Oct. 7, 2002 – Innovative Communication Corp. technical supervisors worked Monday to restore service to telephone and cable-television subscribers on St. Thomas after several incidents of apparent vandalism disrupted their distribution systems.
Throughout the territory, an Innovative release said, some 3,600 phone lines and more than 900 cable TV customers were affected over the weekend by "sabotage of the telephone and cable facilities."
The vandalism took place as a strike by Innovative unionized workers, members of the United Steelworkers Union, moved into its sixth day. On St. Thomas, Innovative Telephone spokesman Thomas J. Dunn said disruptions affected residential and commercial customers in several areas, notably Raphune Hill and Havensight.
"We have numerous complaints of interruption of service. The Innovative team has done an extraordinary job so far," he said Monday.
Meanwhile, a federal mediator was expected to arrive in the territory on Monday to seek to break an impasse between ICC management and the Steelworkers. At a meeting on Friday called by Labor Commissioner Cecil Benjamin, both sides agreed to bring in a mediator and also to abide by a news blackout while the talks are under way.
Efforts to reach Benjamin on Monday to determine whether the mediator had, in fact, arrived were unsuccessful. So also were attempts to reach the local union leadership.
On Friday, pickets on St. Croix described a Thursday conflict with police at the gate of Innovative's Mount Pleasant site. Trevor Wheeler, an installer/repairman, said what led striking employees to block the gate was the arrival of a local contractor, Rotating Equipment, bringing in workers to replace those on the picket lines.
Dunn has stated in releases and in person that emergency repair work is being carried out by Innovative management personnel.
There had been reports of vandalism Thursday on St. Croix, but Dunn said there have been no further incidents on the island.
On St. Thomas, he said, 90 percent of cable and telephone lines were in operation by mid-day Monday, with phone service having suffered the brunt of the problems.
Both V.I. police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have been called in to investigate the vandalism.
"Innovative called Friday afternoon, maybe Saturday," Territorial Police Chief Novelle Francis said on Monday. An investigation is under way, he said, and police are conducting surveillance on key portions of the distribution system.
FBI spokesman Eric Rivera said from the agency's Puerto Rico office that he was not aware of any complaints from the Virgin Islands as of Monday morning, but he noted that telephone problems were affecting the FBI office on Raphune Hill.
Private radio and Internet communications systems also were interrupted over the weekend. Choice Communications Systems, headquartered in Havensight, experienced disruptions on Sunday. And V.I. Taxi Association dispatchers found themselves out of touch with their drivers because of a problem believed to stem from the association's telephone-radio relay system on Flag Hill. George Sebastian, association executive director and chief of radio communications, said, "We're having a problem with our dispatch system. We're calling our technician now to see what the problem is."
Dunn said the taxi organization's problems were "alarming, because someone may have been sabotaging their communications tower, and we have a tower in that area."
According to Dunn, the greatest impact of the telephone disruptions may have been felt by shops and businesses unable to process charge card payments for goods and services. A sign posted in Cost-U-Less at Market Square East told Sunday shoppers the store could not process charge-card sales.
Neither Innovative officials nor investigating authorities have said the acts of vandalism are the work of striking union members. More than 300 workers, including technicians and installers, have stayed out of the workplace, walking picket lines in support of demands by the Steelworkers that the company address pension issues in its current round of contract negotiations.
One union official, asked Friday about company allegations that wire cuts and other acts of vandalism were related to the strike, said it was not unusual for striking workers to take the blame.

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Oct. 7, 2002 – Another chapter in the saga of building woes at the central police station in Charlotte Amalie closed Monday after several days without air conditioning sent Zone A Command workers in retreat from the heat.
"It's been down since last Thursday," Police Chief Novelle Francis said of the building's air conditioning unit. Because of the discomfort, Police Commissioner Franz Christian allowed administrators and civilian personnel to rotate their shifts. The building remained open to the public, but there were delays in filling some requests and in answering telephones in some sectors.
Physical problems at the St. Thomas waterfront facility, the first structure in what is now the Alexander A. Farrelly Criminal Justice Complex, date back to the mid-1990s. After prisoners jailed on the third floor clogged the plumbing and sent sewage overflowing to the floors below, the police station was relocated back to its old Norre Gade site. But the old Richard A. Callwood Command had building problems that were worse, and ulitimately the government renovated the newer structure for a second relocation two years ago.
Francis said parts for the broken air conditioner had to be shipped from off island, but by Monday afternoon the work was finished.
Deputy Police Chief Theodore Carty, who stayed at his post on the building's second floor, said regular shifts would resume on Tuesday.

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Oct. 7, 2002 – Two proposals came before the Water and Power Authority governing board on Monday. One was met with open arms and the other, with a brick wall.
The idea advanced by Crucian Joseph E. Lanclos to build a one-stop marine service, storage and repair facility on St. Croix was welcomed as a "great idea" by WAPA board members.
The request that the board designate a committee to negotiate an agreement with Caribe Waste Technologies was met with strong opposition. WAPA for more than a year has been fending off CWT's efforts to force the utility to purchase power that would be generated by the chemical waste-processing system the company proposes to build and operate in the territory.
CWT's attorney, Adriane J. Dudley, asked the board to appoint a committee of WAPA board and/or management members to draft an agreement with CWT as first step in the company's bid to get a contract from the government. "In absence of an agreement with WAPA, the government can't proceed," Dudley told the board.
Caribe Waste Technologies was selected by the Turnbull administration to build and operate a plant or plants to process the territory's solid waste using a technology called gasification. CWT's proposal called for WAPA to buy the electricity — at an estimated $10 million to $12 million a year for 30 years — that would be produced in the waste processing. Last November, the WAPA board turned down the deal. It contended that the process is not commercially proven and that the utility is able to meet consumer demands for power on its own.
CWT petitioned the Public Services Commission late last year to review the matter, challenging allegations made by WAPA that the technologies the plant would use are unproven. The PSC in July certified CWT as a small power supplier. The PSC said CWT met the criteria: having a fixed address, meeting federal guidelines for distances between the proposed energy plants, and meeting the standards for production capacity.
WAPA lawyer Samuel H. Hall Jr. had warned the PSC members that by giving CWT the go-ahead, they were buying a cat in a bag. "We are pleading that CWT is an entity that owns no waste disposal equipment, does not own any generating equipment, owns no land in the Virgin Islands and has no finances," he said.
Now that the company has been certified as a small power producer, Dudley said, there are statutes to be met. She said WAPA is now required to meet with CWT representatives to come up with an "avoided cost" figure — that is, what it would cost WAPA to produce the power itself, rather than purchase it from the company.
Glenn Rothgeb, WAPA acting executive director, told Dudley that the utility had filed a motion for reconsideration with the PSC. Dudley said that the motion had in effect been denied, because the commission did not act on it within a required 30-day period. Rothgeb said that was news to him, and the PSC had not informed WAPA of any such thing.
Rothgeb also said WAPA may file an appeal in court on the matter.
Board member Claude Molloy disputed Dudley's contention that WAPA authorities are obliged to meet with CWT. "There's something missing," he said. "I sat through all the meetings. I'm surprised that CWT is on the agenda. It's very suspicious in view of what the administration has been doing with the landfill."
Molloy continued, "I will never vote for CWT. I wish Stridiron were here today." Attorney General Iver Stridiron is a fellow board member. "He said we aren't going to be a guinea pig. We shouldn't give way to a sham like CWT."
However, Carol Burke, board chair, said, "It is the board's responsibility to have CWT here today. We told CWT they weren't properly before the board before." She referred to a meeting last year which provoked CWT to seek the PSC certification. She asked Rothgeb if CWT was "properly" before the board now. (See July report, "PSC certifies Caribe Waste as power producer".)
Rothgeb said, "The only caveat I would put in here is that we may appeal this request."
Board member Andrew Rutnik, commissioner of Licensing and Consumer Affairs, asked Dudley if WAPA was obliged to negotiate. "When the PSC found CWT a qualified facility," Dudley said, "that meant we could sit down to negotiate. It doesn't mean that the PSC has place its imprimatur on it. It merely says that once CWT is qualified, you can sit down to negotiate."
In an atmosphere of opposition to entering into negotiations, the board decided to defer the matter to legal counsel in executive session until the board completes it deliberations on its position regarding entering into a contract to purchase electricity from CWT.
Dudley said she was "distressed by what I am hearing … After you told CWT that they weren't properly before the board, that they had to be certified" — and despite the subsequent PSC action "that compels you to move forward."
Rutnik remarked that any technology that is "out there" is going to be coming before WAPA. He referred to a Baltimore-based company, Sea Solar Power International, which wants the Virgin Islands to become the site of its first ocean thermal energy conversion plant. (See "WAPA gets another experimental power offer".)
Rutnik read aloud a letter from WSTA radio personality and station owner Athniel "Addie" Ottley strongly opposing CWT and encouraging WAPA to "continue in its efforts to resist" the company's moves. According to Ottley, "The Environmental Protection Agency has not approved the technology, and experts have stated that it would be five to seven years before the agency can even begin to analyze the system."
Dudley maintained that the process is not experimental — that it is now in use in Germany and is being implemented "all over Japan."
Marina would be next to power plant
Lanclos, president of Lanclos Marine Service Center and Lanclos Air Transport, presented his proposal to build a marina on five acres of property owned by WAPA adjacent to the Richmond power plant. He said the facility would provide services St. Croix does not now have. Aside from repair facilities, it would include a dry dock, enclosed storage for boats, a marine hardware store, cold and dry storage facilities for cargo and a "first-class" restaurant. He said he hoped to have the project operational within three years, and that it would "create job opportunities for 200 to 300 residents."
A graduate of Ivanna Eudora Kean High School on St. Thomas, Lanclos related how he worked at the nearby Johnny Harms Marina — now American Yacht Harbor — before going away to the military and to college. Burke applauded his proposal as a "very bold idea that would help St. Croix." Her fellow board members concurred and sent the measure to its economic development committee.
Lanclos also pitched an air shuttle service arrangement to the board, which referred it to its finance committee. He offered the use of his Cessna aircraft, which can carry up to seven passengers, at $850 an hour for a minimum of 10 hours a week.
Officers to continue another year
The board also held elections, voting to retain the present officers for the next term: Burke as chair, William Lomax as vice chair and Rutnik as secretary. Voting in the affirmative were Burke, Alphonso Franklin, Gerard Luz James, William Lomax, and Andrew Rutnik. Molloy voted no. Members Ira Hobson, commissionerof Housing Parks and Recreation, and Stridiron were absent.
As soon as the board took up one item on its agenda, the subject of the discussion objected strenuously. The item was review of the contract of Robert Vodzack, WAPA's chief financial officer. "I am upset that this is on public record," Vodzack said. "Someone on the board failed to do their job. Why is it here, and not in executive session?"
In the heated discussion that ensued, some board members said they weren't asking that the contents of the contract to be divulged openly and that there was nothing wrong with discussing it in open session. Rutnik interjected that since the issue had created a dispute, the contract should be discussed in executive session, and the board then voted to do so.
In other action, the board:
– Authorized implementation of WAPA's rate increase approved by the PSC, contingent upon certain conditions to be discussed with the commission. The PSC approved the utility's request for a monthly surcharge of about $1.50 on residential customers' electric bills for 90 days, effective Oct. 1, with the revenues to go toward the costs of street lighting, which by law became a WAPA responsibility last December.
Rothgeb said priorities for street lights would be the town areas on all islands, followed by heavily populated areas such as the housing communities.
– Approved a 20-year lease for the utility's administrative offices building in Sunny Isle on St. Croix. There are plans to renovate the building, expanding the office space. The board also approved the reprogramming of $737,000 from 1998 bond proceeds for the renovation work.
– Authorized payment for the RW Beck Periodic Reports on the utility's electric and water systems. Terms of the 1998 bond issue include a requirenent that reports be prepared every three years.

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Oct. 7, 2002 – Two proposals came before the Water and Power Authority governing board on Monday. One was met with open arms and the other, with a brick wall.
The idea advanced by Crucian Joseph E. Lanclos to build a one-stop marine service, storage and repair facility on St. Croix was welcomed as a "great idea" by WAPA board members.
The request that the board designate a committee to negotiate an agreement with Caribe Waste Technologies was met with strong opposition. WAPA for more than a year has been fending off CWT's efforts to force the utility to purchase power that would be generated by the chemical waste-processing system the company proposes to build and operate in the territory.
CWT's attorney, Adriane J. Dudley, asked the board to appoint a committee of WAPA board and/or management members to draft an agreement with CWT as first step in the company's bid to get a contract from the government. "In absence of an agreement with WAPA, the government can't proceed," Dudley told the board.
Caribe Waste Technologies was selected by the Turnbull administration to build and operate a plant or plants to process the territory's solid waste using a technology called gasification. CWT's proposal called for WAPA to buy the electricity — at an estimated $10 million to $12 million a year for 30 years — that would be produced in the waste processing. Last November, the WAPA board turned down the deal. It contended that the process is not commercially proven and that the utility is able to meet consumer demands for power on its own.
CWT petitioned the Public Services Commission late last year to review the matter, challenging allegations made by WAPA that the technologies the plant would use are unproven. The PSC in July certified CWT as a small power supplier. The PSC said CWT met the criteria: having a fixed address, meeting federal guidelines for distances between the proposed energy plants, and meeting the standards for production capacity.
WAPA lawyer Samuel H. Hall Jr. had warned the PSC members that by giving CWT the go-ahead, they were buying a cat in a bag. "We are pleading that CWT is an entity that owns no waste disposal equipment, does not own any generating equipment, owns no land in the Virgin Islands and has no finances," he said.
Now that the company has been certified as a small power producer, Dudley said, there are statutes to be met. She said WAPA is now required to meet with CWT representatives to come up with an "avoided cost" figure — that is, what it would cost WAPA to produce the power itself, rather than purchase it from the company.
Glenn Rothgeb, WAPA acting executive director, told Dudley that the utility had filed a motion for reconsideration with the PSC. Dudley said that the motion had in effect been denied, because the commission did not act on it within a required 30-day period. Rothgeb said that was news to him, and the PSC had not informed WAPA of any such thing.
Rothgeb also said WAPA may file an appeal in court on the matter.
Board member Claude Molloy disputed Dudley's contention that WAPA authorities are obliged to meet with CWT. "There's something missing," he said. "I sat through all the meetings. I'm surprised that CWT is on the agenda. It's very suspicious in view of what the administration has been doing with the landfill."
Molloy continued, "I will never vote for CWT. I wish Stridiron were here today." Attorney General Iver Stridiron is a fellow board member. "He said we aren't going to be a guinea pig. We shouldn't give way to a sham like CWT."
However, Carol Burke, board chair, said, "It is the board's responsibility to have CWT here today. We told CWT they weren't properly before the board before." She referred to a meeting last year which provoked CWT to seek the PSC certification. She asked Rothgeb if CWT was "properly" before the board now. (See July report, "PSC certifies Caribe Waste as power producer".)
Rothgeb said, "The only caveat I would put in here is that we may appeal this request."
Board member Andrew Rutnik, commissioner of Licensing and Consumer Affairs, asked Dudley if WAPA was obliged to negotiate. "When the PSC found CWT a qualified facility," Dudley said, "that meant we could sit down to negotiate. It doesn't mean that the PSC has place its imprimatur on it. It merely says that once CWT is qualified, you can sit down to negotiate."
In an atmosphere of opposition to entering into negotiations, the board decided to defer the matter to legal counsel in executive session until the board completes it deliberations on its position regarding entering into a contract to purchase electricity from CWT.
Dudley said she was "distressed by what I am hearing … After you told CWT that they weren't properly before the board, that they had to be certified" — and despite the subsequent PSC action "that compels you to move forward."
Rutnik remarked that any technology that is "out there" is going to be coming before WAPA. He referred to a Baltimore-based company, Sea Solar Power International, which wants the Virgin Islands to become the site of its first ocean thermal energy conversion plant. (See "WAPA gets another experimental power offer".)
Rutnik read aloud a letter from WSTA radio personality and station owner Athniel "Addie" Ottley strongly opposing CWT and encouraging WAPA to "continue in its efforts to resist" the company's moves. According to Ottley, "The Environmental Protection Agency has not approved the technology, and experts have stated that it would be five to seven years before the agency can even begin to analyze the system."
Dudley maintained that the process is not experimental — that it is now in use in Germany and is being implemented "all over Japan."
Marina would be next to power plant
Lanclos, president of Lanclos Marine Service Center and Lanclos Air Transport, presented his proposal to build a marina on five acres of property owned by WAPA adjacent to the Richmond power plant. He said the facility would provide services St. Croix does not now have. Aside from repair facilities, it would include a dry dock, enclosed storage for boats, a marine hardware store, cold and dry storage facilities for cargo and a "first-class" restaurant. He said he hoped to have the project operational within three years, and that it would "create job opportunities for 200 to 300 residents."
A graduate of Ivanna Eudora Kean High School on St. Thomas, Lanclos related how he worked at the nearby Johnny Harms Marina — now American Yacht Harbor — before going away to the military and to college. Burke applauded his proposal as a "very bold idea that would help St. Croix." Her fellow board members concurred and sent the measure to its economic development committee.
Lanclos also pitched an air shuttle service arrangement to the board, which referred it to its finance committee. He offered the use of his Cessna aircraft, which can carry up to seven passengers, at $850 an hour for a minimum of 10 hours a week.
Officers to continue another year
The board also held elections, voting to retain the present officers for the next term: Burke as chair, William Lomax as vice chair and Rutnik as secretary. Voting in the affirmative were Burke, Alphonso Franklin, Gerard Luz James, William Lomax, and Andrew Rutnik. Molloy voted no. Members Ira Hobson, commissionerof Housing Parks and Recreation, and Stridiron were absent.
As soon as the board took up one item on its agenda, the subject of the discussion objected strenuously. The item was review of the contract of Robert Vodzack, WAPA's c hief financial officer. "I am upset that this is on public record," Vodzack said. "Someone on the board failed to do their job. Why is it here, and not in executive session?"
In the heated discussion that ensued, some board members said they weren't asking that the contents of the contract to be divulged openly and that there was nothing wrong with discussing it in open session. Rutnik interjected that since the issue had created a dispute, the contract should be discussed in executive session, and the board then voted to do so.
In other action, the board:
– Authorized implementation of WAPA's rate increase approved by the PSC, contingent upon certain conditions to be discussed with the commission. The PSC approved the utility's request for a monthly surcharge of about $1.50 on residential customers' electric bills for 90 days, effective Oct. 1, with the revenues to go toward the costs of street lighting, which by law became a WAPA responsibility last December.
Rothgeb said priorities for street lights would be the town areas on all islands, followed by heavily populated areas such as the housing communities.
– Approved a 20-year lease for the utility's administrative offices building in Sunny Isle on St. Croix. There are plans to renovate the building, expanding the office space. The board also approved the reprogramming of $737,000 from 1998 bond proceeds for the renovation work.
– Authorized payment for the RW Beck Periodic Reports on the utility's electric and water systems. Terms of the 1998 bond issue include a requirenent that reports be prepared every three years.

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Oct. 7, 2002 – On Sunday 29 runners toed the starting line in front of the Fort Christian parking lot on St. Thomas for the 21st Founder’s Day 5-Kilometer Run. When they reached the finish line next to the University of the Virgin Islands' Sports & Fitness Center, the 3.1-mile race had been covered in excellent times by two bright stars on the distance-running horizon.
Brandon Smith was first overall in 18:34, while Regina Radazza led the women (and all but two of the men) to finish less than a minute behind. Her time of 19:06 is being reviewed as a possible women’s course record. Finishing second overall and first in the adults section, Michael Hughes recorded a time of 18:42, with Steven Burkholder (19:34) and Thomas Petri (20:54) in pursuit. Finishing behind the adult women’s leader were Grace Tuma (23:45) and Kim Fitzpatrick (25:47).
Smith is a student at Antilles School and a member of its cross-country team. Radazza lives on St. John and made a special effort to get to Charlotte Amalie just in time for the start. Other up-and-coming stars appeared among the runners brought or encouraged by coaches Therese Hodge, Dale Joseph and Mario Toussaint. McCordie Prentice, for example, posted 19:44 to take second in the under-18 male category with Henry Belle exactly one minute behind. The familiar face of Charley Charles led the under-18 women, as her 23:08 earned first place, ahead of Tyfia Lee (27:39) and Crystal Joseph (30:40).
Complete results are below.
The first running of this event took place on Oct. 11, 1982, and involved little more than the drawing of a chalk line on the ground and the use of a stopwatch. The formation of STAR, the St. Thomas Association of Roadrunners, was a direct outcome of the fun and camaraderie those early participants experienced.
RESULTS
ADULT WOMEN
Regina Radazza (19:06)
Grace Tuma (23:45)
Kim Fitzpatrick (25:47)
Kristin Tuohy (26:01)
Becky Petri (27:47)
Jesse Farley (27:51)
Jennie Wentworth (28:15)
Lisa Wisehart (31:57)
Shirley Edwards (42:23)
ADULT MEN
Michael Hughes (18.42)
Steven Burkholder (19:34)
Thomas Petri (20:54)
Peter Alter (21:01)
Frank Jackson (23:49)
Bruce Sewer (25:20)
Roi Simmonds (25:35)
Stephen Hodge (27:52)
Mario Toussaint (30:40)
YOUTH WOMEN
Charlie Charles (23:08)
Tyfia Lee (27:39)
Crystal Joseph (30:40)

YOUTH MEN
Brandon Smith (18:34) {First Overall}
McCordie Prentice (19:44)
Kian Jean-Baptiste (21:23.4)
Luis Guillen (21:23.7)
Henry Alexander (23:08)
Theodore Luke (25:28)
Lenny Phillip (27:36)
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Oct. 7, 2002 – New Image Foundation is holding the first meeting on St. Croix of the Women’s Network for Entrepreneurial Training (WNET) Roundtable.
The program is in its third successful year on St. Thomas.
The October Roundtable on Friday, Oct. 11, features Service Excellence™. It will be from noon to 1:30p.m. at the University of the Virgin Islands's Small Business Development Center training facility, Suite 104, Sunshine Mall, Frederiksted, St. Croix.
The speaker, training specialist Dianne Bynoe, will talk about how businesses succeed through excellence in customer service.
WNET Roundtable is sponsored by New Image Foundation Corp. in collaboration with UVI's Small Business Development Center.
Please make reservations at (340) 777-8883.
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.

Oct. 7, 2002 – Two proposals came before the Water and Power Authority governing board on Monday. One was met with open arms and the other, with a brick wall.
The idea advanced by Crucian Joseph E. Lanclos to build a one-stop marine service, storage and repair facility on St. Croix was welcomed by WAPA board members as a "great idea."
The request that the board designate a committee to negotiate an agreement with Caribe Waste Technologies was met with strong opposition. WAPA for more than a year has been fending off CWT's efforts to force the utility to purchase power that would be generated by the chemical waste-processing system the company proposes to build and operate in the territory.
CWT's attorney, Adriane J. Dudley, asked the board to appoint a committee of WAPA board and/or management members to draft an agreement with CWT as first step in the company's bid to get a contract from the government. "In absence of an agreement with WAPA, the government can't proceed," Dudley told the board.
Caribe Waste Technologies was selected by the Turnbull administration to build and operate a plant or plants to process the territory's solid waste using a technology called gasification. CWT's proposal called for WAPA to buy the electricity — at an estimated $10 million to $12 million a year for 30 years — that would be produced in the waste processing. Last November, the WAPA board turned down the deal. It contended that the process is not commercially proven and that the utility is able to meet consumer demands for power on its own.
CWT petitioned the Public Services Commission late last year to review the matter, challenging allegations made by WAPA that the technologies the plant would use are unproven. The PSC in July certified CWT as a small power supplier. The PSC said CWT met the criteria: having a fixed address, meeting federal guidelines for distances between the proposed energy plants, and meeting the standards for production capacity.
WAPA lawyer Samuel H. Hall Jr. had warned the PSC members that by giving CWT the go-ahead, they were buying a cat in a bag. "We are pleading that CWT is an entity that owns no waste disposal equipment, does not own any generating equipment, owns no land in the Virgin Islands and has no finances," he said.
Now that the company has been certified as a small power producer, Dudley said, there are statutes to be met. She said WAPA is now required to meet with CWT representatives to come up with an "avoided cost" figure — that is, what it would cost WAPA to produce the power itself, rather than purchase it from the company.
Glenn Rothgeb, WAPA acting executive director, told Dudley that the utility had filed a motion for reconsideration with the PSC. Dudley said that the motion had in effect been denied, because the commission did not act on it within a required 30-day period. Rothgeb said that was news to him, and the PSC had not informed WAPA of any such thing.
Rothgeb also said WAPA may file an appeal in court on the matter.
Board member Claude Molloy disputed Dudley's contention that WAPA authorities are obliged to meet with CWT. "There's something missing," he said. "I sat through all the meetings. I'm surprised that CWT is on the agenda. It's very suspicious in view of what the administration has been doing with the landfill."
Molloy continued, "I will never vote for CWT. I wish Stridiron were here today." Attorney General Iver Stridiron is a fellow board member. "He said we aren't going to be a guinea pig. We shouldn't give way to a sham like CWT."
However, Carol Burke, board chair, said, "It is the board's responsibility to have CWT here today. We told CWT they weren't properly before the board before." She referred to a meeting last year which provoked CWT to seek the PSC certification. She asked Rothgeb if CWT was "properly" before the board now. (See July report, "PSC certifies Caribe Waste as power producer".)
Rothgeb said, "The only caveat I would put in here is that we may appeal this request."
Board member Andrew Rutnik, commissioner of Licensing and Consumer Affairs, asked Dudley if WAPA was obliged to negotiate. "When the PSC found CWT a qualified facility," Dudley said, "that meant we could sit down to negotiate. It doesn't mean that the PSC has place its imprimatur on it. It merely says that once CWT is qualified, you can sit down to negotiate."
In an atmosphere of opposition to entering into negotiations, the board decided to defer the matter to legal counsel in executive session until the board completes it deliberations on its position regarding entering into a contract to purchase electricity from CWT.
Dudley said she was "distressed by what I am hearing … After you told CWT that they weren't properly before the board, that they had to be certified" — and despite the subsequent PSC action "that compels you to move forward."
Rutnik remarked that any technology that is "out there" is going to be coming before WAPA. He referred to a Baltimore-based company, Sea Solar Power International, which wants the Virgin Islands to become the site of its first ocean thermal energy conversion plant. (See "WAPA gets another experimental power offer".)
Rutnik read aloud a letter from WSTA radio personality and station owner Athniel "Addie" Ottley strongly opposing CWT and encouraging WAPA to "continue in its efforts to resist" the company's moves. According to Ottley, "The Environmental Protection Agency has not approved the technology, and experts have stated that it would be five to seven years before the agency can even begin to analyze the system."
Dudley maintained that the process is not experimental — that it is now in use in Germany and is being implemented "all over Japan."
Marina would be next to power plant
Lanclos, president of Lanclos Marine Service Center and Lanclos Air Transport, presented his proposal to build a marina on five acres of property owned by WAPA adjacent to the Richmond power plant. He said the facility would provide services St. Croix does not now have. Aside from repair facilities, it would include a dry dock, enclosed storage for boats, a marine hardware store, cold and dry storage facilities for cargo and a "first-class" restaurant. He said he hoped to have the project operational within three years, and that it would "create job opportunities for 200 to 300 residents."
A graduate of Ivanna Eudora Kean High School on St. Thomas, Lanclos related how he worked at the nearby Johnny Harms Marina — now American Yacht Harbor — before going away to the military and to college. Burke applauded his proposal as a "very bold idea that would help St. Croix." Her fellow board members concurred and sent the measure to its economic development committee.
Lanclos also pitched an air shuttle service arrangement to the board, which referred it to its finance committee. He offered the use of his Cessna aircraft, which can carry up to seven passengers, at $850 an hour for a minimum of 10 hours a week.
Officers to continue another year
The board also held elections, voting to retain the present officers for the next term: Burke as chair, William Lomax as vice chair and Rutnik as secretary. Voting in the affirmative were Burke, Alphonso Franklin, Gerard Luz James, William Lomax, and Andrew Rutnik. Molloy voted no. Members Ira Hobson, commissionerof Housing Parks and Recreation, and Stridiron were absent.
As soon as the board took up one item on its agenda, the subject of the discussion objected strenuously. The item was review of the contract of Robert Vodzack, WAPA&#39 ;s chief financial officer. "I am upset that this is on public record," Vodzack said. "Someone on the board failed to do their job. Why is it here, and not in executive session?"
In the heated discussion that ensued, some board members said they weren't asking that the contents of the contract to be divulged openly and that there was nothing wrong with discussing it in open session. Rutnik interjected that since the issue had created a dispute, the contract should be discussed in executive session, and the board then voted to do so.
In other action, the board:
– Authorized implementation of WAPA's rate increase approved by the PSC, contingent upon certain conditions to be discussed with the commission. The PSC approved the utility's request for a monthly surcharge of about $1.50 on residential customers' electric bills for 90 days, effective Oct. 1, with the revenues to go toward the costs of street lighting, which by law became a WAPA responsibility last December.
Rothgeb said priorities for street lights would be the town areas on all islands, followed by heavily populated areas such as the housing communities.
– Approved a 20-year lease for the utility's administrative offices building in Sunny Isle on St. Croix. There are plans to renovate the building, expanding the office space. The board also approved the reprogramming of $737,000 from 1998 bond proceeds for the renovation work.
– Authorized payment for the RW Beck Periodic Reports on the utility's electric and water systems. Terms of the 1998 bond issue include a requirenent that reports be prepared every three years.

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Oct. 7, 2002 – New Image Foundation is holding the first meeting on St. Croix of the Women’s Network for Entrepreneurial Training (WNET) Roundtable.
The program is in its third successful year on St. Thomas.
The October Roundtable on Friday, Oct. 11, features Service Excellence™. It will be from noon to 1:30p.m. at the University of the Virgin Islands's Small Business Development Center training facility, Suite 104, Sunshine Mall, Frederiksted, St. Croix.
The speaker, training specialist Dianne Bynoe, will talk about how businesses succeed through excellence in customer service.
WNET Roundtable is sponsored by New Image Foundation Corp. in collaboration with UVI's Small Business Development Center.
Please make reservations at (340) 777-8883.
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Oct. 7, 2002 – On Sunday 29 runners toed the starting line in front of the Fort Christian parking lot for the 21st Founder’s Day 5-Kilometer Run. When they reached the finish line next to the University of the Virgin Islands' Sports & Fitness Center, the 3.1-mile race had been covered in excellent times by two bright stars on the distance-running horizon.
Brandon Smith was first overall in 18:34, while Regina Radazza led the women (and all but two of the men) to finish less than a minute behind. Her time of 19:06 is being reviewed as a possible women’s course record. Finishing second overall and first in the adults section, Michael Hughes recorded a time of 18:42, with Steven Burkholder (19:34) and Thomas Petri (20:54) in pursuit. Finishing behind the adult women’s leader were Grace Tuma (23:45) and Kim Fitzpatrick (25:47).
Smith is a student at Antilles School and a member of its cross-country team. Radazza lives on St. John and made a special effort to get to Charlotte Amalie just in time for the start. Other up-and-coming stars appeared among the runners brought or encouraged by coaches Therese Hodge, Dale Joseph and Mario Toussaint. McCordie Prentice, for example, posted 19:44 to take second in the under-18 male category with Henry Belle exactly one minute behind. The familiar face of Charley Charles led the under-18 women, as her 23:08 earned first place, ahead of Tyfia Lee (27:39) and Crystal Joseph (30:40).
Complete results are below.
The first running of this event took place on Oct. 11, 1982, and involved little more than the drawing of a chalk line on the ground and the use of a stopwatch. The formation of STAR, the St. Thomas Association of Roadrunners, was a direct outcome of the fun and camaraderie those early participants experienced.
RESULTS
ADULT WOMEN
Regina Radazza (19:06)
Grace Tuma (23:45)
Kim Fitzpatrick (25:47)
Kristin Tuohy (26:01)
Becky Petri (27:47)
Jesse Farley (27:51)
Jennie Wentworth (28:15)
Lisa Wisehart (31:57)
Shirley Edwards (42:23)
ADULT MEN
Michael Hughes (18.42)
Steven Burkholder (19:34)
Thomas Petri (20:54)
Peter Alter (21:01)
Frank Jackson (23:49)
Bruce Sewer (25:20)
Roi Simmonds (25:35)
Stephen Hodge (27:52)
Mario Toussaint (30:40)
YOUTH WOMEN
Charlie Charles (23:08)
Tyfia Lee (27:39)
Crystal Joseph (30:40)

YOUTH MEN
Brandon Smith (18:34) {First Overall}
McCordie Prentice (19:44)
Kian Jean-Baptiste (21:23.4)
Luis Guillen (21:23.7)
Henry Alexander (23:08)
Theodore Luke (25:28)
Lenny Phillip (27:36)
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Our Crucian Crusade
A Working Paper
It does not take another consultant to tell us that the quality of life and the standard of living on St. Croix has steadily deteriorated during the Turnbull Administration, producing frustration and dissatisfaction on a daily basis for all of us. We can no longer be in denial; this level of frustration and hopelessness fuels the escalation of crime. St. Croix no longer can afford to be a ship adrift without a captain and first mate.
Recognizing the special conditions of St. Croix, we have developed an Action Plan of workable solutions to alleviate the problems Crucians face on a daily basis. St. Croix deserves better! The Virgin Islands deserve better! A deJongh Arnold Administration WILL DO better!
This document outlines a strategy to stem the tide of crime and improve the standard of living on St. Croix through economic growth, enhanced delivery of key public sector services and expanded economic opportunity.
This is a working paper. It will change over time as the deJongh Arnold Administration works together with all Crucians to achieve our common objectives. But first we need your support. We need your vote.
John deJongh
Candidate for Governor
Paul Arnold
Candidate for Lt. Governor
The Present Reality
The residents of St. Croix have been shortchanged for far too long. Paul Arnold's decision to become John deJongh's running mate was based on their shared belief that primary attention had to be paid to the island of St. Croix, in order to grow the economy and raise the standard of living for all. For John and Paul, the days of false promises and platitudes are over.
The goal of the deJongh Arnold Administration first is to regain the economic strength of the 1960's and then to build from there.
Fact: Between 1960 -1970 St. Croix was the most powerful industrial economy in the Eastern Caribbean.
Fact: St. Croix offered an irresistible magnet for jobs in the region both in industry and tourism.
Fact: St. Croix provided wages many times greater than any other island in the region.
Compare that with the following grim statistics:
Fact: The current unemployment rate on St. Croix is 11.2%.
Fact: Our SAT scores have dropped since 1999 and are hundreds of points below National averages.
Fact: Our murder rate has skyrocketed: 14 Crucians had been murdered by early September 2002.
As a community we cannot allow this to continue. The deJongh Arnold Administration will not allow it to continue.
The U.S. Virgin Islands economy is about the size it was in the mid-1980s. For more than a decade, the U.S. Virgin Islands has been graduating an average of 1,100 students from high schools each year and only a small fraction of those not going on to college or the military have been able to find employment. The number of high school graduates from St. Croix has averaged 640 over the past 22 years. In contrast, the average number of new jobs created annually on St. Croix has equaled about 130 over this period. Thus no more than approximately 20 percent of any high school graduating class has been able to remain on St. Croix and find employment. For two decades St. Croix's most valuable export has been the export of its children.
Additionally, using U.S. Department of Labor data, the U.S. Virgin Islands has the third lowest average wages in any jurisdiction under the U.S. flag. Two-thirds of all occupations in the U.S. Virgin Islands average pay is in the bottom half of states and territories and about one-half are in the lowest wage group. In contrast, we have the highest cost of living under the U.S. flag. Most distressing of all is the fact that nearly 50 percent of all our children live in poverty.
Through September 2002, the employment numbers are not encouraging. Territory-wide civilian employment remains about equal to what it was in 1989 and for St. Croix employment is where it was more than 20 years ago. Nearly 10 years of steady employment declines have left the St. Croix economy flat on its back. Adding more injury is the fact that the HOVENSA coker construction has been completed resulting in a further decline in employment. That plus the loss of cruise ships to the island will have a devastating impact on small businesses, jobs and family security.
At the close of the 1990s, the St. Croix economy was basically the same as it was in the late 1980s: population measured in the 2000 Census was 53,234, up by 3,509 persons over the 1980 Census, a 7% increase over 20 years. Total permit values as of the end of 2001 ($58.0 million) were significantly below 1990's $190.0 million; the number of hotels (18) has not increased since 1990; the total number of rooms or units (1,213) was below 1980's 1,617 units; and air visitor arrivals (140,200) are significantly below 1990's 181,400. Cruise ship passenger arrivals had recently hit 237,400, slightly above the high-point experienced in 1995. However, effectively all St. Croix arrivals are now in jeopardy with the pull-out by Royal Caribbean Cruises and Carnival Cruises from the island. Total civilian employment equaled 19,350 for the island of St. Croix, the same as in 1989, with the number of those unemployed at 2,450, the highest it has ever been, an unemployment rate of 11.2 percent.
The challenges of the St. Croix economy can no longer be ignored by those responsible for its management, but unable to act because they do not know what to do! What is needed is Leadership. Leadership for a change. John deJongh and Paul Arnold will provide this Leadership.
The Rebirth of St. Croix
The rebirth of St. Croix must begin with an honest assessment of both our strengths and our weaknesses. The fact is that St. Croix has a strong base on which to build.
CRUCIAN STRENGTHS:
1. The stability of the U.S. financial system, the security of the U.S. flag, and a Federal Government prepared to lend a hand, but no more "hand-outs;"
2. Direct access to a global fiber optics network with St. Croix at its hub;
3. A diversely trained and experienced supply of skilled labor concentrated in the service and industrial sectors;
4. A vast inventory of under-utilized hotel, commercial and industrial sites that can accommodate multiple business operations;
5. A rich cultural history and inventory of historic architecture ripe for restoration and marketing;
6. An airport and container port each with great expansion capacity; and
7. The largest, most modern petroleum refinery in the western hemisphere capable of offering products at the lowest price in the region.

The following infrastructure issues must be addressed by Government or its semi-autonomous entities: public schools, sewage system, solid waste management, road maintenance, street lighting, reliable and affordable water and electric service, and business license processes.
This assessment must be ongoing. Government cannot act alone. John and Paul, once elected, as Governor and Lt. Governor, will meet immediately and regularly with St. Croix business and union leaders to develop a consensus on the current obstacles to business success and expansion and how best to alleviate these obstacles through Government action.
Presented below is a summary of key Action Items that will be undertaken by the deJongh Arnold Administration immediately upon taking office in January 2003. The implementation of these Action Items will establish the solid foundation required to rebuild the St. Croix economy in order to increase jobs, enhance business opportunities, improve salary levels, and raise government revenues needed for delivery of quality public services on the island. This summary sets both goals and deadlines for our actions.
1. Action Item: School Accreditation
Schedule a meeting with officials of the Middle States Association during January 2003 with the goal of shortening the timeline to the re-accreditation of our high schools, and to set the steps for implementation of our plan for acc reditation for all grade levels.
2. Action Item: Territorial Tax Reform
Activate the Tax Reform Commission to undertake a comprehensive analysis of the various taxes, fees and assessments applicable to individuals and businesses. Appoint, as a subgroup, the Small Business Preservation Commission in accordance with existing law specifically charged with the task of law reform designed to promote growth of these companies.
3. Action Item: Insurance Industry Reform
Immediately submit legislation to create a Department of Financial Institutions comprised of a Division of Banking and a Division of Insurance to be headed by an individual with financial services experience. Meet with insurers and brokers in the U.S., European and Bermuda markets in February 2003 in order to gain their input as to what is required for their return to the U.S. Virgin Islands and to increase the property coverage available to residents.

4. Action Item: Recapture Cruise Lines
The cruise lines have indicated what we must do for them to reconsider St. Croix as a port of call: (i) enhance crime prevention and (ii) improve the tourism infrastructure. Based on the Cruise Lines recommendations, the deJongh Arnold Administration will implement the following:
a. Working Group. Within the first 14 days in office we will create a special public/private partnership to meet with cruise line officials and make recommendations to recapture the cruise lines and to lure new cruise ships to St. Croix. John deJongh was Co-Chairman of the Cruise Ship Task Force and drafted the Long-Term Operating Agreement that was approved by the Virgin Islands Legislature. He personally knows the decision-makers at the major cruise lines.
b. "Culturally Crucian" Program. The Botanical Gardens, Rain Forest, Cruzan Rum, Food Products, Whim Museum are all Crucian tourism "gems." Through the EDA and the Department of Tourism, immediate support will be given to small business owners to develop, market and operate specific tours that will provide tourists with much needed activities and permit them to enjoy all of St. Croix's assets. The deJongh Arnold Administration will provide training, access to funding for infrastructure investment, start-up subsidies for operators of approved tours, and marketing support to generate customer flow. The Crucian taxi industry will be provided assistance and be assured access to these new opportunities. These incentives will create new entrepreneurs and provide much needed exposure and income for the existing "gems" of St. Croix.
5. Action Item: Brand-Name Hotels
Within four months of taking office, develop a prospect list and have the Governor or Lt. Governor personally make marketing visits to the major hotel brand operators and time-share companies to explore what steps the Government can take to attract the development of high-quality brand resorts to the island.
6. Action Item: Event Planning and Tourism Promotion
Within the first 120 to 200 days develop a specific budget for implementation of the following:
a. "Culturally Crucian" programs: Agriculture and Food Fair, Mango Melee, Crucian Christmas Festival, Performing Arts Festival, VI/PR Friendship Celebration, Quelbe Music Festival
b. Carnival programs with incorporation in the advertising and marketing of the U.S. Virgin Islands brand
c. Heritage tourism programs: St. Croix Heritage Trail
d. Sports tourism programs: inter-island sporting events, Coral Reef Swim, Regattas, Half-Iron Man Triathalon, Charter Yacht League Marine show
e. A Winter Arts and Music Festival
7. Action Item: A New Focus on EDC Beneficiaries' Needs
Convene a conference of Economic Development Commission (EDC) beneficiaries within the first 90 days to be held on St. Croix under the direction of the Lt. Governor to determine their employment needs:
a. Institute training and educational programs, in conjunction with the University of the Virgin Islands and the Workforce Investment Board, to address the employment needs of the EDC companies, especially the workforce requirements of St. Croix
b. Undertake the establishment of a vocational program to supplement the offerings at the HOVENSA Craft Training Program 8. Action Item: EDC Marketing Initiatives
c. Emphasize within the Economic Development Authority the marketing of EDC benefits for St. Croix. Within 100 days, produce new and updated materials and website with appropriate links for information and a way to begin the application process on line. Increase the focus on Financial Services Companies to be located on St. Croix. Concentrate on the creation of a captive insurance industry. Further the focus on financial managers seeking to relocate back-office operations, call centers, and trading operations to St. Croix.
9. Action Item: Enhance Police Presence
The ever-diminishing number of police officers on St. Croix has been a major concern for locals and visitors alike. The deJongh Arnold Administration will take the following steps to increase police presence:
a. Recruit trained personnel from the Military
b. Release officers from clerical and other non-police duties
c. Provide incentives for inter-island reassignment
d. Re-establish the police cadet corps and the police auxiliary
The deJongh Arnold Administration will seek to further focus law enforcement initiatives by proposing legislation to remove the Attorney General as a member of the V.I. Port Authority Board or any other boards or commissions not specifically related to law enforcement. In addition, the police department will be reorganized under two district Chiefs of Police, each reporting directly to the Commissioner of Police.
10. Action Item: Make Operational Autonomy for St. Croix a Reality
St. Croix has suffered tremendously from a lack of autonomy in important public sector areas. Within the first 180 days, the deJongh Arnold Administration will take steps to provide autonomy for the following departments, utilizing technology to coordinate the department as a whole, and to provide operational independence.
a. Police Department: 911 operational authority and on-island processing emergency calls
b. Department of Finance: document input, vendor processing and check disbursement
c. Department of Property and Procurement: internet access for bid documentation; vendor processing
d. Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs: on-line and on-island application submission and processing
e. Department of Tourism: brand identification
f. Department of Education: full authority to the Insular Superintendent coupled with site-based management at the individual schools.
Central to the implementation of the above changes in organization and processes will be training and educational programs to enhance employee skills. This will be done in partnership with the University of the Virgin Islands and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Graduate School, via coordination with the Division of Personnel. Additionally, a review of job descriptions and job classifications will be initiated under the auspices of the Lt. Governor to assure fairness in pay levels and work responsibilities.
11. Action Item: Expand Air Service
Over the last three and a half years, the island of St. Croix has experienced a steady reduction in seating capacity to the island provided by scheduled carriers. The de Jongh Arnold Administration does not support the increase in fees and charges on the airlines and its other tenants proposed by the V.I. Port Authority in August 2002. Given the current crisis in the airline industry, we believe it better policy to utilize the excess money in the Insurance Guaranty Fund to capitalize the V.I. Port Authority's Fiscal Year 2003 budget gap. There are currently no charter flights serving the Island. Reversing this trend requires an organizational change: the creation of an office in the Department of Tourism dedicated to the expansion of air service through building and maintaining frie ndly and on-going business relations with all air carriers. The V.I. Port Authority must be part of a coordinated and positive effort to increase air traffic. Also, critical to this area is the completion of the air controller tower on St. Croix.
Within six months of taking office, the Governor or Lt. Governor will personally meet with airline chief executives to discuss how to increase jet service and aggregate seat capacity to the island of St. Croix. The de Jongh Arnold Administration further believes that in lieu of funding a high-risk start-up airline, available funding should be re-allocated to support the existing scheduled air carriers serving the Territory to support and build traffic to St. Croix.
Expansion in this area will result in the development of supporting industries, especially the technical support fields. This concentration further allows the V.I. Port Authority to stay within its core competence in aviation and utilize its landholdings to allow business creation (such as, aircraft maintenance, flight kitchen facilities, and air cargo facilities) while taking advantage of the availability of low-cost fuel produced on the island.
The development of incremental air traffic will be based on:
a. Establishment of a feeder-hub from St. Croix to the smaller Caribbean markets
b. Identification of charter flights to the island, especially from the international markets such as Denmark, Holland, Italy
c. Preparation of a marketing plan to attract carriers that currently do not service St. Croix, or the U.S. Virgin Islands
12. Action Item: End Sewage in the Streets
The deJongh Arnold Administration will fully implement the establishment of a Waste Management Authority as recommended by the Economic Recovery Task Force chaired by John deJongh. This Authority will systematically address the issues of solid waste, wastewater, and used oil disposal. Natural storm water runoff and its impact on coastal ecosystems will, of necessity, be part of this task. A primary focus of this Administration will be full compliance with Federal environmental rules and regulations and building a proactive relationship between the V.I. Government and Federal regulators. The time has come when the VI government will no longer fail to meet or exceed judicial or regulator imposed Orders of Violation.
Recognizing that on St. Croix many of today's sewage issues relate directly to the age and original installation of the sewage system, the deJongh Arnold Administration will give the highest priority to the repair and replacement of the 30+ year old sewage system that is at the end of its useful life. Special attention will be given to insuring that the piping infrastructure is appropriate for the highly corrosive soils of the Virgin Islands and that upgrades to the treatment plant and ocean discharge will meet all EPA guidelines. An aggressive coordinated campaign seeking Federal assistance for this effort will be initiated immediately upon taking office.
13. Action Item: Resolve Solid Waste Disposal/Sanitary Landfill Issues
After several warnings from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Turnbull Administration has been forced to address the urgent situation of the Anguilla Landfill, especially after ignoring its own January 1999 letter commitment to immediately correct this situation.
The deJongh Arnold Administration supports the concepts of composting and recycling of appropriate materials as well as high tech waste-to-energy facilities outlined in the Strategic and Financial Operating Plan developed by the Economic Recovery Task Force, chaired by John deJongh. However, we fully recognize that no solutions to the solid waste problem on St. Croix can be pursued until a new site for the collection and disposal of municipal solid waste is identified. This site is the one ingredient that makes all other solutions possible, removes the smoke and fire menace of the past 25 years associated with the Anguilla dump, and frees up potential for the airport and Port Authority.

After a public and open process requesting proposals, negotiations will commence immediately with private landowners and developers, with consideration given to design-build, full service contracts, for a facility either within the industrial mega-plex or elsewhere on the island. With the establishment of a new waste management site we can then effectively plan for a multi-faceted solution to the island's long term solid waste needs.
14. Action Item: Make Effective the Workforce Development,
Training and Education System
The unemployment level on St. Croix has topped 11%. The deJongh Arnold Administration will therefore place emphasis on job creation and, where necessary, on the training or retraining of the local workforce to be employed in these new jobs. We believe that many of our social problems solve themselves when people go to work. Raising the skill level of the St. Croix workforce not only increases opportunities for gainful employment, but it also provides a greater sense of community pride and a lower level of criminal activity.
Under the supervision of the Lt. Governor, the deJongh Arnold Administration will bring the Workforce Investment Board to full strength to access the Federal funding available under the Federal Workforce Investment Act. Additionally, we shall do the following:
a. Open a Department of Labor "One Stop Services Center" mid-island within the first 90 days
b. Open Satellite offices in Frederiksted and Christiansted within the next 90 days
c. Develop Vocational Training Centers in association with private employers and the University of the Virgin Islands within the first 120 days utilizing the curriculum and training modules of the National Center for Construction Education and Research
d. Target individuals to be trained in the following areas: Industrial Materials, Financial Services, Information Technology, Teachers, and Nurses
e. Develop a program to offer incentives in housing, education, stipends, or bonuses to attract good people in difficult-to-fill positions such as teachers, nurses and police officers
15. Action Item: Develop a Small Business Program
The Economic Development Administration must be focused on helping to create new business ventures and must take the initiative to do this in conjunction with commercial banks and other financial firms, not in isolation from these traditional sources of capital.
The deJongh Arnold Administration will create a $25.0 million venture guaranty fund, within the EDA, to provide credit-enhancement and technical support to small and mid-size firms domiciled within the U.S. Virgin Islands in order to foster entrepreneurship and job creation where the traditional sources of capital have left a gap. The issuance of guarantees will help create small business opportunities. An aggressive "Buy-Local" Program must be undertaken immediately.
The Office of Film Promotion will be transferred to the Economic Development Authority and local small businesses will be encouraged to service and promote the use of local sites as locations for films and advertisements.

16. Action Item: Promote Convention and Conference Tourism
A special division of the Department of Tourism will be established to attract Meeting and Convention Business to St. Croix. The target groups will be the annual meetings of mid-sized organizations and the mid-seasonal meetings and incentive trips of larger organizations. This special division will work with local hotels, including the new branded operators, to define how best to develop this business. The deJongh Arnold Administration will then move to assist in the development of needed facilities.
In conjunction with this action, the deJongh Arnold Administration, through the V.I. Public Finance Authority will initiate an aggressive program to put the King's Alley Hotel/Shopping Center back into private sector management and coordinate the development of the smaller hotels in Christiansted through creation of a small hotel expansion/reha bilitation/marketing program.

17. Action Item: Upgrade Recreation Facilities
The children of St. Croix do not, for the most part, utilize existing recreation centers because they are not open when the children are out of school and, most importantly, the facilities are not welcoming to our children. The deJongh Arnold Administration will within the first 120 days:
a. Upgrade these facilities
b. Stagger the operating hours open into the evening and on Saturdays and Sundays with certain activities regularly scheduled
c. In conjunction with private sector partners, including non-governmental organizations, establish technology learning centers at certain recreational
facilities and in certain neighborhoods
18. Action Item: Reinvigorate Downtown Redevelopment
The deJongh Arnold Administration will institute programs to refurbish and maintain the architectural treasures in Frederiksted and Christiansted. Expanding business opportunities in each town will further this goal.
These initiatives will include:
a. Property and income tax incentives specifically targeted at the restoration and reconstruction of historic buildings
b. An inventory of the various owners of buildings and landholdings to establish a database of potential targets for redevelopment and customer referrals
c. Refurbishing of residential and commercial properties within the central business districts in order to re-establish property values, equity levels and on-going in-town activities
d. Identification of Federal funds for economic development and historic preservation projects
e. Identification of national foundations that disburse funds for historic
preservation and urban revitalization
f. The creation of tax increment districts and use of tax increment financing to partially fund infrastructure needs in each town
g. Reconstituting the benefits package of the enterprise zone program to include capital investment and employer credits for certain workforce hires
h. Renovation of the following: the Old Danish School Building, the Old Convent, and several additional buildings for use as Bed & Breakfast Inns
i. Further development of the Seven Flags Program
j. Developing, in conjunction with key non-governmental organizations, a work plan to address marketing each district, policing the districts, and cleaning the districts on a regular basis
19. Action Item: Modernize Motor Vehicle Registration/License Renewal

The current system on St. Croix for motor vehicle registration and drivers licenses does not work. Within the first 90 days the deJongh Arnold Administration will institute a system to revamp these two systems maximizing the use of technology. On St. Croix this will require dedicated facility upgrades to improve staff conditions and customer satisfaction.
a. Removal of the Division of Motor Vehicles from under the Department of Police
b. Designate certain gasoline service stations with the appropriate repair operations as certified agents for inspection purposes
c. On-line motor vehicle registration for vehicles less than five years old
d. Online Drivers License Renewal
20. Action Item: Develop Business Parks
The deJongh Arnold Administration will work to further the plans supporting the V.I. Port Authority's Commerce and Business Park as well as the development of the St. Croix Renaissance Park and Port St. Croix on the former Alcoa property by St. Croix Renaissance Park LLP. The development of both these parks must be coordinated with the development of the University of the Virgin Islands' Research and Technology Park. It is quite possible the business strategies of the Commerce and Business Park and the Research and Technology Park would benefit from closer coordination, thus avoiding duplication of efforts and incentives in attracting participating firms.
21. Action Item: Develop E-Commerce Industry
Given the installation of the fiber optic network by Global Crossing and ATT in Frederiksted the opportunity exists to attract industries that depend on this infrastructure. The necessary links must be distributed across the island, yet the existence of the cable landings enhances this opportunity for business creation. Marketing to businesses in data entry and data processing, communications, software design, information service and financial services, including trading operations, must be focused and persistent.
Aggressively seek the development of an E-Commerce industry on St. Croix, and coordinate the development of a sustainable partnership between the University of the Virgin Islands' Research and Technology Park and the V.I. Port Authority's Commerce and Business Park.
The creation of new industries based on this business model will be further enhanced by the start-up of the University of the Virgin Islands' Research and Technology Park which will include: (i) a web-hosting center allowing e-commerce businesses to have a virtual presence; (ii) an incubator facility; and, (iii) a business park segment for knowledge-based companies.
A critical component of establishing this industry will be the enactment of a technology act to address the many issues of electronic law. As president of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce, John de Jongh, assisted in drafting proposed model legislation that was passed by the V.I. Legislature and vetoed by Governor Charles W. Turnbull. The de Jongh Arnold Administration will ensure the passage of this legislation.
22. Action Item: Foster Import Substitution Businesses
The guiding principle here is to assist local manufacturers of goods or providers of services that are currently purchased outside the U.S. Virgin Islands. These goods and services can serve both the resident population and tourists. The goal is to develop businesses, by providing the appropriate level of technical assistance and appropriate financing, which serve the goal of reducing imports. The establishment of businesses within this business model will reduce the cost of historically imported goods and services.
Targeted businesses include:
a. Vegetable, herb, fruit and other produce, aquaculture of fish
b. Locally-produced tourism products and souvenirs
c. Service and decorative products required by the hotels, small inns and businesses
Appoint a working group by July 2003 to develop a strategic plan to create a sustainable agricultural industry, specifically for St. Croix, that will focus on the economics of production, labor, access to capital, utilization of government landholdings, and distribution of products developed.
23. Action Item: Caribbean Market Expansion

Develop an Office of Caribbean Relations with the focus on fostering regional trade relations and economic growth to provide an additional marketing outlet for USVI-produced products.
A Call to Action
None of the goals of
Our Crucian Crusade
can be achieved without strong, competent leadership –
In service to all in the Virgin Islands, the de Jongh Arnold Administration will focus on an affordable housing program, improving health care delivery and accessibility, the long-overdue retroactive obligations due government workers and the unfunded liability of the retirement system. All these areas must be addressed…all these areas will be addressed!
But, when all is said and done, the fate of St. Croix, the future of the Virgin Islands, rests with Virgin Islands VOTERS. This Election, much like the last, will be determined by Crucian voters. It is up to you to choose between the failed practices — the failed politicians — of the past, or a new generation of trained, competent and caring leaders who know how to create real economic opportunity for St. Croix, for Crucians and for all Virgin Islanders.