March 6, 2002 – Sebastien Majorettes and Marching Band are calling all alumni to the meeting at 6 p.m. Friday, March 8, at the Windward Passage Hotel, Caribbean Room B.
Meetings and rehearsals will be held each Friday until April 19 at 6 p.m. at the Windward Passage Hotel. Rehearsals will also take place from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturdays at Addelita Cancryn Junior High School.
But March 8 is the last date to be measured for uniforms. So, all of you who've ever marched and twirled and danced and trouped up the Carnival parade route – ever since 1957, when the Sebastien Majorettes began – please come out to discuss plans for Carnival's 50th anniversary and reunion.
For more information, call Helen Sebastien at 774-0549 or leave a message at 775-7315.
SEBASTIEN MAJORETTES MARCHING TO CARNIVAL
March 6, 2002 – Sebastien Majorettes and Marching Band are calling all alumni to the meeting at 6 p.m. Friday, March 8, at the Windward Passage Hotel, Caribbean Room B.
Meetings and rehearsals will be held each Friday until April 19 at 6 p.m. at the Windward Passage Hotel. Rehearsals will also take place from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturdays at Addelita Cancryn Junior High School.
But March 8 is the last date to be measured for uniforms. So, all of you who've ever marched and twirled and danced and trouped up the Carnival parade route – ever since 1957, when the Sebastien Majorettes began – please come out to discuss plans for Carnival's 50th anniversary and reunion.
For more information, call Helen Sebastien at 774-0549 or leave a message at 775-7315.
Meetings and rehearsals will be held each Friday until April 19 at 6 p.m. at the Windward Passage Hotel. Rehearsals will also take place from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturdays at Addelita Cancryn Junior High School.
But March 8 is the last date to be measured for uniforms. So, all of you who've ever marched and twirled and danced and trouped up the Carnival parade route – ever since 1957, when the Sebastien Majorettes began – please come out to discuss plans for Carnival's 50th anniversary and reunion.
For more information, call Helen Sebastien at 774-0549 or leave a message at 775-7315.
VILLAGE BOOTH OWNERS TO MEET
Village Booth applications deadline was March 14, and booth recipients were to be notified by telephone and the media on March 16.
A meeting for all booth owners will be held at 5:30 Monday, March 18, at Lockhart Elementary School cafeteria.
A meeting for all booth owners will be held at 5:30 Monday, March 18, at Lockhart Elementary School cafeteria.
ATTENTION: VILLAGE BOOTH APPLICANTS
Village Booth applications are available at the Carnival Committee office. Deadline to submit is March 14, either dropped off or postmarked.
Booth recipients will be notified by telephone and the media on March 16.
A meeting for all booth owners will be held at 5:30 Monday, March 18, at Lockhart Elementary School cafeteria.
Booth recipients will be notified by telephone and the media on March 16.
A meeting for all booth owners will be held at 5:30 Monday, March 18, at Lockhart Elementary School cafeteria.
SECOND FAST FERRY COMPANY PLANS APRIL START-UP
March 6, 2002 – Starting next month, a second high-speed ferry is expected to make the 40-mile run between St. Croix and St. Thomas on a regular schedule.
A small investment group headed by St. Croix resident Chris Elliott will launch Mermaid Fast Ferries in mid-April, becoming the second company to start up inter-island service within five months. Elliott, who owns real estate in downtown Christiansted, said a state-of-the-art, 135-foot, 357-passenger Fjellstrand fast-ferry catamaran has been purchased.
"We've spent a tremendous amount of time traveling around the world looking at designs," he said of the Norwegian-built "Flying Cat." "It's been designed to handle heavy ocean seas, as in the North Sea."
Elliott said the trip between islands on the new ferry will offer more amenities than the competition, including movies, occasional live music, bars and light food service. "I think you will see our vessel is much more like … a cruise ship," he said, adding, "They are going to call us the fun ferry."
The new venture joins Boston Harbor Cruises' V.I. Fast Ferry service, which began providing thrice-daily round trips aboard the Salicia in November. But whereas the Salicia is operating locally only during the winter season, Elliott said Mermaid will operate all year. The plan is to offer three round-trips a day. Fares and schedules have yet to be announced.
"We've been looking for an avenue to help bolster the economy on St. Croix for some time now," Elliott said. He said the company plans to add a second vessel next season and has identified other potential routes. He did not provide specifics.
On Thursday, Passage Maker LLC, the parent company of the local venture Mermaid Fast Ferries, Transportation & Tours, is expected to provide more information about its operations when it appears before the Economic Development Commission to apply for tax benefits. The meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Casino Control Commission hearing room on St. Croix.
A small investment group headed by St. Croix resident Chris Elliott will launch Mermaid Fast Ferries in mid-April, becoming the second company to start up inter-island service within five months. Elliott, who owns real estate in downtown Christiansted, said a state-of-the-art, 135-foot, 357-passenger Fjellstrand fast-ferry catamaran has been purchased.
"We've spent a tremendous amount of time traveling around the world looking at designs," he said of the Norwegian-built "Flying Cat." "It's been designed to handle heavy ocean seas, as in the North Sea."
Elliott said the trip between islands on the new ferry will offer more amenities than the competition, including movies, occasional live music, bars and light food service. "I think you will see our vessel is much more like … a cruise ship," he said, adding, "They are going to call us the fun ferry."
The new venture joins Boston Harbor Cruises' V.I. Fast Ferry service, which began providing thrice-daily round trips aboard the Salicia in November. But whereas the Salicia is operating locally only during the winter season, Elliott said Mermaid will operate all year. The plan is to offer three round-trips a day. Fares and schedules have yet to be announced.
"We've been looking for an avenue to help bolster the economy on St. Croix for some time now," Elliott said. He said the company plans to add a second vessel next season and has identified other potential routes. He did not provide specifics.
On Thursday, Passage Maker LLC, the parent company of the local venture Mermaid Fast Ferries, Transportation & Tours, is expected to provide more information about its operations when it appears before the Economic Development Commission to apply for tax benefits. The meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Casino Control Commission hearing room on St. Croix.
SECOND FAST FERRY COMPANY PLANS APRIL START-UP
March 6, 2002 – Starting next month, a second high-speed ferry is expected to make the 40-mile run between St. Croix and St. Thomas on a regular schedule.
A small investment group headed by St. Croix resident Chris Elliott will launch Mermaid Fast Ferries in mid-April, becoming the second company to start up inter-island service within five months. Elliott, who owns real estate in downtown Christiansted, said a state-of-the-art, 135-foot, 357-passenger Fjellstrand fast-ferry catamaran has been purchased.
"We've spent a tremendous amount of time traveling around the world looking at designs," he said of the Norwegian-built "Flying Cat." "It's been designed to handle heavy ocean seas, as in the North Sea."
Elliott said the trip between islands on the new ferry will offer more amenities than the competition, including movies, occasional live music, bars and light food service. "I think you will see our vessel is much more like … a cruise ship," he said, adding, "They are going to call us the fun ferry."
The new venture joins Boston Harbor Cruises' V.I. Fast Ferry service, which began providing thrice-daily round trips aboard the Salicia in November. But whereas the Salicia is operating locally only during the winter season, Elliott said Mermaid will operate all year. The plan is to offer three round-trips a day. Fares and schedules have yet to be announced.
"We've been looking for an avenue to help bolster the economy on St. Croix for some time now," Elliott said. He said the company plans to add a second vessel next season and has identified other potential routes. He did not provide specifics.
On Thursday, Passage Maker LLC, the parent company of the local venture Mermaid Fast Ferries, Transportation & Tours, is expected to provide more information about its operations when it appears before the Economic Development Commission to apply for tax benefits. The meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Casino Control Commission hearing room on St. Croix.
A small investment group headed by St. Croix resident Chris Elliott will launch Mermaid Fast Ferries in mid-April, becoming the second company to start up inter-island service within five months. Elliott, who owns real estate in downtown Christiansted, said a state-of-the-art, 135-foot, 357-passenger Fjellstrand fast-ferry catamaran has been purchased.
"We've spent a tremendous amount of time traveling around the world looking at designs," he said of the Norwegian-built "Flying Cat." "It's been designed to handle heavy ocean seas, as in the North Sea."
Elliott said the trip between islands on the new ferry will offer more amenities than the competition, including movies, occasional live music, bars and light food service. "I think you will see our vessel is much more like … a cruise ship," he said, adding, "They are going to call us the fun ferry."
The new venture joins Boston Harbor Cruises' V.I. Fast Ferry service, which began providing thrice-daily round trips aboard the Salicia in November. But whereas the Salicia is operating locally only during the winter season, Elliott said Mermaid will operate all year. The plan is to offer three round-trips a day. Fares and schedules have yet to be announced.
"We've been looking for an avenue to help bolster the economy on St. Croix for some time now," Elliott said. He said the company plans to add a second vessel next season and has identified other potential routes. He did not provide specifics.
On Thursday, Passage Maker LLC, the parent company of the local venture Mermaid Fast Ferries, Transportation & Tours, is expected to provide more information about its operations when it appears before the Economic Development Commission to apply for tax benefits. The meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m. at the Casino Control Commission hearing room on St. Croix.
LOVE, WAR, AUTHOR'S PASSION MAKE FOR A WINNER
Across Open Ground
Heather Parkinson
Bloomsbury, 248 pp. $23.95
This is a love story set in 1917, in the shadow of The Great War as it darkened the whole world. Teen-agers Trina and Walter fall in love in the flash of an eye, and the overwhelming immensity of their feeling for each other frightens them almost as much as it enraptures them.
As their love affair unfolds, we become aware of another one: the author's passion for the splendor of the state of Idaho. Her ability to bring its natural beauty before us, like a huge painting in which the brook makes its water sounds and the wind hurries the snow along, is breathtaking.
We find ourselves reading more slowly, savoring every word as the colors and shapes form before us. Quite often a reader tends to skip descriptive passages, wanting to "get on" with the narrative, the "action." Here, Heather Parkinson brings the scenery of the countryside to life so vividly that it rivals that of the living characters.
She reveals her characters' most intimate lives, and yet their privacy is never invaded. We come to care about them and warmly understand their struggle simply to find a way to be together. The villains, those dark forces present in every saga, are repulsive, and their threat hovers eerily over the story.
A boy goes off to war and, more than a year later, a hardened man returns. He can't be sure his love will be waiting for him; his vision of her seemed so distant in his brutal world wherein men were torn apart by shell fire as he dodged and tried to save himself and any others of his company that he could. Walter's love for his country springs from his heart; he accepts leaving Trina and his beloved mountains to go fight in the mud of the French trenches as his duty. In this present time of patriotism, it's heartening to see it portrayed just as strongly all those years ago.
Parkinson's luminous prose reminds us again and again how restorative nature is, how every morning the mountains and trees appear all new and fresh. The fact that these words can so stir our emotions owes its magic to the towering talent of a writer and her first novel. What an achievement.
"Across Open Ground" is available at Dockside Bookshop in Havensight Mall on St. Thomas. To check out other Dockside favorites, click here.
Heather Parkinson
Bloomsbury, 248 pp. $23.95
This is a love story set in 1917, in the shadow of The Great War as it darkened the whole world. Teen-agers Trina and Walter fall in love in the flash of an eye, and the overwhelming immensity of their feeling for each other frightens them almost as much as it enraptures them.
As their love affair unfolds, we become aware of another one: the author's passion for the splendor of the state of Idaho. Her ability to bring its natural beauty before us, like a huge painting in which the brook makes its water sounds and the wind hurries the snow along, is breathtaking.
We find ourselves reading more slowly, savoring every word as the colors and shapes form before us. Quite often a reader tends to skip descriptive passages, wanting to "get on" with the narrative, the "action." Here, Heather Parkinson brings the scenery of the countryside to life so vividly that it rivals that of the living characters.
She reveals her characters' most intimate lives, and yet their privacy is never invaded. We come to care about them and warmly understand their struggle simply to find a way to be together. The villains, those dark forces present in every saga, are repulsive, and their threat hovers eerily over the story.
A boy goes off to war and, more than a year later, a hardened man returns. He can't be sure his love will be waiting for him; his vision of her seemed so distant in his brutal world wherein men were torn apart by shell fire as he dodged and tried to save himself and any others of his company that he could. Walter's love for his country springs from his heart; he accepts leaving Trina and his beloved mountains to go fight in the mud of the French trenches as his duty. In this present time of patriotism, it's heartening to see it portrayed just as strongly all those years ago.
Parkinson's luminous prose reminds us again and again how restorative nature is, how every morning the mountains and trees appear all new and fresh. The fact that these words can so stir our emotions owes its magic to the towering talent of a writer and her first novel. What an achievement.
"Across Open Ground" is available at Dockside Bookshop in Havensight Mall on St. Thomas. To check out other Dockside favorites, click here.
PISTARCKLE SPREADS 'RUMORS' THROUGHOUT MARCH
March 5, 2002 – "Rumors," the current Pistarckle Theater production, is a Neil Simon slapstick comedy that quickly became a box-office hit after opening in New York in 1988, with theatre critic Clive Barnes pronouncing it a "maze of mendacity" that is "light, frothy and fun."
It's lies, to use a shorter word than "mendacity," that "Rumors" is all about.
"We did the play because it is a farce," Pistarckle producer Nicola Emerich says, and because it's "a very good Neil Simon — he sells." Also, she adds, "The theme of marriage and friendship under stress is universal."
Simon has been certifiably boffo at the box office for decades, collecting four Tonys, two Emmys, a Screen Writers Guild award and a Pulitzer Prize along the way. "Rumors" was a reversion to light comedy for the playwright, whose preceding hits in the 1980s had been serious autobiographical plays — "Brighton Beach Memoirs," "Biloxi Blues," "Broadway Bound."
The building blocks of the "Rumors" plot are one outrageous untruth piled upon another, precipitating, in domino effect, one hilarious disaster after another. A departure for Simon is that the play is focused on upper-class society.
It opens at the townhouse of the deputy mayor of New York and his wife, who are celebrating their 10th anniversary and have invited four other couples for dinner. However, the host has apparently overdosed on tranquilizers and attempted suicide, managing only to shoot his earlobe. The hostess, meanwhile, is missing. Each arriving couple gets a different story about what has happened, and group dynamics mix things up even more. Eventually, the police arrive, but that by no means clears everything up.
Adding icing on the Simon cake for St. Thomas, Emerich says, Pistarckle is blessed with a talent pool of "excellent actors — Janet Mescus, Scottie Brower, and company — who can handle the material." Brower also had leading roles in the company's earlier productions this season, "The Complete Works of Willialm Shakespeare (abridged)" and "You Can't Take It With You."
In the Pistarckle production, Brower is cast as Ken Gorman, and Mescus is his wife, Chris Gorman. Chip Brookes and Rose Jensen play Lenny and Claire Ganz, respectively. Bill Mahoney and Dena Benson portray Ernie and Cookie Cusack. And Randall Doty and Tina Patel are Glenn and Cassie Cooper. Trey Davis and Mo Stanton have the roles of police officers.
Behind the scenes, Jonn Jorgensen is directing the production, with Stanton doing double duty as stage manager. Don Chandler's in charge of the sound and lighting, with Liz Puhlman assisting. Pam Sullivan designed the set.
The play's official opening was last Saturday. Still to come are performances this Thursday, Friday and Saturday and those of the next two weeks — March 14-16 and 21-23. Curtain time is 8 p.m.
Tickets are $15 in advance and $19 at the door for general admission. There are reduced rates of $10 for students, $5 each for students in groups of 10 or more, and $12 for school teachers and staff. Outlets are the American Yacht Harbor office, Bumpa's on the Waterfront, the Draughting Shaft, East End Secretarial Services, Flagship, Marina Market and Tillett Gallery. For charge card purchases, call the Pistarckle office at 775-7877.
It's lies, to use a shorter word than "mendacity," that "Rumors" is all about.
"We did the play because it is a farce," Pistarckle producer Nicola Emerich says, and because it's "a very good Neil Simon — he sells." Also, she adds, "The theme of marriage and friendship under stress is universal."
Simon has been certifiably boffo at the box office for decades, collecting four Tonys, two Emmys, a Screen Writers Guild award and a Pulitzer Prize along the way. "Rumors" was a reversion to light comedy for the playwright, whose preceding hits in the 1980s had been serious autobiographical plays — "Brighton Beach Memoirs," "Biloxi Blues," "Broadway Bound."
The building blocks of the "Rumors" plot are one outrageous untruth piled upon another, precipitating, in domino effect, one hilarious disaster after another. A departure for Simon is that the play is focused on upper-class society.
It opens at the townhouse of the deputy mayor of New York and his wife, who are celebrating their 10th anniversary and have invited four other couples for dinner. However, the host has apparently overdosed on tranquilizers and attempted suicide, managing only to shoot his earlobe. The hostess, meanwhile, is missing. Each arriving couple gets a different story about what has happened, and group dynamics mix things up even more. Eventually, the police arrive, but that by no means clears everything up.
Adding icing on the Simon cake for St. Thomas, Emerich says, Pistarckle is blessed with a talent pool of "excellent actors — Janet Mescus, Scottie Brower, and company — who can handle the material." Brower also had leading roles in the company's earlier productions this season, "The Complete Works of Willialm Shakespeare (abridged)" and "You Can't Take It With You."
In the Pistarckle production, Brower is cast as Ken Gorman, and Mescus is his wife, Chris Gorman. Chip Brookes and Rose Jensen play Lenny and Claire Ganz, respectively. Bill Mahoney and Dena Benson portray Ernie and Cookie Cusack. And Randall Doty and Tina Patel are Glenn and Cassie Cooper. Trey Davis and Mo Stanton have the roles of police officers.
Behind the scenes, Jonn Jorgensen is directing the production, with Stanton doing double duty as stage manager. Don Chandler's in charge of the sound and lighting, with Liz Puhlman assisting. Pam Sullivan designed the set.
The play's official opening was last Saturday. Still to come are performances this Thursday, Friday and Saturday and those of the next two weeks — March 14-16 and 21-23. Curtain time is 8 p.m.
Tickets are $15 in advance and $19 at the door for general admission. There are reduced rates of $10 for students, $5 each for students in groups of 10 or more, and $12 for school teachers and staff. Outlets are the American Yacht Harbor office, Bumpa's on the Waterfront, the Draughting Shaft, East End Secretarial Services, Flagship, Marina Market and Tillett Gallery. For charge card purchases, call the Pistarckle office at 775-7877.
ALTERNATIVES TO ANGUILLA STILL UP IN THE AIR
March 5, 2002 – "Not in my backyard" was the attitude affirmed by nodding heads as the Senate Planning and Environmental Protection Committee addressed alternatives to comply with a federal order to cease dumping more than 300 tons of garbage daily at the Anguilla landfill by Dec. 31.
Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole, the committee chair, warned that the government is facing "Hurricane Anguilla" as debate rages on finding a feasible alternative solid-waste disposal site as the deadline, announced nearly three years ago by the Federal Aviation Administration, looms.
The committee's meeting on St. Croix Monday was to hear reports on Public Works Department progress toward meeting the FAA deadline.
The Anguilla landfill is located directly southeast of Henry E. Rohlsen Airport. According to the FAA, three species of birds that scavenge at the dump pose the threat of coming in contact with aircraft engines while planes are taking off and landing. Also, the FAA says, smoke from periodic fires at the dump are another aviation hazard.
Meanwhile, the federal Environmental Protection Agency is levying fines against the government daily because of the landfill situation, and the need to find another treatment site on St. Croix is heading smack into a legal collision, Sen. Carlton Dowe said. "No matter what site you select, someone is going to scream," he said.
The Turnbull administration and the Port Authority signed an agreement with the EPA last August to clean up the Anguilla landfill.
John Green, senior solid-waste coordinator, described a timeline which began Thursday with circulation of a request for proposals. Site visits are scheduled on March 15, and the deadline for submitting proposals is March 29. "The only concern is the construction phase," he said, because "we will be moving into the hurricane season and rainy season."
The alternative solid-waste treatment technology suggested in the Public Works request for proposals is the "wrap and bail" technique proposed by the governor last November. (See "Interim waste option: Shrink and wrap it".) The process involves separating composting and recycling matter, then baling and storing the waste at a temporary on-site structure for later disposal.
On April 19, a five-member team will begin reviewing the proposals submitted. The main criteria are that the bidder be a local contractor, meet EPA requirements, be able to work speedily to complete the project and submit a bid between $8 million and $14 million for construction of the temporary waste-storage facility and its maintenance over the next five years.
Green said he has visited manufacturers of the equipment contractors will need to treat the waste. He said it could take six to eight weeks to get the equipment fabricated according to the project specifications.
The Turnbull administration wanted to proceed with a proposal submitted to the government last year by Caribe Waste Technologies to build and operate a gasification plant on St. Croix that would process all of the territory's solid waste. Gov. Charles W. Turnbull offered the "wrap and bail" idea after the CWT plan ran into opposition by the Water and Power Authority, which declined to agree to purchase the byproduct electricity the process would produce.
Location, location, location
"Do you have a contingency plan in the event we don't meet this deadline?" — as laid out by Green — Cole asked. Nelthropp replied, "There is no other approved site unless we barge to St. Thomas."
"St. Thomas!" Cole exclaimed in a "not-in-my-backyard" tone of voice.
Arriving late for the hearing, Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen told colleagues she had been at a meeting with area residents and lawyers about health concerns over the airborne red dust that was a byproduct of the now-closed St. Croix Alumina plant. She asked about possible alternatives to the Anguilla site for St. Croix's waste. "I am going to concentrate fully on the location of the site," she said.
Two locations have been proposed:
– 129 acres in Estate Jealousy, now farmland, north of the Agriculture Department headquarters and adjacent to the Castle Burke, Upper Love and Calquohoun communities and the Educational Complex.
– The old Hurricane Hugo debris site in Estate Body Slob across from the Friedensberg housing community, next to the new fish and produce markets and northeast of Central High School.
"You-all can only come up with sites in 'humble communities,'" Hansen protested.
She asked if an analysis had been done of the effects of other industries on the public in nearby areas. She said a lawsuit brought against the alumina company detailed cases of rash, asthma and skin lesions in neighborhoods as far from the plant as Estate William's Delight in the west and Ruby/Queens Quarter in the east. "We continue to abuse small people we think don't have the tools to go against the toughest firms," she said.
Hansen told her colleagues that she is ready to take on the challenge, so they need to make sure that they involve the community in their decisions.
In a Feb. 19 letter to Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Dean Plaskett, Cole asked that the department "come prepared to discuss what strategies are in place to handle the approaching deadlines."
On Monday, Hollis Griffin, director of PNR's Division of Environmental Protection, stated that "the Anguilla facility by virtue of its age does not meet the standards prescribed by federal law for operation of a solid-waste disposal facility."
The government is under an EPA administrative order concerning both the Anguilla facility and the Bovoni landfill on St. Thomas. "Those facilities were never true landfills as defined by federal law," Griffin said. Both were in operation before the V.I. Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Act was enacted in 1978, he said.
Turnbull approved an amendment to the V.I. Code in January which requires public notice and full participation in the territory's solid-waste permitting process. During testimony Monday, Sonya Nelthropp, manager of the Public Works federal compliance program, thanked the Senate for forums such as the hearing that allow the public to be aware of the issues affecting the community. "It … saves money for our department," she said.
The committee urged the administration officials to move forward quickly with a public information program to help in meeting the FAA deadline.
Facing the Dec. 31 deadline by which to get an operational alternative in place, "It seems that if the impetus is not coming from this body, this project will not go forward," Sen. Emmett Hansen II said.
Port Authority worried about liability
Gordon Finch, executive director of the Port Authority, which manages the airport, detailed his concerns to the Senators about possible liability if a airplane crash ever occurs as a result of the birds and fires at the dump.
Cole asked Finch about possible alternatives if the Dec. 31 deadline is not met. "As executive director of the authority, I get served with complaints on a weekly and monthly basis," Finch said. "A lawyer makes sure that every possible contributor will be cited." He said the Port Authority, the Public Works Department and the FAA could all be named as defendants in a lawsuit.
Finch has said previously that the FAA has the authority to decertify the runway and close the St. Croix airport if the deadline isn't met. (See report of the March 2001 Port Authority board meeting, "V.I. to lose millions if FAA deadline missed".)
At the end of the five-hour session, there was consensus on two things: That the solid-waste management issue is a t ime bomb of health and environmental concerns, and that the success of the project to find an Anguilla alternative hinges on public involvement in all aspects of the planning.
The V.I. government has known of the federal government's concern since May 1999. "I'm a little distressed about the whole thing," Sen. Roosevelt David said Monday.
Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole, the committee chair, warned that the government is facing "Hurricane Anguilla" as debate rages on finding a feasible alternative solid-waste disposal site as the deadline, announced nearly three years ago by the Federal Aviation Administration, looms.
The committee's meeting on St. Croix Monday was to hear reports on Public Works Department progress toward meeting the FAA deadline.
The Anguilla landfill is located directly southeast of Henry E. Rohlsen Airport. According to the FAA, three species of birds that scavenge at the dump pose the threat of coming in contact with aircraft engines while planes are taking off and landing. Also, the FAA says, smoke from periodic fires at the dump are another aviation hazard.
Meanwhile, the federal Environmental Protection Agency is levying fines against the government daily because of the landfill situation, and the need to find another treatment site on St. Croix is heading smack into a legal collision, Sen. Carlton Dowe said. "No matter what site you select, someone is going to scream," he said.
The Turnbull administration and the Port Authority signed an agreement with the EPA last August to clean up the Anguilla landfill.
John Green, senior solid-waste coordinator, described a timeline which began Thursday with circulation of a request for proposals. Site visits are scheduled on March 15, and the deadline for submitting proposals is March 29. "The only concern is the construction phase," he said, because "we will be moving into the hurricane season and rainy season."
The alternative solid-waste treatment technology suggested in the Public Works request for proposals is the "wrap and bail" technique proposed by the governor last November. (See "Interim waste option: Shrink and wrap it".) The process involves separating composting and recycling matter, then baling and storing the waste at a temporary on-site structure for later disposal.
On April 19, a five-member team will begin reviewing the proposals submitted. The main criteria are that the bidder be a local contractor, meet EPA requirements, be able to work speedily to complete the project and submit a bid between $8 million and $14 million for construction of the temporary waste-storage facility and its maintenance over the next five years.
Green said he has visited manufacturers of the equipment contractors will need to treat the waste. He said it could take six to eight weeks to get the equipment fabricated according to the project specifications.
The Turnbull administration wanted to proceed with a proposal submitted to the government last year by Caribe Waste Technologies to build and operate a gasification plant on St. Croix that would process all of the territory's solid waste. Gov. Charles W. Turnbull offered the "wrap and bail" idea after the CWT plan ran into opposition by the Water and Power Authority, which declined to agree to purchase the byproduct electricity the process would produce.
Location, location, location
"Do you have a contingency plan in the event we don't meet this deadline?" — as laid out by Green — Cole asked. Nelthropp replied, "There is no other approved site unless we barge to St. Thomas."
"St. Thomas!" Cole exclaimed in a "not-in-my-backyard" tone of voice.
Arriving late for the hearing, Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen told colleagues she had been at a meeting with area residents and lawyers about health concerns over the airborne red dust that was a byproduct of the now-closed St. Croix Alumina plant. She asked about possible alternatives to the Anguilla site for St. Croix's waste. "I am going to concentrate fully on the location of the site," she said.
Two locations have been proposed:
– 129 acres in Estate Jealousy, now farmland, north of the Agriculture Department headquarters and adjacent to the Castle Burke, Upper Love and Calquohoun communities and the Educational Complex.
– The old Hurricane Hugo debris site in Estate Body Slob across from the Friedensberg housing community, next to the new fish and produce markets and northeast of Central High School.
"You-all can only come up with sites in 'humble communities,'" Hansen protested.
She asked if an analysis had been done of the effects of other industries on the public in nearby areas. She said a lawsuit brought against the alumina company detailed cases of rash, asthma and skin lesions in neighborhoods as far from the plant as Estate William's Delight in the west and Ruby/Queens Quarter in the east. "We continue to abuse small people we think don't have the tools to go against the toughest firms," she said.
Hansen told her colleagues that she is ready to take on the challenge, so they need to make sure that they involve the community in their decisions.
In a Feb. 19 letter to Planning and Natural Resources Commissioner Dean Plaskett, Cole asked that the department "come prepared to discuss what strategies are in place to handle the approaching deadlines."
On Monday, Hollis Griffin, director of PNR's Division of Environmental Protection, stated that "the Anguilla facility by virtue of its age does not meet the standards prescribed by federal law for operation of a solid-waste disposal facility."
The government is under an EPA administrative order concerning both the Anguilla facility and the Bovoni landfill on St. Thomas. "Those facilities were never true landfills as defined by federal law," Griffin said. Both were in operation before the V.I. Solid and Hazardous Waste Management Act was enacted in 1978, he said.
Turnbull approved an amendment to the V.I. Code in January which requires public notice and full participation in the territory's solid-waste permitting process. During testimony Monday, Sonya Nelthropp, manager of the Public Works federal compliance program, thanked the Senate for forums such as the hearing that allow the public to be aware of the issues affecting the community. "It … saves money for our department," she said.
The committee urged the administration officials to move forward quickly with a public information program to help in meeting the FAA deadline.
Facing the Dec. 31 deadline by which to get an operational alternative in place, "It seems that if the impetus is not coming from this body, this project will not go forward," Sen. Emmett Hansen II said.
Port Authority worried about liability
Gordon Finch, executive director of the Port Authority, which manages the airport, detailed his concerns to the Senators about possible liability if a airplane crash ever occurs as a result of the birds and fires at the dump.
Cole asked Finch about possible alternatives if the Dec. 31 deadline is not met. "As executive director of the authority, I get served with complaints on a weekly and monthly basis," Finch said. "A lawyer makes sure that every possible contributor will be cited." He said the Port Authority, the Public Works Department and the FAA could all be named as defendants in a lawsuit.
Finch has said previously that the FAA has the authority to decertify the runway and close the St. Croix airport if the deadline isn't met. (See report of the March 2001 Port Authority board meeting, "V.I. to lose millions if FAA deadline missed".)
At the end of the five-hour session, there was consensus on two things: That the solid-waste management issue is a t ime bomb of health and environmental concerns, and that the success of the project to find an Anguilla alternative hinges on public involvement in all aspects of the planning.
The V.I. government has known of the federal government's concern since May 1999. "I'm a little distressed about the whole thing," Sen. Roosevelt David said Monday.
CHRISTIAN SAYS POLICE NOW HAVE ACCOUNTABILITY
March 5, 2002 – Police Commissioner Franz Christian says many of the problems noted in a federal government audit report on the administrative functions of his department have been, or are being, corrected.
Christian's comments followed media reports on an Interior Department audit that was critical of certain Police Department operations. (See "Audit reveals same problems, different years".)
Among other things, the audit repord said that firearms issued to police officers were unaccounted for and that four of the missing weapons were recovered after being used in the commission of crimes.
Christian said the Police Department is reorganizing the way it accounts for such equipment. "We are reconstructing the property room and establishing a system to track such items as police handguns," he said.
He said corrective measures were implemented as soon as the auditors found weaknesses in the system. He also said that while he welcomed the federal audit, he believes it should have noted "the positive things the department is doing to correct the problems."
According to the report, the audit found instances where police officers had left the force without turning in their weapons, badges and other equipment.
Christian said there is now a procedure for recovering equipment when officers leave the force. "The individual starts at the zone, goes to the chief's office, then goes to Property and Supply and turns in all equipment," he said. "As the equipment is turned in, he receives a receipt for the item returned." At either the chief's office or the commissioner's office, officials sign off as having received the items from the officer parting with the department.
Now, he said, "We have a clear record of what has been issued and what is returned when an officer leaves his employment with the agency."
Christian admitted there have been problems with the system but said the situation is greatly improved. "It is much better than it was before," he said, "although there is always room for improvement." He said he wanted to assure the community that corrective measures are in place to avoid a repeat of the audit findings.
The Interior Department audit covered a period that preceded the current police administration. Christian said it has been the responsibility of the current team to set matters straight.
Christian's comments followed media reports on an Interior Department audit that was critical of certain Police Department operations. (See "Audit reveals same problems, different years".)
Among other things, the audit repord said that firearms issued to police officers were unaccounted for and that four of the missing weapons were recovered after being used in the commission of crimes.
Christian said the Police Department is reorganizing the way it accounts for such equipment. "We are reconstructing the property room and establishing a system to track such items as police handguns," he said.
He said corrective measures were implemented as soon as the auditors found weaknesses in the system. He also said that while he welcomed the federal audit, he believes it should have noted "the positive things the department is doing to correct the problems."
According to the report, the audit found instances where police officers had left the force without turning in their weapons, badges and other equipment.
Christian said there is now a procedure for recovering equipment when officers leave the force. "The individual starts at the zone, goes to the chief's office, then goes to Property and Supply and turns in all equipment," he said. "As the equipment is turned in, he receives a receipt for the item returned." At either the chief's office or the commissioner's office, officials sign off as having received the items from the officer parting with the department.
Now, he said, "We have a clear record of what has been issued and what is returned when an officer leaves his employment with the agency."
Christian admitted there have been problems with the system but said the situation is greatly improved. "It is much better than it was before," he said, "although there is always room for improvement." He said he wanted to assure the community that corrective measures are in place to avoid a repeat of the audit findings.
The Interior Department audit covered a period that preceded the current police administration. Christian said it has been the responsibility of the current team to set matters straight.
