After sitting vacant for years, the seaplane ramp in Watergut is again bustling with aviation activity.
Monday was the first day that Seaborne Virgin Islands Inc. operated its two aircraft from the renovated site just west of Christiansted. Before the move, the seaplane operation was ticketing, boarding and deplaning its passengers at King’s Alley.
"Ninety percent of the people, if not more, like the new location," Seaborne president Maurice Kurg said. "We still have some improvements to do, but it’s obviously an improvement."
In about two months, Kurg said, the company will begin construction on a permanent hangar and passenger facility by the Watergut ramp. The site was used by Antilles Airboats until Hurricane Hugo in 1989.
In the meantime, the new location means shorter taxi times on the water, which will cut about three minutes from each flight, and convenient parking in two adjacent government lots.
"We’re certainly happy with the move and with passenger reaction," Kurg said. "And people can park right next to the ramp."
Seaborne currently flies 11 to 14 daily round-trips between St. Croix and St. Thomas. Kurg said a Seaborne employee would remain at the King’s Alley ticket booth for a few days to guide passengers to the new facility.

A 29-year-old Grove Place man was charged Monday with possession of 76 grams of crack cocaine after police said he threw a bag containing the substance from his car while trying to flee pursuing officers.
Police said they began pursuing Sylvester Christopher's vehicle after it made an illegal turn in Frederiksted. When officers tried to pull him over, he attempted to flee in the car, according to police, but collided with a squad car as he turned a corner.
After the collision, police said, Christopher tossed something out of a window of his car. At the scene, police found a plastic bag with approximately 76 grams of crack.
Possession of crack with intent to sell it is a violation of federal law. Christopher had his initial appearance in District Court on Monday. He is being held in custody until a detention hearing, which is scheduled for May 3.
Conviction of possession of crack with intent to distribute carries a maximum penalty of 10 years to life in prison and a maximum fine of $4 million.

Lawmakers voted Monday to make it impossible for unclassified or exempt government employees to keep their public payroll positions indefinitely by being converted to classified workers after two years on the job.
On a 13-2 vote Monday, the Senate approved legislation amending the V.I. Code to outlaw the practice, which critics have cited as a principal cause of the bloated government payroll.
As the law now stands, government employees in positions designated by the governor or the Legislature as exempt and unclassified may be recategorized as classified workers after two years and thus keep their jobs in the next administration.
"We are growing the government out of control, and we need to make sure this practice is not abused in the future," Senate President Vargrave Richards said.
The bill now goes to Gov. Charles Turnbull for his signature.
In other action Monday, the Legislature approved a bill asking the U.S. Interior Department to give the V.I. government 4 acres of property in Estate Wintberg on St. Thomas to be used as a public park.
It also passed a bill to amend the V.I. Code regarding the Health Consumer Complaint Review Committee so that "not more than two such members shall be residents of the same island."

Lawmakers voted Monday to make it impossible for unclassified or exempt government employees to keep their public payroll positions indefinitely by being converted to classified workers after two years on the job.
On a 13-2 vote Monday, the Senate approved legislation amending the V.I. Code to outlaw the practice, which critics have cited as a principal cause of the bloated government payroll.
As the law now stands, government employees in positions designated by the governor or the Legislature as exempt and unclassified may be recategorized as classified workers after two years and thus allowed to keep their jobs in the next administration.
"We are growing the government out of control, and we need to make sure this practice is not abused in the future," Senate President Vargrave Richards said.
The bill goes now to Gov. Charles Turnbull for his signature.
In other action Monday, the Legislature approved a bill asking the federal Department of the Interior to give the V.I. government four acres of property in Estate Wintberg on St. Thomas to be used as a public park.
It also passed a bill to amend the V.I. Code regarding the Health Consumer Complaint Review Committee, so that "not more than two such members shall be residents of the same island."

Lawmakers voted Monday to make it impossible for unclassified or exempt government employees to keep their public payroll positions indefinitely by being converted to classified workers after two years on the job.
On a 13-2 vote Monday, the Senate approved legislation amending the V.I. Code to outlaw the practice, which critics have cited as a principal cause of the bloated government payroll.
As the law now stands, government employees in positions designated by the governor or the Legislature as exempt and unclassified may be recategorized as classified workers after two years and thus allowed to keep their jobs in the next administration.
"We are growing the government out of control, and we need to make sure this practice is not abused in the future," Senate President Vargrave Richards said.
The bill goes now to Gov. Charles Turnbull for his signature.
In other action Monday, the Legislature approved a bill asking the federal Department of the Interior to give the V.I. government four acres of property in Estate Wintberg on St. Thomas to be used as a public park.
It also passed a bill to amend the V.I. Code regarding the Health Consumer Complaint Review Committee, so that "not more than two such members shall be residents of the same island."

Gov. Charles Turnbull sacked Health Commissioner Wilbur Callender on Monday for being "insubordinate."
Callender is the second Turnbull Cabinet appointee to get the ax on those grounds — although the first, Michael Bornn, had yet to be confirmed by the Legislature as Tourism commissioner when he was ousted.
According to a Government House release late Monday evening, Callender was "relieved of his duties during a Monday morning meeting with the governor where a number of policy disagreements were being discussed."
The release said that during the meeting, Callender "became insubordinate" and after "repeated warnings" was fired by Turnbull after his conduct didn’t improve. The release did not indicate what the two disagreed on. Efforts to contact Callender Monday night were unsuccessful and the telephone went unanswered at Government House.
The deputy commissioner of Health, Dr. Lucien Moolenaar, will serve as acting commissioner until further notice.
In October, Turnbull withdrew his nomination of Bornn, who was then the acting Tourism commissioner, because, among other things, of Bornn’s public stance against the administration’s $300 million bond issue. At the time, Turnbull said he withdrew his nomination of Bornn because of differences in "operating and management styles." Turnbull said Bornn liked "to go his own way even after repeated admonishments and warnings to do otherwise."
As for Callender, Turnbull wished him well. "I wish to thank Dr. Callender for his service during his tenure . . . and wish him success in his future endeavors," the release quoted the governor as saying.

Gov. Charles Turnbull sacked Health Commissioner Wilbur Callender on Monday for being "insubordinate."
Callender is the second Turnbull Cabinet appointee to get the ax on those grounds — although the first, Michael Bornn, had yet to be confirmed by the Legislature as Tourism commissioner when he was ousted.
According to a Government House release late Monday evening, Callender was "relieved of his duties during a Monday morning meeting with the governor where a number of policy disagreements were being discussed."
The release said that during the meeting, Callender "became insubordinate" and after "repeated warnings" was fired by Turnbull after his "conduct did not improve." The release did not say what the two disagreed on.
Efforts to contact Callender on Monday night were unsuccessful and the telephone went unanswered at Government House.
Turnbull named Dr. Lucien A. Moolenaar, deputy commissioner of Health, to be acting commissioner until further notice.
In October, Turnbull withdrew his nomination of Bornn, who was then the acting Tourism commissioner, because, among other things, of Bornn’s public stance against the administration’s $300 million bond issue. At the time, Turnbull said he withdrew his nomination of Bornn because of differences in "operating and management styles." Turnbull said Bornn liked "to go his own way even after repeated admonishments and warnings to do otherwise."
As for Callender, Turnbull wished him well. "I wish to thank Dr. Callender for his service during his tenure . . . and wish him success in his future endeavors," the release quoted the governor as saying.

In order to give St. John Public Works Department employees time off to enjoy V.I. Carnival on St. Thomas, the Susannaberg solid waste transfer station will have abbreviated hours beginning Wednesday.
The hours of operation Wednesday through Sunday, May 3-7, will be from 7 a.m. to noon, according to a press release from the department.
For emergency assistance on St. John at other times, the public is asked to telephone the Public Works office at 776-6346.

With the V.I. Carnival holidays and leave days looming, the Legislature acted in harmony on the first day of its two-day work week Monday, unanimously approving three of Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's nominees to government panels.
Winning unopposed approval were Eileen Petersen to a second term on the Casino Control Commission; Paulette Rabsatt to the Government Employees Service Commission's Health Insurance Board; and Herbert A.E. Grigg to the V.I. Housing Authority Board of Commissioners.
Petersen, who is retired from the Territorial Court bench on St. Croix, has chaired the Casino Control Commissioner since it began work four years ago. She was the second person named to the panel, after then-Gov. Roy Schneider's son-in-law, Michael Watson, and earns $85,000 in the chairmanship in addition to her $100,000 retirement income.
Six weeks ago, the commission saw the first tangible fruits of its efforts to attract gaming to St. Croix when the Divi Carina Bay Casino opened its doors.
By law, the casino panel members serve five-year terms — and are limited to two such consecutive terms. However, the first three commission members were appointed to shorter, staggered terms. Thus Petersen is about to begin her first full five-year appointment.
Rabsatt, named to the GESC Health Insurance Board, is an accountant From 1992 to 1998, she served as accounting director for the Finance Department.
Grigg , an electrician, was a Housing Authority employee from 1981 to 1990, serving as director of operations, director of management and coordination specialist.
Also Monday, the Legislature approved a 20-year lease to E.D. Plumbing Contractors for government-owned space in Estate Nisky to be used for selling and warehousing plumbing equipment.

An agreement Monday between federal prosecutors and defense attorneys will send an emergency room doctor arrested on drug charges last week off-island for pretrial treatment.
Dr. Armondo Zabala, a physician at St. Croix’s Juan F. Luis Hospital, was arrested Friday on charges of cocaine possession and allegedly obtaining the prescription drugs Xanax and Lorcet through fake prescriptions or by writing prescriptions for individuals who would then give him some or all of the drugs. Zabala was charged with conspiracy to distribute the drugs by fraud and misrepresentation.
At a detention hearing Monday in District Court, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Resnick approved sending Zabala off-island for drug treatment before his as-yet unscheduled trial. Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Hinds and public defender Patricia Schrader-Cooke agreed that Zabala would enter a drug-treatment center within seven days. Zabala would remain in treatment through a trial and sentencing.
Zabala was released on $1,000 bail into the custody of his lawyer, Michael Sanford. After some confusion, it was determined that Zabala would stay with Sanford and his family until the doctor leaves island for treatment.
"It looks like attorney Sanford is providing service above and beyond the call of duty," Resnick said.
The judge ordered Zabala not to use any narcotics, contact any of his co-workers at the hospital or prescribe any medications.
"That would be a serious violation," Resnick said. "If you see (co-workers) on the street, cross the street. You are to stay away from them."
As of Monday evening it was unclear what would happen to Zabala’s license to practice medicine in the territory. Calls to Juan F. Luis Hospital CEO Thomas Robertson were referred to Dr. Claudius Henry, who didn’t return calls Monday. Health Department officials also couldn’t be reached for comment.
The Health Department is the licensing body for doctors in the territory, according to an individual familiar with the local medical community. In cases where physicians have been accused of misconduct, a licensing board will likely hear the allegations in due process procedures to determine whether revocation is warranted.
In some cases, doctors may continue to practice but have their hospital privileges revoked.
A hearing to determine where Zabala will go for treatment is scheduled at 9:30 a.m. Friday in District Court on St. Croix.