very little, in this Source reporter's experience. And v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y.
Here are the results of a small, non-scientific survey conducted by this reporter. On Jan. 1 of this year, I sent personal checks for $50 and accompanying letters to the Office of the Governor, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor, the director of the Public Finance Authority, and the director of the Office of Management and Budget. There were four checks in all, $200 worth, all told.
Each letter stated that the accompanying check was intended to help with the debt and that the "pay to" line had been left blank; the recipient was to fill them in and deposit the check in the appropriate government account. Further, each letter stated that if the sender were to receive a letter in return giving him the correct account title for such checks, he would send a second check as well.
Almost two months passed before there was any sign of activity. I get my checks back late in the month, every month. There was nothing in the late January bank statement.
When the late February bank statement arrived, it showed that two of the four checks, had, in fact been deposited. When the late March statement arrived, there was still no sign of the other two checks, meaning they were still outstanding.
At this writing there have been no letters received in return indicating the correct title for the account. No one in any of the four offices troubled themselves to write the one- or-two sentence letter that would have produced a second voluntary check for debt payment. And there were no thank-you notes, either.
Assuming that the second checks also would be for $50 each, the V.I. government was, in effect, offered a $400 contribution. The territory managed, over three months, to collect only $100 of this sum.
The two government offices that deposited the initial checks were the Office of the Governor and the Office of Management and Budget. The checks sent to the Lieutenant Governor's Office and that of the director of the Public Finance Authority remain, to my knowledge, undeposited.
I am left to speculate: Maybe the territorial government and related agencies do not realize that they are a billion dollars in debt? Maybe depositing a check into a government account is too taxing a task for some government offices?
Meanwhile, I know that the checks cashed will be regarded, under the IRS code, as contributions to a charity, and I can claim them next year as deductions on my federal and state income tax filings.

Editor's note: David S. North, a semi-retired former federal employee living in the Washington, D.C., area, reports and writes frequently for the Source on government affairs and economics.
We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

March 25, 2003 – Although charges were dismissed on Friday against a woman who had been arrested the day before and accused of stealing as much as $50,000 from the government, the Licensing and Consumer Affairs Department employee will likely be arraigned a second time by the end of this week, according to Attorney General Iver Stridiron.
Veronica Dalsia Parilla, 28, of Estate Grange, was arrested Thursday on embezzlement charges brought by the V.I. Inspector General's Office. The charges, involving the alleged theft of fees paid into the DLCA Taxi Division, where Parilla worked, stemmed from evidence uncovered in an investigation by the Inspector General's Office. (See "Licensing worker accused of stealing up to $50K".)
The charges were dropped on Friday morning after the Attorney General's Office told Territorial Judge Darryl Donohue that the lawyer who filed the charges was "unauthorized" to do so and asked that Donohue dismiss the case. The charges were dismissed "without prejudice," meaning they could be refiled under changed circumstances.
Stridiron said on Tuesday that Charles Allen, the Inspector General's Office legal counsel, prepared the affidavit leading to Parilla's arrest without his approval. Allen was named a "special assistant to the attorney general" in 2001 so that he could provide legal services on behalf of the White Collar Crime Task Force, which is a partnership between the two offices.
However, Stridiron said, "his services would be provided in that area only as authorized by the attorney general."
"I never authorized attorney Allen to provide any legal services or appear in court," Stridiron said. He said specific written authorization is required for a special assistant to represent the Attorney General's Office in court.
"We are going to recharge this woman after a quick investigation to determine whether all the facts and circumstances investigated by attorney Allen are accurate," Stridiron said.
In a release, Inspector General Steven van Beverhoudt said his office made several calls — all unreturned — to Stridiron's office prior to Parilla's arrest, and "a determination was made to proceed."
The same procedure had been used in another case involving the DLCA last year in which Allen appeared in court as an assistant to the attorney general, Van Beverhoudt said. Stridiron said he does not know which case that was but would look into it.
Van Beverhoudt maintained on Monday that Allen acted properly last week in his capacity as a special assistant and charged that Stridiron's interference could be politically motivated.
"I have my suspicions as to what created the rift," van Beverhoudt said, adding that Stridiron "has not approached me with the problems he apparently has." The inspector general said he believes the attorney general's actions stem from the recent federal court case involving Global Resources Management.
Bypassing the bidding process, the V.I. government awarded a $3.6 million contract for sewage system repairs on St. Croix to GRM, a start-up company initially headed by a top aide to the governor. The integrity of that contracting process, which was investigated in part by the Inspector General's Office, was questioned by the U.S. attorney in District Court. A federal judge found that the awarding of the contract by the local government, represented by the Attorney General's Office, "reeked of politics."
"That's the only thing I can surmise," van Beverhoudt said. "It doesn't look good for the government of the Virgin Islands. We shouldn't be involved in this type of back-and-forth infighting."
But Stridiron pooh-poohed the suggestion that his decision in the DLCA embezzlement case was related to GRM and said his action was intended to protect residents' constitutional rights. "The whole business about GRM — that's bunk," he said.
Stridiron said cases need to go through the appropriate channels and that allowing the Parilla case to proceed outside such channels could set a dangerous precedent. "We are a community of laws, not of men," he said. "A person must be arrested and brought to trial by a duly authorized government entity."
Parilla's lawyer could have gotten the charges dismissed for good on a technicality, had the Attorney General's Office not moved swiftly on the issue, Stridiron said.
He said Allen's status as special assistant will be rescinded and he said he was "incensed" to learn that Allen had "taken it upon himself to do these things."
Van Beverhoudt said, however, that the affidavit for Parilla's arrest was prepared with the consultation and knowledge of the chief of the Justice Department's Criminal Division on St. Croix, and that an arrest warrant was obtained from Territorial Court.

Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

March 25, 2003 – Although charges were dismissed on Friday against a woman who had been arrested the day before and accused of stealing as much as $50,000 from the government, the Licensing and Consumer Affairs Department employee will likely be arraigned a second time by the end of this week, according to Attorney General Iver Stridiron.
Veronica Dalsia Parilla, 28, of Estate Grange, was arrested Thursday on embezzlement charges brought by the V.I. Inspector General's Office. The charges, involving the alleged theft of fees paid into the DLCA Taxi Division, where Parilla worked, stemmed from evidence uncovered in an investigation by the Inspector General's Office. (See "Licensing worker accused of stealing up to $50K".)
The charges were dropped on Friday morning after the Attorney General's Office told Territorial Judge Darryl Donohue that the lawyer who filed the charges was "unauthorized" to do so and asked that Donohue dismiss the case. The charges were dismissed "without prejudice," meaning they could be refiled under changed circumstances.
Stridiron said on Tuesday that Charles Allen, the Inspector General's Office legal counsel, prepared the affidavit leading to Parilla's arrest without his approval. Allen was named a "special assistant to the attorney general" in 2001 so that he could provide legal services on behalf of the White Collar Crime Task Force, which is a partnership between the two offices.
However, Stridiron said, "his services would be provided in that area only as authorized by the attorney general."
"I never authorized attorney Allen to provide any legal services or appear in court," Stridiron said. He said specific written authorization is required for a special assistant to represent the Attorney General's Office in court.
"We are going to recharge this woman after a quick investigation to determine whether all the facts and circumstances investigated by attorney Allen are accurate," Stridiron said.
In a release, Inspector General Steven van Beverhoudt said his office made several calls — all unreturned — to Stridiron's office prior to Parilla's arrest, and "a determination was made to proceed."
The same procedure had been used in another case involving the DLCA last year in which Allen appeared in court as an assistant to the attorney general, Van Beverhoudt said. Stridiron said he does not know which case that was but would look into it.
Van Beverhoudt maintained on Monday that Allen acted properly last week in his capacity as a special assistant and charged that Stridiron's interference could be politically motivated.
"I have my suspicions as to what created the rift," van Beverhoudt said, adding that Stridiron "has not approached me with the problems he apparently has." The inspector general said he believes the attorney general's actions stem from the recent federal court case involving Global Resources Management.
Bypassing the bidding process, the V.I. government awarded a $3.6 million contract for sewage system repairs on St. Croix to GRM, a start-up company initially headed by a top aide to the governor. The integrity of that contracting process, which was investigated in part by the Inspector General's Office, was questioned by the U.S. attorney in District Court. A federal judge found that the awarding of the contract by the local government, represented by the Attorney General's Office, "reeked of politics."
"That's the only thing I can surmise," van Beverhoudt said. "It doesn't look good for the government of the Virgin Islands. We shouldn't be involved in this type of back-and-forth infighting."
But Stridiron pooh-poohed the suggestion that his decision in the DLCA embezzlement case was related to GRM and said his action was intended to protect residents' constitutional rights. "The whole business about GRM — that's bunk," he said.
Stridiron said cases need to go through the appropriate channels and that allowing the Parilla case to proceed outside such channels could set a dangerous precedent. "We are a community of laws, not of men," he said. "A person must be arrested and brought to trial by a duly authorized government entity."
Parilla's lawyer could have gotten the charges dismissed for good on a technicality, had the Attorney General's Office not moved swiftly on the issue, Stridiron said.
He said Allen's status as special assistant will be rescinded and he said he was "incensed" to learn that Allen had "taken it upon himself to do these things."
Van Beverhoudt said, however, that the affidavit for Parilla's arrest was prepared with the consultation and knowledge of the chief of the Justice Department's Criminal Division on St. Croix, and that an arrest warrant was obtained from Territorial Court.

Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

March 25, 2003 – Although charges were dismissed on Friday against a woman who had been arrested the day before and accused of stealing as much as $50,000 from the government, the Licensing and Consumer Affairs Department employee will likely be arraigned a second time by the end of this week, according to Attorney General Iver Stridiron.
Veronica Dalsia Parilla, 28, of Estate Grange, was arrested Thursday on embezzlement charges brought by the V.I. Inspector General's Office. The charges, involving the alleged theft of fees paid into the DLCA Taxi Division, where Parilla worked, stemmed from evidence uncovered in an investigation by the Inspector General's Office. (See "Licensing worker accused of stealing up to $50K".)
The charges were dropped on Friday morning after the Attorney General's Office told Territorial Judge Darryl Donohue that the lawyer who filed the charges was "unauthorized" to do so and asked that Donohue dismiss the case. The charges were dismissed "without prejudice," meaning they could be refiled under changed circumstances.
Stridiron said on Tuesday that Charles Allen, the Inspector General's Office legal counsel, prepared the affidavit leading to Parilla's arrest without his approval. Allen was named a "special assistant to the attorney general" in 2001 so that he could provide legal services on behalf of the White Collar Crime Task Force, which is a partnership between the two offices.
However, Stridiron said, "his services would be provided in that area only as authorized by the attorney general."
"I never authorized attorney Allen to provide any legal services or appear in court," Stridiron said. He said specific written authorization is required for a special assistant to represent the Attorney General's Office in court.
"We are going to recharge this woman after a quick investigation to determine whether all the facts and circumstances investigated by attorney Allen are accurate," Stridiron said.
In a release, Inspector General Steven van Beverhoudt said his office made several calls — all unreturned — to Stridiron's office prior to Parilla's arrest, and "a determination was made to proceed."
The same procedure had been used in another case involving the DLCA last year in which Allen appeared in court as an assistant to the attorney general, Van Beverhoudt said. Stridiron said he does not know which case that was but would look into it.
Van Beverhoudt maintained on Monday that Allen acted properly last week in his capacity as a special assistant and charged that Stridiron's interference could be politically motivated.
"I have my suspicions as to what created the rift," van Beverhoudt said, adding that Stridiron "has not approached me with the problems he apparently has." The inspector general said he believes the attorney general's actions stem from the recent federal court case involving Global Resources Management.
Bypassing the bidding process, the V.I. government awarded a $3.6 million contract for sewage system repairs on St. Croix to GRM, a start-up company initially headed by a top aide to the governor. The integrity of that contracting process, which was investigated in part by the Inspector General's Office, was questioned by the U.S. attorney in District Court. A federal judge found that the awarding of the contract by the local government, represented by the Attorney General's Office, "reeked of politics."
"That's the only thing I can surmise," van Beverhoudt said. "It doesn't look good for the government of the Virgin Islands. We shouldn't be involved in this type of back-and-forth infighting."
But Stridiron pooh-poohed the suggestion that his decision in the DLCA embezzlement case was related to GRM and said his action was intended to protect residents' constitutional rights. "The whole business about GRM — that's bunk," he said.
Stridiron said cases need to go through the appropriate channels and that allowing the Parilla case to proceed outside such channels could set a dangerous precedent. "We are a community of laws, not of men," he said. "A person must be arrested and brought to trial by a duly authorized government entity."
Parilla's lawyer could have gotten the charges dismissed for good on a technicality, had the Attorney General's Office not moved swiftly on the issue, Stridiron said.
He said Allen's status as special assistant will be rescinded and he said he was "incensed" to learn that Allen had "taken it upon himself to do these things."
Van Beverhoudt said, however, that the affidavit for Parilla's arrest was prepared with the consultation and knowledge of the chief of the Justice Department's Criminal Division on St. Croix, and that an arrest warrant was obtained from Territorial Court.

Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

March 25, 2003 – Legislation to create a Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority to consolidate and oversee efforts at solving the territory's ever-mounting waste problems will see the light of day by this summer and likely become a reality yet this year, the chair of the Senate Planning and Environmental Protection Committee said on Monday.
Sonia Nelthropp, Public Works Department senior manager for federal compliance, detailed plans for the authority before the committee on Monday afternoon.
Sen. Louis Hill, the committee chair, is the primary sponsor for new legislation creating an authority. He pledged to move the measure expeditiously, starting with a series of public meetings to educate the public on the concept before the bill reaches the floor.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull pushed for the 24th Legislature to approve the creation of such an authority, but his bill languished in committee and ultimately died.
The Waste Management Authority would take the territory's outdated sewer systems and the overextended Anguilla and Bovoni landfills off Public Works' hands. But that is just the beginning, Nelthropp told the senators.
The landfills, she noted, "are not landfills; they are dumps." And under the new semi-autonomous authority, she said, the "dumps" would fall within an integrated, comprehensive solid-waste management program to include the construction of solid-waste disposal facilities, possibly separate plants on each island.
Hill asked Nelthropp the status of the government's contract with Caribe Waste Technologies, a company the Public Services Commission declared a qualified provider of electricity last summer, despite the Water and Power Authority's strenuous efforts to rid itself of any obligation to deal with the company, including purchasing power at a cost of millions of dollars a year that WAPA could just as well produce on its own. (See "PSC certifies Caribe Waste as power producer".)
Nelthropp said her information not might be current, but she thought the Property and Procurement Department was no longer in negotiation with CWT because of unresponsiveness.
Hill also asked about the status of the "bail and wrap" operations to deal with solid waste on St. Croix on an interim basis as an alternative to continuing to use the Anguilla landfill. Nelthropp said that "whatever contracts are in place" when the Waste Management Authority is formed "will be forwarded to them."
Last June, the government chose Landfill Technologies Corp., a waste-management company in Puerto Rico, to set up a bale-and-wrap facility at the Anguilla site, which is owned by the Port Authority but operated by Public Works. The interim procedure is to be utilized until the territory has a new permanent waste-disposal system in place for St. Croix.
CWT's gasification processing proposal has an astronomical price tag, Nelthropp said, but she disagreed with critics who have said the proposed system is untried. "Gasification has been with us for many years; it is not new from my point of view," she said. Further, she said, "it need not be a $200 million program if each district decided it needed a component of gasification."
The plan is, she said: "We are going to go ahead and bring in a computer model, so communities can determine what they want. If Bovoni is closed, they may put a gasifier in its place."
Hill asked about the idea of having a waste authority for each district. "Right now we are crafting the budget process that way," Nelthropp said. "The fees collected on the respective islands would be used for their particular needs. There will be so much funding coming in, there won't be a fight for what they need."
Hill stated: "As we seek to formulate and shape public policy, we need all the information we can get, and this is critical information."
Funding for the authority would come from a variety of sources. Nelthropp said a new import tax would help — a "penny per pound" tax on all incoming goods which will eventually become garbage. She said the tax would hardly be felt by residents, yet could generate $30 million annually.
She noted that the formula would amount to $20 a ton for bags of potato chips. Spread over 2,000 or more bags, "you won't even see it in the price,"she said.
"The final determination of figures on the penny-per-pound issue is being reviewed by a major stateside auditing firm," Hill said later. "As soon as they have decided it makes sense, I'll have my bill in, perhaps in May, but in June absolutely." He added that his legislation is "pretty much secured in the majority."
Authority responsibilities, resources
A Waste Management Authority Fact Sheet states that other funding would come from fees from sewer and septic system use and landfill tipping: residential collection; a percentage of the increase to come in federal rum tax returns to the territory; federal construction grants and loans from federal entities such as the Environmental Protection Agency; a descending subsidy from the V.I. government over a five-year period; and issuance of Waste Management Authority bonds.
The semi-autonomous authority would be similar in structure to WAPA, with a seven-member governing board to include government and private-sector members.
Advocates say the authority could take some of the politics and finger-pointing out of waste management operations. For several years, Public Works, the Port Authority and the Federal Aviation Administration have been wrangling over the fate of the Anguilla dump. The FAA had set a Dec. 31, 2002, deadline for the V.I. government to close the landfill, saying birds feeding there and smoke from fires pose a threat to planes landing and taking off. Although the deadline came and went, the FAA subsequently agreed to monitor V.I. progress toward eventually closing the dump. (See the St. Croix Source story "Callwood: FAA satisfied with landfill progress".)
The authority would be responsible for its own debts, assets, contracts, expenditures, funds, facilities and property. It would conduct its own contract negotiations with private companies, whereas all waste contracts must now go through Property and Procurement.
The Anti-Litter and Beautification program would be transferred to the authority but would continue to be funded by current sources.
Within 270 days of its creation by law, ownership, possession and control of all waste-management equipment and facilities currently under Public Works would be transferred to the authority, along with all contracts, leases, grants and other Public Works funding.
Personnel currently working in solid waste and related divisions would be transferred to the authority.
Responsibility for waste management and liability for current federal consent orders also would be transferred within the 270 days.
In response to questions from Sen. Ronald Russell about the status of the wastewater system on St. Croix, Nelthropp said the entire system is in "dire need of overhauling." She added: "Over the years, the system has been neglected, and now the situation is critical."
Nelthropp said funding for her division is "woefully diminished," but employees are struggling, with some literally working seven days a week. She said there is funding "for repairs, but not for staffing."
Even so, she said, the federal EPA "seems pretty pleased at the manner in which we're approaching our wastewater problems."

Publisher's note : Like the St. Thomas Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

March 25, 2003 – Legislation to create a Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority to consolidate and oversee efforts at solving the territory's ever-mounting waste problems will see the light of day by this summer and likely become a reality yet this year, the chair of the Senate Planning and Environmental Protection Committee said on Monday.
Sonia Nelthropp, Public Works Department senior manager for federal compliance, detailed plans for the authority before the committee on Monday afternoon.
Sen. Louis Hill, the committee chair, is the primary sponsor for new legislation creating an authority. He pledged to move the measure expeditiously, starting with a series of public meetings to educate the public on the concept before the bill reaches the floor.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull pushed for the 24th Legislature to approve the creation of such an authority, but his bill languished in committee and ultimately died.
The Waste Management Authority would take the territory's outdated sewer systems and the overextended Anguilla and Bovoni landfills off Public Works' hands. But that is just the beginning, Nelthropp told the senators.
The landfills, she noted, "are not landfills; they are dumps." And under the new semi-autonomous authority, she said, the "dumps" would fall within an integrated, comprehensive solid-waste management program to include the construction of solid-waste disposal facilities, possibly separate plants on each island.
Hill asked Nelthropp the status of the government's contract with Caribe Waste Technologies, a company the Public Services Commission declared a qualified provider of electricity last summer, despite the Water and Power Authority's strenuous efforts to rid itself of any obligation to deal with the company, including purchasing power at a cost of millions of dollars a year that WAPA could just as well produce on its own. (See "PSC certifies Caribe Waste as power producer".)
Nelthropp said her information not might be current, but she thought the Property and Procurement Department was no longer in negotiation with CWT because of unresponsiveness.
Hill also asked about the status of the "bail and wrap" operations to deal with solid waste on St. Croix on an interim basis as an alternative to continuing to use the Anguilla landfill. Nelthropp said that "whatever contracts are in place" when the Waste Management Authority is formed "will be forwarded to them."
Last June, the government chose Landfill Technologies Corp., a waste-management company in Puerto Rico, to set up a bale-and-wrap facility at the Anguilla site, which is owned by the Port Authority but operated by Public Works. The interim procedure is to be utilized until the territory has a new permanent waste-disposal system in place for St. Croix.
CWT's gasification processing proposal has an astronomical price tag, Nelthropp said, but she disagreed with critics who have said the proposed system is untried. "Gasification has been with us for many years; it is not new from my point of view," she said. Further, she said, "it need not be a $200 million program if each district decided it needed a component of gasification."
The plan is, she said: "We are going to go ahead and bring in a computer model, so communities can determine what they want. If Bovoni is closed, they may put a gasifier in its place."
Hill asked about the idea of having a waste authority for each district. "Right now we are crafting the budget process that way," Nelthropp said. "The fees collected on the respective islands would be used for their particular needs. There will be so much funding coming in, there won't be a fight for what they need."
Hill stated: "As we seek to formulate and shape public policy, we need all the information we can get, and this is critical information."
Funding for the authority would come from a variety of sources. Nelthropp said a new import tax would help — a "penny per pound" tax on all incoming goods which will eventually become garbage. She said the tax would hardly be felt by residents, yet could generate $30 million annually.
She noted that the formula would amount to $20 a ton for bags of potato chips. Spread over 2,000 or more bags, "you won't even see it in the price,"she said.
"The final determination of figures on the penny-per-pound issue is being reviewed by a major stateside auditing firm," Hill said later. "As soon as they have decided it makes sense, I'll have my bill in, perhaps in May, but in June absolutely." He added that his legislation is "pretty much secured in the majority."
Authority responsibilities, resources
A Waste Management Authority Fact Sheet states that other funding would come from fees from sewer and septic system use and landfill tipping: residential collection; a percentage of the increase to come in federal rum tax returns to the territory; federal construction grants and loans from federal entities such as the Environmental Protection Agency; a descending subsidy from the V.I. government over a five-year period; and issuance of Waste Management Authority bonds.
The semi-autonomous authority would be similar in structure to WAPA, with a seven-member governing board to include government and private-sector members.
Advocates say the authority could take some of the politics and finger-pointing out of waste management operations. For several years, Public Works, the Port Authority and the Federal Aviation Administration have been wrangling over the fate of the Anguilla dump. The FAA had set a Dec. 31, 2002, deadline for the V.I. government to close the landfill, saying birds feeding there and smoke from fires pose a threat to planes landing and taking off. Although the deadline came and went, the FAA subsequently agreed to monitor V.I. progress toward eventually closing the dump. (See the St. Croix Source story "Callwood: FAA satisfied with landfill progress".)
The authority would be responsible for its own debts, assets, contracts, expenditures, funds, facilities and property. It would conduct its own contract negotiations with private companies, whereas all waste contracts must now go through Property and Procurement.
The Anti-Litter and Beautification program would be transferred to the authority but would continue to be funded by current sources.
Within 270 days of its creation by law, ownership, possession and control of all waste-management equipment and facilities currently under Public Works would be transferred to the authority, along with all contracts, leases, grants and other Public Works funding.
Personnel currently working in solid waste and related divisions would be transferred to the authority.
Responsibility for waste management and liability for current federal consent orders also would be transferred within the 270 days.
In response to questions from Sen. Ronald Russell about the status of the wastewater system on St. Croix, Nelthropp said the entire system is in "dire need of overhauling." She added: "Over the years, the system has been neglected, and now the situation is critical."
Nelthropp said funding for her division is "woefully diminished," but employees are struggling, with some literally working seven days a week. She said there is funding "for repairs, but not for staffing."
Even so, she said, the federal EPA "seems pretty pleased at the manner in which we're approaching our wastewater problems."

Publisher's note : Like the St. John Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

March 25, 2003 – Legislation to create a Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority to consolidate and oversee efforts at solving the territory's ever-mounting waste problems will see the light of day by this summer and likely become a reality yet this year, the chair of the Senate Planning and Environmental Protection Committee said on Monday.
Sonia Nelthropp, Public Works Department senior manager for federal compliance, detailed plans for the authority before the committee on Monday afternoon.
Sen. Louis Hill, the committee chair, is the primary sponsor for new legislation creating an authority. He pledged to move the measure expeditiously, starting with a series of public meetings to educate the public on the concept before the bill reaches the floor.
Gov. Charles W. Turnbull pushed for the 24th Legislature to approve the creation of such an authority, but his bill languished in committee and ultimately died.
The Waste Management Authority would take the territory's outdated sewer systems and the overextended Anguilla and Bovoni landfills off Public Works' hands. But that is just the beginning, Nelthropp told the senators.
The landfills, she noted, "are not landfills; they are dumps." And under the new semi-autonomous authority, she said, the "dumps" would fall within an integrated, comprehensive solid-waste management program to include the construction of solid-waste disposal facilities, possibly separate plants on each island.
Hill asked Nelthropp the status of the government's contract with Caribe Waste Technologies, a company the Public Services Commission declared a qualified provider of electricity last summer, despite the Water and Power Authority's strenuous efforts to rid itself of any obligation to deal with the company, including purchasing power at a cost of millions of dollars a yera that WAPA could just as well produce on its own. (See "PSC certifies Caribe Waste as power producer".)
Nelthropp said her information not might be current, but she thought the Property and Procurement Department was no longer in negotiation with CWT because of unresponsiveness.
Hill also asked about the status of the "bail and wrap" operations to deal with solid waste on St. Croix on an interim basis as an alternative to continuing to use the Anguilla landfill. Nelthropp said that "whatever contracts are in place" when the Waste Management Authority is formed "will be forwarded to them."
Last June, the government chose Landfill Technologies Corp., a waste-management company in Puerto Rico, to set up a bale-and-wrap facility at the Anguilla site, which is owned by the Port Authority but operated by Public Works. The interim procedure is to be utilized until the territory has a new permanent waste-disposal system in place for St. Croix.
CWT's gasification processing proposal has an astronomical price tag, Nelthropp said, but she disagreed with critics who have said the proposed system is untried. "Gasification has been with us for many years; it is not new from my point of view," she said. Further, she said, "it need not be a $200 million program if each district decided it needed a component of gasification."
The plan is, she said: "We are going to go ahead and bring in a computer model, so communities can determine what they want. If Bovoni is closed, they may put a gasifier in its place."
Hill asked about the idea of having a waste authority for each district. "Right now we are crafting the budget process that way," Nelthropp said. "The fees collected on the respective islands would be used for their particular needs. There will be so much funding coming in, there won't be a fight for what they need."
Hill stated: "As we seek to formulate and shape public policy, we need all the information we can get, and this is critical information."
Funding for the authority would come from a variety of sources. Nelthropp said a new import tax would help — a "penny per pound" tax on all incoming goods which will eventually become garbage. She said the tax would hardly be felt by residents, yet could generate $30 million annually.
She noted that the formula would amount to $20 a ton for bags of potato chips. Spread over 2,000 or more bags, "you won't even see it in the price,"she said.
"The final determination of figures on the penny-per-pound issue is being reviewed by a major stateside auditing firm," Hill said later. "As soon as they have decided it makes sense, I'll have my bill in, perhaps in May, but in June absolutely." He added that his legislation is "pretty much secured in the majority."
Authority responsibilities, resources
A Waste Management Authority Fact Sheet states that other funding would come from fees from sewer and septic system use and landfill tipping: residential collection; a percentage of the increase to come in federal rum tax returns to the territory; federal construction grants and loans from federal entities such as the Environmental Protection Agency; a descending subsidy from the V.I. government over a five-year period; and issuance of Waste Management Authority bonds.
The semi-autonomous authority would be similar in structure to WAPA, with a seven-member governing board to include government and private-sector members.
Advocates say the authority could take some of the politics and finger-pointing out of waste management operations. For several years, Public Works, the Port Authority and the Federal Aviation Administration have been wrangling over the fate of the Anguilla dump. The FAA had set a Dec. 31, 2002, deadline for the V.I. government to close the landfill, saying birds feeding there and smoke from fires pose a threat to planes landing and taking off. Although the deadline came and went, the FAA subsequently agreed to monitor V.I. progress toward eventually closing the dump. (See "Callwood: FAA satisfied with landfill progress".)
The authority would be responsible for its own debts, assets, contracts, expenditures, funds, facilities and property. It would conduct its own contract negotiations with private companies, whereas all waste contracts must now go through Property and Procurement.
The Anti-Litter and Beautification program would be transferred to the authority but would continue to be funded by current sources.
Within 270 days of its creation by law, ownership, possession and control of all waste-management equipment and facilities currently under Public Works would be transferred to the authority, along with all contracts, leases, grants and other Public Works funding.
Personnel currently working in solid waste and related divisions would be transferred to the authority.
Responsibility for waste management and liability for current federal consent orders also would be transferred within the 270 days.
In response to questions from Sen. Ronald Russell about the status of the wastewater system on St. Croix, Nelthropp said the entire system is in "dire need of overhauling." She added: "Over the years, the system has been neglected, and now the situation is critical."
Nelthropp said funding for her division is "woefully diminished," but employees are struggling, with some literally working seven days a week. She said there is funding "for repairs, but not for staffing."
Even so, she said, the federal EPA "seems pretty pleased at the manner in which we're approaching our wastewater problems."

Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.

Jean Coker, age 59, died Thursday, March 20, at Roy L. Schneider Hospital. Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, March 31, at St. Luke's Episcopal Church. Viewing will be from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m. at St. Luke's Episcopal Church with interment at Western Cemetery #3.
Jean Coker is survived by daughter Jasinth Coker; sons Anthony and Calvin Coker; sisters Askisha Innis and Tava Innis; one grandson; special relatives and friends too numerous to mention.

Herbert Edmund Destin, age 43, of Estate Thomas, died on Friday, March 21, at Roy L. Schneider Hospital. Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 28, at Philadelphia Seventh Day Adventist Church on Raphune Hill. Viewing will be from 6 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 27, at Davis Funeral Home and from 9 to 10 a.m. on Friday, March 28, at the church.
Herbert Destin is servived by his fiance Juel Donovan; ex-wife Cecelia Destin; children Semaniesa and Sheera Destis; sisters Etheline Desir; Juliette Destin; Angela , Diana and Flavia JnBaptiste; Veronica Mon Louis; and Sylvia Pierrotte; 16 nieces; 12 nepnews and special relatives and friends too numerous to mention.
Viewing will be from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 27, at Davis Funeral Home and from 9 to 10 a.m. on Friday, March 28, at the church. Interment will be at Western Cemetary #3.

Dorothy Gumbs of Fortuna, age 65, died March 19, at the Roy L. Schneider Hospital. Funeral services will take place at 10 a.m. on Monday, March 31, at City Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Viewing will be at 4:30 to 6:30 on Sunday, March 30, at Davis Funeral Home Chapel. There will also be a viewing from 9 to 10 a.m. on Monday, March 31, at the church.
Dorothy Gumbs is survived by her husband, Washington Gumbs; mother Matile Lake; sisters Florita Smith, Linda Webster Haymon, and Daphne Lake Barnes; brothers ronald Lake, Alington lake, Evan Lake, and Weldon Lake; many nieces, nepnews, cousins and friends too numerous to mention.