All children interested in learning to play baseball are urged to come out and sign up at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 6, at Winston Wells Ballpark.
Bring a parent so you can get registered for this learning experience.
Contact Carla Challenger or Loren Abramson at 776-6285 for more information.
TOURISM BUDGET DOWN AND UP
Aug. 24, 2001 – Despite an increase of more than $4 million in the 2001 advertising budget over the previous year, Pamela Richards, Tourism commissioner, expressed disappointment Friday at the proposed decrease in the department's operating budget for the coming fiscal year.
The 2002 operating budget proposed by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull is $3.1 million, down from $3.4 million for 2001.
The department's operating budget is separate from its advertising and promotion budget, which has its own funding source, the Tourism Advertising Revolving Fund.
However, Richards said she expected Turnbull to consider giving her a supplemental appropriation to help run what many feel is the government's most important agency. Tourism is the Virgin Islands' major revenue producer.
The Revolving Fund, which is financed solely by the 8 percent tax placed on all hotel rooms in the territory, cannot be used for operating costs. The $995,000 annual retainer paid to Ogilvy & Mather, the territory's advertising agency, comes out of the fund.
After her testimony before the Senate Finance Committee Friday, Richards was offered advice by several senators on how to improve the territory's tourism product.
The committee chair, Alicia "Chucky" Hansen, said more than advertising is needed.
"We need to develop activities for the tourists when they come to these islands," she said. "We have to make sure those who come have such a wonderful experience that they would recommend the territory for their family and friends to visit."
Hansen made the news a few years ago when she stormed the Cormorant Beach Hotel on St. Croix, pulling a tablecloth off the table of tourists who were having breakfast -– over what Hansen thought were unfair labor practices at the hotel, which was under new management at the time.
Sens. Donald "Ducks" Cole and Douglas Canton agreed that more activities, especially in the off-season months, would stimulate tourism.
Richards said that Warner Brothers On-line had expressed interest in holding two concerts in the Virgin Islands, one in July and one in October. However, she said, those would not be government-supported events; private businesses would need to develop them.
Hansen was critical of how the off-island Tourism offices — which account for about one-third of the Tourism operating budget, $273,958 per year in rent alone — are being operated. She said in the case of the New York City office, located on the sixth floor of a building near Rockefeller Center, there is no visibility.
She suggested the office should be moved back to the ground level at Rockefeller Center where it used to be. Richards said that would cost three times what is being paid now in rent, which is $101,412 a year.
Hansen also suggested resurrecting the St. Croix Jazz Festival, which she said she was instrumental in starting, saying it would improve St. Croix's tourism product.
Richards told the senators that the new Tourism web site, which cost $702,000, is up and running at www.usvitourism.vi and is receiving 25,000 "hits" per day. The site has come under criticism due to what some web experts feel is the exorbitant price paid for its design, nearly two years in the making.
The Tourism hearing had been scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday but was moved to the afternoon at Richards' request because she was scheduled to fly to San Francisco later Friday on Port Authority business. By law, the Tourism commissioner chairs the Port Authority Board.
Committee members present at Friday afternoon's hearing in addition to Hansen, Canton and Cole were Sens. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, Carlton Dowe and Norma Pickard-Samuel. Absent was Sen. Norman Jn. Baptiste. Also present were Sens. Emmett Hansen II and David Jones, who are not committee members.
The 2002 operating budget proposed by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull is $3.1 million, down from $3.4 million for 2001.
The department's operating budget is separate from its advertising and promotion budget, which has its own funding source, the Tourism Advertising Revolving Fund.
However, Richards said she expected Turnbull to consider giving her a supplemental appropriation to help run what many feel is the government's most important agency. Tourism is the Virgin Islands' major revenue producer.
The Revolving Fund, which is financed solely by the 8 percent tax placed on all hotel rooms in the territory, cannot be used for operating costs. The $995,000 annual retainer paid to Ogilvy & Mather, the territory's advertising agency, comes out of the fund.
After her testimony before the Senate Finance Committee Friday, Richards was offered advice by several senators on how to improve the territory's tourism product.
The committee chair, Alicia "Chucky" Hansen, said more than advertising is needed.
"We need to develop activities for the tourists when they come to these islands," she said. "We have to make sure those who come have such a wonderful experience that they would recommend the territory for their family and friends to visit."
Hansen made the news a few years ago when she stormed the Cormorant Beach Hotel on St. Croix, pulling a tablecloth off the table of tourists who were having breakfast -– over what Hansen thought were unfair labor practices at the hotel, which was under new management at the time.
Sens. Donald "Ducks" Cole and Douglas Canton agreed that more activities, especially in the off-season months, would stimulate tourism.
Richards said that Warner Brothers On-line had expressed interest in holding two concerts in the Virgin Islands, one in July and one in October. However, she said, those would not be government-supported events; private businesses would need to develop them.
Hansen was critical of how the off-island Tourism offices — which account for about one-third of the Tourism operating budget, $273,958 per year in rent alone — are being operated. She said in the case of the New York City office, located on the sixth floor of a building near Rockefeller Center, there is no visibility.
She suggested the office should be moved back to the ground level at Rockefeller Center where it used to be. Richards said that would cost three times what is being paid now in rent, which is $101,412 a year.
Hansen also suggested resurrecting the St. Croix Jazz Festival, which she said she was instrumental in starting, saying it would improve St. Croix's tourism product.
Richards told the senators that the new Tourism web site, which cost $702,000, is up and running at www.usvitourism.vi and is receiving 25,000 "hits" per day. The site has come under criticism due to what some web experts feel is the exorbitant price paid for its design, nearly two years in the making.
The Tourism hearing had been scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday but was moved to the afternoon at Richards' request because she was scheduled to fly to San Francisco later Friday on Port Authority business. By law, the Tourism commissioner chairs the Port Authority Board.
Committee members present at Friday afternoon's hearing in addition to Hansen, Canton and Cole were Sens. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, Carlton Dowe and Norma Pickard-Samuel. Absent was Sen. Norman Jn. Baptiste. Also present were Sens. Emmett Hansen II and David Jones, who are not committee members.
TOURISM BUDGET DOWN AND UP
Aug. 24, 2001 – Despite an increase of more than $4 million in the 2001 advertising budget over the previous year, Pamela Richards, Tourism commissioner, expressed disappointment Friday at the proposed decrease in the department's operating budget for the coming fiscal year.
The 2002 operating budget proposed by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull is $3.1 million, down from $3.4 million for 2001.
The department's operating budget is separate from its advertising and promotion budget, which has its own funding source, the Tourism Advertising Revolving Fund.
However, Richards said she expected Turnbull to consider giving her a supplemental appropriation to help run what many feel is the government's most important agency. Tourism is the Virgin Islands' major revenue producer.
The Revolving Fund, which is financed solely by the 8 percent tax placed on all hotel rooms in the territory, cannot be used for operating costs. The $995,000 annual retainer paid to Ogilvy & Mather, the territory's advertising agency, comes out of the fund.
After her testimony before the Senate Finance Committee Friday, Richards was offered advice by several senators on how to improve the territory's tourism product.
The committee chair, Alicia "Chucky" Hansen, said more than advertising is needed.
"We need to develop activities for the tourists when they come to these islands," she said. "We have to make sure those who come have such a wonderful experience that they would recommend the territory for their family and friends to visit."
Hansen made the news a few years ago when she stormed the Cormorant Beach Hotel on St. Croix, pulling a tablecloth off the table of tourists who were having breakfast -– over what Hansen thought were unfair labor practices at the hotel, which was under new management at the time.
Sens. Donald "Ducks" Cole and Douglas Canton agreed that more activities, especially in the off-season months, would stimulate tourism.
Richards said that Warner Brothers On-line had expressed interest in holding two concerts in the Virgin Islands, one in July and one in October. However, she said, those would not be government-supported events; private businesses would need to develop them.
Hansen was critical of how the off-island Tourism offices — which account for about one-third of the Tourism operating budget, $273,958 per year in rent alone — are being operated. She said in the case of the New York City office, located on the sixth floor of a building near Rockefeller Center, there is no visibility.
She suggested the office should be moved back to the ground level at Rockefeller Center where it used to be. Richards said that would cost three times what is being paid now in rent, which is $101,412 a year.
Hansen also suggested resurrecting the St. Croix Jazz Festival, which she said she was instrumental in starting, saying it would improve St. Croix's tourism product.
Richards told the senators that the new Tourism web site, which cost $702,000, is up and running at www.usvitourism.vi and is receiving 25,000 "hits" per day. The site has come under criticism due to what some web experts feel is the exorbitant price paid for its design, nearly two years in the making.
The Tourism hearing had been scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday but was moved to the afternoon at Richards' request because she was scheduled to fly to San Francisco later Friday on Port Authority business. By law, the Tourism commissioner chairs the Port Authority Board.
Committee members present at Friday afternoon's hearing in addition to Hansen, Canton and Cole were Sens. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, Carlton Dowe and Norma Pickard-Samuel. Absent was Sen. Norman Jn. Baptiste. Also present were Sens. Emmett Hansen II and David Jones, who are not committee members.
The 2002 operating budget proposed by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull is $3.1 million, down from $3.4 million for 2001.
The department's operating budget is separate from its advertising and promotion budget, which has its own funding source, the Tourism Advertising Revolving Fund.
However, Richards said she expected Turnbull to consider giving her a supplemental appropriation to help run what many feel is the government's most important agency. Tourism is the Virgin Islands' major revenue producer.
The Revolving Fund, which is financed solely by the 8 percent tax placed on all hotel rooms in the territory, cannot be used for operating costs. The $995,000 annual retainer paid to Ogilvy & Mather, the territory's advertising agency, comes out of the fund.
After her testimony before the Senate Finance Committee Friday, Richards was offered advice by several senators on how to improve the territory's tourism product.
The committee chair, Alicia "Chucky" Hansen, said more than advertising is needed.
"We need to develop activities for the tourists when they come to these islands," she said. "We have to make sure those who come have such a wonderful experience that they would recommend the territory for their family and friends to visit."
Hansen made the news a few years ago when she stormed the Cormorant Beach Hotel on St. Croix, pulling a tablecloth off the table of tourists who were having breakfast -– over what Hansen thought were unfair labor practices at the hotel, which was under new management at the time.
Sens. Donald "Ducks" Cole and Douglas Canton agreed that more activities, especially in the off-season months, would stimulate tourism.
Richards said that Warner Brothers On-line had expressed interest in holding two concerts in the Virgin Islands, one in July and one in October. However, she said, those would not be government-supported events; private businesses would need to develop them.
Hansen was critical of how the off-island Tourism offices — which account for about one-third of the Tourism operating budget, $273,958 per year in rent alone — are being operated. She said in the case of the New York City office, located on the sixth floor of a building near Rockefeller Center, there is no visibility.
She suggested the office should be moved back to the ground level at Rockefeller Center where it used to be. Richards said that would cost three times what is being paid now in rent, which is $101,412 a year.
Hansen also suggested resurrecting the St. Croix Jazz Festival, which she said she was instrumental in starting, saying it would improve St. Croix's tourism product.
Richards told the senators that the new Tourism web site, which cost $702,000, is up and running at www.usvitourism.vi and is receiving 25,000 "hits" per day. The site has come under criticism due to what some web experts feel is the exorbitant price paid for its design, nearly two years in the making.
The Tourism hearing had been scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday but was moved to the afternoon at Richards' request because she was scheduled to fly to San Francisco later Friday on Port Authority business. By law, the Tourism commissioner chairs the Port Authority Board.
Committee members present at Friday afternoon's hearing in addition to Hansen, Canton and Cole were Sens. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, Carlton Dowe and Norma Pickard-Samuel. Absent was Sen. Norman Jn. Baptiste. Also present were Sens. Emmett Hansen II and David Jones, who are not committee members.
TRAVEL AGENTS GET AN INCENTIVE TO AVOID THE V.I.
Aug. 24, 2001 – Moves in the last few days by all but one of the mainland airlines serving the Virgin Islands have drastically dropped the odds of travel agents throughout the country recommending the territory as a Caribbean visitor destination.
The reason is financial incentive, a compelling consideration for any business: There's up to five times as much money in it for them if they ticket clients to any Caribbean island but the U.S. Virgins and Puerto Rico.
Effective Aug. 18, American Airlines, which provides by far the largest airlift between the territory and the U.S. mainland, reduced the cap on commissions to travel agents for domestic flights to $20 for a round-trip ticket. Since 1997, the cap had been $50. The cap for international travel is $100.
Although the Virgin Islands is considered an international destination for air cargo purposes, the airlines classify it a domestic flight for passengers, even though passengers must go through U.S. Customs leaving the territory.
At 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, which also serve the territory, followed American's lead. And at 12:01 a.m Friday, U.S. Airways came aboard, along with Northwest, which does not serve the islands.
The only other major carrier providing scheduled service between the mainland and the territory is Continental. One local V.I. travel industry professional, who asked not to be identified, commented Friday, "It looks as if Continental hasn't joined in yet. But I'd bet you anything they will be there by a minute after midnight tonight."
The airlines' action is not a calculated move to reduce the number of travelers buying tickets to the Virgin Islands — a tiny proportion of their overall domestic passenger load. That, however, is likely to be the effect, V.I. travel professionals say.
"In the U.S., the most you can make now selling a ticket to the Virgin Islands is $20. But guess what? You can get up to $100 selling anywhere else in the Caribbean," Derryle Berger of St. Thomas-based Caribbean Travel Services said. "Figure it out."
Fran McCaw, comptroller at Southerland Travel Services on St. Croix, said, "It's a shame what it's going to do to the Virgin Islands. We're going to feel the impact as a destination where airfares for years have been high compared to the other Caribbean islands."
McCaw said the cap cut "came out of the blue" with no advance notice to agents.
V.I. relies on relationships with travel agents
Tourism Commissioner Pamela Richards wrote to American Airlines Caribbean region marketing executive G. Eric Knowles earlier this week saying the move "will be detrimental to the leisure travel agent industry and, as a result, may negatively impact the tourism industry" of the Virgin Islands.
"The territory relies on its long-standing, valuable relationships with the travel-agent community," she said. "Despite the fact that in the recent past, travel agents were often awarded with higher commissions when they booked non-U.S. Caribbean vacations, we have found that because of our quality product and the professionalism of the agents, the agents often still booked USVI trips for their clients."
Richards then cited national research findings that 51 percent of leisure travelers trust their travel agents to make recommendations and that although 46 percent find the Internet easier and faster than a travel agent, the majority of people still feel that using a travel agent is the most convenient way to arrange travel.
The financial incentive now for booking travel to a non-domestic Caribbean destination "may encourage agents to choose the destination that has the higher reward for the same amount of work," Richards said. "The USVI now is experiencing gains in visitor arrivals and we want to keep the momentum building. We believe that one of the best ways to achieve this is to further nurture, build and strengthen our relationships with the travel agent community."
Zero commission is coming
Berger, however, sees it as a done deal, and one that's not particularly surprising. "There's not much point in travel agents whining," she said. "This was inevitable. This is how the airlines are operating. The industry is moving toward a point where they are going to pay travel agents a zero commission and probably go to net fares, probably on a tiered structure, based on an agency's past performance."
The result, she said, will be "a free-for-all for agencies to price for themselves. Then it's going to be agencies putting other agencies out of business."
Berger said agents can't compete with Internet fares because the airlines "don't make them available to the travel agent. It's their game, it's their ball and it's their rules, and that's it."
She considers it "arrogant" of the airlines "that they're taking the right to choose their travel product away from the client. They're saying 'We want everybody to book on the Internet whether they have the inclination or the desire to do that or not.' And then guess what? The Internet fares are going to go up. Think about it."
She added, "Everybody knows they're going to zero commission. The question is whether they want to pay all agencies, or weed them down to the agencies they want to deal with. Even with net fares, they can play with us — give a slightly better rate to those they want."
Four years ago, the nation's airlines imposed the $50 cap on commissions for domestic travel. That replaced what had been a percentage basis for commissions: initially 9 percent for domestic travel versus 10 percent for international, and then 5 percent for all travel. At that point, many agents began charging a service fee, either a fixed amount or a percentage of the ticket price.
"Agencies have been surviving on service fees," Berger said. "If they go to zero commission, people are going to have to pay travel agents to sell them a ticket the way we pay lawyers — turn on the clock the minute you pick up the phone."
Some travel agents no longer book most tickets with the airlines personally. One of them is Carmen Douglas, the owner of International Travel Connections in Amsonia, Conn., an agency that specializes in Caribbean vacations and promotes that fact on the Internet. "For us the commission cap is not an issue," Douglas said. "We do minor sales that are not via Internet."
Money to mop up red ink
According to the Reuters news service, the reduced commission caps "are estimated to save the airlines up to $500 million a year, which would help mop up some of the red ink swamping beleaguered carriers this year."
The president of the American Society of Travel Agents charged Wednesday, however, that the action "is evidence of things to come as the U.S. airline industry becomes more and more of an unchecked, anti-consumer cartel."
The society announced on Thursday that it will seek federal permission to bargain collectively with the airlines, something that would currently violate anti-trust laws, Reuters reported Friday. ASTA "said the airlines were acting collectively" in reducing the commission caps and said this "supported their case for exemption from anti-trust rules," the Reuters report said.
Ironically, Berger said, airfares to the Virgin Islands have been lower this summer than in recent years. "Everything has been on sale for the V.I. since April," she said, with rates comparable to those to other Caribbean destinations. Most of the good deals are for travel no later than Nov. 14, she said.
The reason is financial incentive, a compelling consideration for any business: There's up to five times as much money in it for them if they ticket clients to any Caribbean island but the U.S. Virgins and Puerto Rico.
Effective Aug. 18, American Airlines, which provides by far the largest airlift between the territory and the U.S. mainland, reduced the cap on commissions to travel agents for domestic flights to $20 for a round-trip ticket. Since 1997, the cap had been $50. The cap for international travel is $100.
Although the Virgin Islands is considered an international destination for air cargo purposes, the airlines classify it a domestic flight for passengers, even though passengers must go through U.S. Customs leaving the territory.
At 12:01 a.m. Thursday, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, which also serve the territory, followed American's lead. And at 12:01 a.m Friday, U.S. Airways came aboard, along with Northwest, which does not serve the islands.
The only other major carrier providing scheduled service between the mainland and the territory is Continental. One local V.I. travel industry professional, who asked not to be identified, commented Friday, "It looks as if Continental hasn't joined in yet. But I'd bet you anything they will be there by a minute after midnight tonight."
The airlines' action is not a calculated move to reduce the number of travelers buying tickets to the Virgin Islands — a tiny proportion of their overall domestic passenger load. That, however, is likely to be the effect, V.I. travel professionals say.
"In the U.S., the most you can make now selling a ticket to the Virgin Islands is $20. But guess what? You can get up to $100 selling anywhere else in the Caribbean," Derryle Berger of St. Thomas-based Caribbean Travel Services said. "Figure it out."
Fran McCaw, comptroller at Southerland Travel Services on St. Croix, said, "It's a shame what it's going to do to the Virgin Islands. We're going to feel the impact as a destination where airfares for years have been high compared to the other Caribbean islands."
McCaw said the cap cut "came out of the blue" with no advance notice to agents.
V.I. relies on relationships with travel agents
Tourism Commissioner Pamela Richards wrote to American Airlines Caribbean region marketing executive G. Eric Knowles earlier this week saying the move "will be detrimental to the leisure travel agent industry and, as a result, may negatively impact the tourism industry" of the Virgin Islands.
"The territory relies on its long-standing, valuable relationships with the travel-agent community," she said. "Despite the fact that in the recent past, travel agents were often awarded with higher commissions when they booked non-U.S. Caribbean vacations, we have found that because of our quality product and the professionalism of the agents, the agents often still booked USVI trips for their clients."
Richards then cited national research findings that 51 percent of leisure travelers trust their travel agents to make recommendations and that although 46 percent find the Internet easier and faster than a travel agent, the majority of people still feel that using a travel agent is the most convenient way to arrange travel.
The financial incentive now for booking travel to a non-domestic Caribbean destination "may encourage agents to choose the destination that has the higher reward for the same amount of work," Richards said. "The USVI now is experiencing gains in visitor arrivals and we want to keep the momentum building. We believe that one of the best ways to achieve this is to further nurture, build and strengthen our relationships with the travel agent community."
Zero commission is coming
Berger, however, sees it as a done deal, and one that's not particularly surprising. "There's not much point in travel agents whining," she said. "This was inevitable. This is how the airlines are operating. The industry is moving toward a point where they are going to pay travel agents a zero commission and probably go to net fares, probably on a tiered structure, based on an agency's past performance."
The result, she said, will be "a free-for-all for agencies to price for themselves. Then it's going to be agencies putting other agencies out of business."
Berger said agents can't compete with Internet fares because the airlines "don't make them available to the travel agent. It's their game, it's their ball and it's their rules, and that's it."
She considers it "arrogant" of the airlines "that they're taking the right to choose their travel product away from the client. They're saying 'We want everybody to book on the Internet whether they have the inclination or the desire to do that or not.' And then guess what? The Internet fares are going to go up. Think about it."
She added, "Everybody knows they're going to zero commission. The question is whether they want to pay all agencies, or weed them down to the agencies they want to deal with. Even with net fares, they can play with us — give a slightly better rate to those they want."
Four years ago, the nation's airlines imposed the $50 cap on commissions for domestic travel. That replaced what had been a percentage basis for commissions: initially 9 percent for domestic travel versus 10 percent for international, and then 5 percent for all travel. At that point, many agents began charging a service fee, either a fixed amount or a percentage of the ticket price.
"Agencies have been surviving on service fees," Berger said. "If they go to zero commission, people are going to have to pay travel agents to sell them a ticket the way we pay lawyers — turn on the clock the minute you pick up the phone."
Some travel agents no longer book most tickets with the airlines personally. One of them is Carmen Douglas, the owner of International Travel Connections in Amsonia, Conn., an agency that specializes in Caribbean vacations and promotes that fact on the Internet. "For us the commission cap is not an issue," Douglas said. "We do minor sales that are not via Internet."
Money to mop up red ink
According to the Reuters news service, the reduced commission caps "are estimated to save the airlines up to $500 million a year, which would help mop up some of the red ink swamping beleaguered carriers this year."
The president of the American Society of Travel Agents charged Wednesday, however, that the action "is evidence of things to come as the U.S. airline industry becomes more and more of an unchecked, anti-consumer cartel."
The society announced on Thursday that it will seek federal permission to bargain collectively with the airlines, something that would currently violate anti-trust laws, Reuters reported Friday. ASTA "said the airlines were acting collectively" in reducing the commission caps and said this "supported their case for exemption from anti-trust rules," the Reuters report said.
Ironically, Berger said, airfares to the Virgin Islands have been lower this summer than in recent years. "Everything has been on sale for the V.I. since April," she said, with rates comparable to those to other Caribbean destinations. Most of the good deals are for travel no later than Nov. 14, she said.
WAPA CHIEF'S ABSENCE ON RECORD AS UNEXCUSED
Aug. 24, 2001 – Senate Finance Committee chair Alicia "Chucky" Hansen was indignant Thursday when she learned that the Water and Power Authority executive director, Joseph Thomas Jr., would be a no-show for a scheduled hearing.
As a presentation before the committee by the V.I. Port Authority was ending, Hansen announced she had just received a letter from Thomas and then proceeded to read it into the record. Thomas said in the letter that he had just heard about the meeting that day on the radio and asked her to reschedule the hearing for a later date.
Hansen then questioned the post auditor, Maureen Rabsatt-Cullar, who said her office had sent Thomas an invitation a week earlier to appear before the committee. Rabsatt-Cullar told Hansen the letter had been received by a WAPA employee.
At a Finance Committee session on Wednesday, Hansen had reacted sharply to a letter from Gov. Charles W. Turnbull stating that henceforth he would decide which of his department and agency officials would appear in the Senate to give testimony. Repeatedly throughout the 24th Legislature, commissioners and other top government officials have been called to testify at hearings, then kept waiting half a day and more while the lawmakers attended to other business.
In response to Turnbull's letter, Hansen said Wednesday she wanted "to put on record that no commissioner fails to attend these budget hearings … I am not accepting any second or third person to come and represent any department." And if the officials called to appear before her committee fail to do so, she said, the committee might issue a subpoena for them, or it might dismiss any lower-ranking representatives who appear and then decide that agency's budget without its input.
All of this had no bearing on Thomas's conspicuous absence Friday, because WAPA and other semi-autonomous agencies don't receive budget allocations from the General Fund. However, the Finance Committee in its oversight regularly invites their executives to present a financial report of their operations.
In Thomas's introduction to the Legislature, at a May hearing before the Finance Committee, Hansen warned the new WAPA executive, who had just moved to the territory from Atlanta to take the position, that he should proceed with caution in his new post. At one point in the hearing, she told Thomas: "Many tough guys come into WAPA, but our people can be tough, too; so, be careful."
Displeased that a non-Virgin Islander had been hired to head the utility, Hansen also commented that evening that "a lot of people think they can come in and cool down the people, but we cool them down first.
Thomas's reaction the next day to how he had been treated was that "I couldn't believe it." But he added, "It didn't deter me one iota … I've dealt with legislatures before."
As a presentation before the committee by the V.I. Port Authority was ending, Hansen announced she had just received a letter from Thomas and then proceeded to read it into the record. Thomas said in the letter that he had just heard about the meeting that day on the radio and asked her to reschedule the hearing for a later date.
Hansen then questioned the post auditor, Maureen Rabsatt-Cullar, who said her office had sent Thomas an invitation a week earlier to appear before the committee. Rabsatt-Cullar told Hansen the letter had been received by a WAPA employee.
At a Finance Committee session on Wednesday, Hansen had reacted sharply to a letter from Gov. Charles W. Turnbull stating that henceforth he would decide which of his department and agency officials would appear in the Senate to give testimony. Repeatedly throughout the 24th Legislature, commissioners and other top government officials have been called to testify at hearings, then kept waiting half a day and more while the lawmakers attended to other business.
In response to Turnbull's letter, Hansen said Wednesday she wanted "to put on record that no commissioner fails to attend these budget hearings … I am not accepting any second or third person to come and represent any department." And if the officials called to appear before her committee fail to do so, she said, the committee might issue a subpoena for them, or it might dismiss any lower-ranking representatives who appear and then decide that agency's budget without its input.
All of this had no bearing on Thomas's conspicuous absence Friday, because WAPA and other semi-autonomous agencies don't receive budget allocations from the General Fund. However, the Finance Committee in its oversight regularly invites their executives to present a financial report of their operations.
In Thomas's introduction to the Legislature, at a May hearing before the Finance Committee, Hansen warned the new WAPA executive, who had just moved to the territory from Atlanta to take the position, that he should proceed with caution in his new post. At one point in the hearing, she told Thomas: "Many tough guys come into WAPA, but our people can be tough, too; so, be careful."
Displeased that a non-Virgin Islander had been hired to head the utility, Hansen also commented that evening that "a lot of people think they can come in and cool down the people, but we cool them down first.
Thomas's reaction the next day to how he had been treated was that "I couldn't believe it." But he added, "It didn't deter me one iota … I've dealt with legislatures before."
MEETING SET ON CLOSING OF DAY-CARE CENTER
Aug. 24, 2001 – The closing on Aug. 10 of the Human Services Department's day-care center in Cruz Bay has left as many as 20 St. John children without day care,
according to Aubrey Bridgewater, special assistant to Senate President Almando "Rocky" Liburd.
Most of the children who were displaced are ages 2 to 4, he said.
To discuss the matter, Bridgewater has called a meeting of the youngsters' parents and guardians and the nine former center staff members with Human Services Commissioner Sedonie Halbert. The meeting is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Legislature Building in Cruz Bay.
Bridgewater said a letter to parents from Halbert dated July 12 indicated that the center was being closed because enrollment had decreased, there are private day-care facilities on St. John and the center was expensive to operate.
For more information, call Bridgewater at 693-8061.
according to Aubrey Bridgewater, special assistant to Senate President Almando "Rocky" Liburd.
Most of the children who were displaced are ages 2 to 4, he said.
To discuss the matter, Bridgewater has called a meeting of the youngsters' parents and guardians and the nine former center staff members with Human Services Commissioner Sedonie Halbert. The meeting is set for 6 p.m. Tuesday at the Legislature Building in Cruz Bay.
Bridgewater said a letter to parents from Halbert dated July 12 indicated that the center was being closed because enrollment had decreased, there are private day-care facilities on St. John and the center was expensive to operate.
For more information, call Bridgewater at 693-8061.
LITTLE LEAGUE WELCOMES ALL YOUNG PLAYERS
Aug. 24, 2001 – Children ages 5 to 12 with a yen to play baseball in St. John's Little League are invited to sign up Sept. 6 at the Winston Wells Ball Park.
"Everyone is teachable, and everybody plays," said Carla Challenger, who shares the organization's presidency with Loren Abramson.
Little League, which operates under the Housing, Parks and Recreation Department, has tapped Orville Brown, Terrence Chinnery and former minor league player Elrod Hendricks Jr. to teach the youngsters baseball skills. "We'll start with the fundamentals — how many balls make a strike, for example," Challenger said.
Instead of charging a registration fee, the organization will ask local businesses to support the players. Challenger said parents and guardians must accompany their children to the sign-up session and that proof of age will be helpful in assigning the children to the appropriate age-group teams.
Challenged hopes St. John will one day send a team to the Little League World Series, held each year in Williamsport, Pa.. "We're trying to display our Virgin Islands talent," she said.
At this year's World Series, which ends Sunday, a Caribbean team is proving it can handle the big time. The Curacao team won the international semifinals and will face off against Japan on Saturday for the international championship.
On Sunday, the winner of that game will go against the winner of the United States championship for the World Series title. The U.S. championship finalists are teams from the Bronx in New York City and the town of Apopka, Fla.
"Everyone is teachable, and everybody plays," said Carla Challenger, who shares the organization's presidency with Loren Abramson.
Little League, which operates under the Housing, Parks and Recreation Department, has tapped Orville Brown, Terrence Chinnery and former minor league player Elrod Hendricks Jr. to teach the youngsters baseball skills. "We'll start with the fundamentals — how many balls make a strike, for example," Challenger said.
Instead of charging a registration fee, the organization will ask local businesses to support the players. Challenger said parents and guardians must accompany their children to the sign-up session and that proof of age will be helpful in assigning the children to the appropriate age-group teams.
Challenged hopes St. John will one day send a team to the Little League World Series, held each year in Williamsport, Pa.. "We're trying to display our Virgin Islands talent," she said.
At this year's World Series, which ends Sunday, a Caribbean team is proving it can handle the big time. The Curacao team won the international semifinals and will face off against Japan on Saturday for the international championship.
On Sunday, the winner of that game will go against the winner of the United States championship for the World Series title. The U.S. championship finalists are teams from the Bronx in New York City and the town of Apopka, Fla.
PRICEY KRIGGER CONTRACT SURPRISES SENATORS
Aug. 24, 2001 – Under questioning by Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen at a Finance Committee hearing Thursday, the Public Finance Authority director, Amadeo Francis, provided details about the PFA's recent acquisition of the King's Alley Hotel and shopping complex on St. Croix, including one fact which stuck in the craw of the senators.
Francis disclosed that a contract to oversee the King's Alley project had been awarded to Rudolph Krigger Sr., with compensation set at $100 an hour. Krigger was Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's fiscal policy and economic affairs officer until he retired earlier this year. Turnbull, by virtue of his office, chairs the PFA board.
Hansen and her St. Croix colleague Sen. Emmett Hansen II expressed surprise at hearing of Krigger's contract. Both asked why it had not gone to a St. Croix firm. "Why do you want a St. Thomas overseer?" Emmett Hansen asked, adding with a laugh, "Why, he can't even see St. Croix from here."
Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel supplied her answer. "He got the job because he is a political crony of Turnbull's; that's obvious." She demanded to know how much Krigger had been paid to date. Francis said he has not yet received a bill from Krigger.
Francis said that at its meeting last week, the PFA board discussed the fact that there was some opposition to the hiring of Krigger.
The PFA foreclosed on the King's Alley lease held by Development Consultants Inc. after the company failed to meet its financial obligations, including a $2.2 million loan from the Bank of Nova Scotia. The PFA had provided financing for the King's Alley properties, which include the 23-room hotel and 16 shops and restaurants.
The authority formed a new holding company, King's Alley Management Inc., to complete the renovation of the property on the Christiansted waterfront. The PFA hopes to unload the property and recoup the $4.6 million it has invested in financial guarantees, Francis said.
Francis had tried to interest the West Indian Co. in taking over management of the property until it could be sold. However, he told the senators on Thursday that WICO had decided that managing the property wasn't in its best interests.
Alicia Hansen asked how much the PFA paid Scotiabank to buy out its interest. Francis declined to provide a figure, saying the answer to the question could have a detrimental effect on current negotiations over the property. Hansen asked for substantiating documents within 30 days.
Francis disclosed that a contract to oversee the King's Alley project had been awarded to Rudolph Krigger Sr., with compensation set at $100 an hour. Krigger was Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's fiscal policy and economic affairs officer until he retired earlier this year. Turnbull, by virtue of his office, chairs the PFA board.
Hansen and her St. Croix colleague Sen. Emmett Hansen II expressed surprise at hearing of Krigger's contract. Both asked why it had not gone to a St. Croix firm. "Why do you want a St. Thomas overseer?" Emmett Hansen asked, adding with a laugh, "Why, he can't even see St. Croix from here."
Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel supplied her answer. "He got the job because he is a political crony of Turnbull's; that's obvious." She demanded to know how much Krigger had been paid to date. Francis said he has not yet received a bill from Krigger.
Francis said that at its meeting last week, the PFA board discussed the fact that there was some opposition to the hiring of Krigger.
The PFA foreclosed on the King's Alley lease held by Development Consultants Inc. after the company failed to meet its financial obligations, including a $2.2 million loan from the Bank of Nova Scotia. The PFA had provided financing for the King's Alley properties, which include the 23-room hotel and 16 shops and restaurants.
The authority formed a new holding company, King's Alley Management Inc., to complete the renovation of the property on the Christiansted waterfront. The PFA hopes to unload the property and recoup the $4.6 million it has invested in financial guarantees, Francis said.
Francis had tried to interest the West Indian Co. in taking over management of the property until it could be sold. However, he told the senators on Thursday that WICO had decided that managing the property wasn't in its best interests.
Alicia Hansen asked how much the PFA paid Scotiabank to buy out its interest. Francis declined to provide a figure, saying the answer to the question could have a detrimental effect on current negotiations over the property. Hansen asked for substantiating documents within 30 days.
LONGTIME V.I. REPRESENTATIVE LEAVING MARTIN P.R.
Aug. 24, 2001 – The Virgin Islands' loss is the Virgin Islands' gain.
After having the Virgin Islands as her account for six years, Amy Atkinson has resigned from Martin Public Relations, the mainland firm representing the V.I. Tourism Department.
Taking over the account is Luana Wheatley, a St. Thomian who has been working with Martin P.R. for several years and has been a senior account executive in the company's headquarters in Richmond, Va., for a year and a half.
Atkinson said her last day with Martin was Aug. 10 but that she would continue to work for Tourism on a consultant basis until Sept. 7 "to further ease the transition resulting from my departure."
At a St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association meeting on Friday, Richard Doumeng, association president, said, "We have been finely represented by Amy. She will be missed."
He praised Atkinson for helping the Virgin Islands through the crisis of Hurricane Marilyn, noting that she had been assigned the V.I. account just weeks before the storm struck. In the aftermath of Marilyn he said, "her enthusiasm and spirit helped reassure people we do business with."
Atkinson will be joining the Opryland Hospitality Group in Nashville, Tenn., as its director of marketing and communications. While looking forward to this new opportunity, she said, she will never stop promoting the Virgin Islands. "I will always have a great love for the islands and their people," she said.
Under her consulting agreement with Tourism, Atkinson's last assignment will be to represent the Virgin Islands at the Society of American Travel Writers annual convention Sept. 4-7 in Bermuda. The convention is the largest annual gathering of U.S. and Canadian travel writers and photographers, and she'll be "trying to pitch for next year's press trips" to the territory, she said.
Wheatley served as the territory's on-island liaison for Martin P.R. in the 1990s before relocating to the firm's Virginia headquarters in January 2000.
"With Luana heading the team, the p.r. work is not going to skip a beat," Atkinson said. Beverly Nicholson, St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association executive director, also expressed her confidence. "Luana's experience at Martin combined with her knowledge of the V.I. will produce the same great results that we have come to expect from Martin," she said.
Atkinson said she feels that her greatest accomplishment as the p.r. point person for the Virgin Islands has been "to be there day in and day out with consistent positive messages to the media. That sounds so simple, but travel editors have said they appreciate that we're always accessible and we have the answers. In public relations, it's 'slow and steady wins the race.' It's not a sprint; it's more like a marathon."
After having the Virgin Islands as her account for six years, Amy Atkinson has resigned from Martin Public Relations, the mainland firm representing the V.I. Tourism Department.
Taking over the account is Luana Wheatley, a St. Thomian who has been working with Martin P.R. for several years and has been a senior account executive in the company's headquarters in Richmond, Va., for a year and a half.
Atkinson said her last day with Martin was Aug. 10 but that she would continue to work for Tourism on a consultant basis until Sept. 7 "to further ease the transition resulting from my departure."
At a St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association meeting on Friday, Richard Doumeng, association president, said, "We have been finely represented by Amy. She will be missed."
He praised Atkinson for helping the Virgin Islands through the crisis of Hurricane Marilyn, noting that she had been assigned the V.I. account just weeks before the storm struck. In the aftermath of Marilyn he said, "her enthusiasm and spirit helped reassure people we do business with."
Atkinson will be joining the Opryland Hospitality Group in Nashville, Tenn., as its director of marketing and communications. While looking forward to this new opportunity, she said, she will never stop promoting the Virgin Islands. "I will always have a great love for the islands and their people," she said.
Under her consulting agreement with Tourism, Atkinson's last assignment will be to represent the Virgin Islands at the Society of American Travel Writers annual convention Sept. 4-7 in Bermuda. The convention is the largest annual gathering of U.S. and Canadian travel writers and photographers, and she'll be "trying to pitch for next year's press trips" to the territory, she said.
Wheatley served as the territory's on-island liaison for Martin P.R. in the 1990s before relocating to the firm's Virginia headquarters in January 2000.
"With Luana heading the team, the p.r. work is not going to skip a beat," Atkinson said. Beverly Nicholson, St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association executive director, also expressed her confidence. "Luana's experience at Martin combined with her knowledge of the V.I. will produce the same great results that we have come to expect from Martin," she said.
Atkinson said she feels that her greatest accomplishment as the p.r. point person for the Virgin Islands has been "to be there day in and day out with consistent positive messages to the media. That sounds so simple, but travel editors have said they appreciate that we're always accessible and we have the answers. In public relations, it's 'slow and steady wins the race.' It's not a sprint; it's more like a marathon."
BOND PAYMENTS UP NEARLY $3M THIS FISCAL YEAR
Aug. 24, 2001 – The V.I. government will pay about $2.9 million more in principal and interest on its outstanding bonds in Fiscal Year 2001 than it did in FY 2000, according to Amadeo Francis, director of the Public Finance Authority.
Francis told the Senate Finance Committee Thursday that interest paid on the bonds was $47.1 million in FY 2000, with payments of principals amounting to $15.9 million. Payments of principal and interest during FY 2001 will amount to $65.9 million, he said.
As of Sept. 30, 2000, the end of the last fiscal year, Francis said, the PFA had a total of $819,985,000 in V.I. government bonds outstanding on the municipal bond market. The figure includes the $300 million bond issue of 1999, the proceeds of which were used for income-tax refunds, overdue payments to vendors and an early retirement incentive plan for government employees, bailing the government out of a fiscal crisis at the time, he said.
The authority disbursed about $43.7 million in FY 2000 to the V.I. government and its vendors for capital projects, another $17.7 million during the first six months of FY 2001, and $10 million more in the last four months, Francis said.
Major PFA-funded projects include:
On St. Croix: the Golden Grove Prison expansion, the Christiansted boardwalk, the Mon Bijou flood control project, the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport expansion and the Government House renovation. Francis noted that the contractor for the Government House work has filed a claim for an additional $1.7 million but said he believes the claim has no merit.
On St. Thomas: construction of the new Lockhart and Peace Corps Elementary Schools, which Francis said will be ready for the opening of school next week; the Savan and Turpentine Run gut flood control projects, for which all the funds have not been drawn down; and a mental health facility next to the Eldra Schulterbrandt facility on the East End of St. Thomas, for which the $1.2 million funding has not been drawn down. Francis expressed disappointment at agencies not acting on their available funding.
He construction work is behind schedule and over budget on the new Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School. There project has two phases, he said: One phase, which had a Feb. 28, 2001, completion date, still is not done, he said, and is "woefully behind schedule and over budget." The other project, inititially slated to be finished by Nov. 7, 2000, also is not ready.
Initially forecast to cost $20.5 million, the school now is projected to exceed $28 million and isn't expected to be completed until late in FY 2002, Francis said. He said the additional costs were incurred because of changes added to the initial project.
At a press conference Thursday, Edication Commissioner Ruby Simmonds said the new BCB is expected to be completed by December. She said some classes would continue to meet until then in the temporary modular units provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the aftermath of Hurricane Marilyn, which severely damaged the old school in 1995.
Francis cautioned the lawmakers of a potential threat to the territory's Molasses Subsidy Fund, which stabilizes the cost of processing molasses by Virgin Islands Rum Industries Ltd. to ensure competitive prices for V.I. produced rum.
He read a report from the PFA's auditors which said in part: "Given the economic situation of the V.I. government, it is uncertain that such subsidy will continue in the future." If the subsidy should be discontinued, the report said, "The rum producer could experience a decrease in its operations," which in turn could mean a reduction of federal excise taxes returned to the territory.
Francis stressed that the revenue stream collected from the returned rum taxes is of "critical importance to the health and welfare of the V.I." He said the molasses subsidy and rum promotion need be appropriated each year, especially in light of new competition from rum producers from elsewhere in the Caribbean and in other countries entering the U.S. market.
Francis told the Senate Finance Committee Thursday that interest paid on the bonds was $47.1 million in FY 2000, with payments of principals amounting to $15.9 million. Payments of principal and interest during FY 2001 will amount to $65.9 million, he said.
As of Sept. 30, 2000, the end of the last fiscal year, Francis said, the PFA had a total of $819,985,000 in V.I. government bonds outstanding on the municipal bond market. The figure includes the $300 million bond issue of 1999, the proceeds of which were used for income-tax refunds, overdue payments to vendors and an early retirement incentive plan for government employees, bailing the government out of a fiscal crisis at the time, he said.
The authority disbursed about $43.7 million in FY 2000 to the V.I. government and its vendors for capital projects, another $17.7 million during the first six months of FY 2001, and $10 million more in the last four months, Francis said.
Major PFA-funded projects include:
On St. Croix: the Golden Grove Prison expansion, the Christiansted boardwalk, the Mon Bijou flood control project, the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport expansion and the Government House renovation. Francis noted that the contractor for the Government House work has filed a claim for an additional $1.7 million but said he believes the claim has no merit.
On St. Thomas: construction of the new Lockhart and Peace Corps Elementary Schools, which Francis said will be ready for the opening of school next week; the Savan and Turpentine Run gut flood control projects, for which all the funds have not been drawn down; and a mental health facility next to the Eldra Schulterbrandt facility on the East End of St. Thomas, for which the $1.2 million funding has not been drawn down. Francis expressed disappointment at agencies not acting on their available funding.
He construction work is behind schedule and over budget on the new Bertha C. Boschulte Middle School. There project has two phases, he said: One phase, which had a Feb. 28, 2001, completion date, still is not done, he said, and is "woefully behind schedule and over budget." The other project, inititially slated to be finished by Nov. 7, 2000, also is not ready.
Initially forecast to cost $20.5 million, the school now is projected to exceed $28 million and isn't expected to be completed until late in FY 2002, Francis said. He said the additional costs were incurred because of changes added to the initial project.
At a press conference Thursday, Edication Commissioner Ruby Simmonds said the new BCB is expected to be completed by December. She said some classes would continue to meet until then in the temporary modular units provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the aftermath of Hurricane Marilyn, which severely damaged the old school in 1995.
Francis cautioned the lawmakers of a potential threat to the territory's Molasses Subsidy Fund, which stabilizes the cost of processing molasses by Virgin Islands Rum Industries Ltd. to ensure competitive prices for V.I. produced rum.
He read a report from the PFA's auditors which said in part: "Given the economic situation of the V.I. government, it is uncertain that such subsidy will continue in the future." If the subsidy should be discontinued, the report said, "The rum producer could experience a decrease in its operations," which in turn could mean a reduction of federal excise taxes returned to the territory.
Francis stressed that the revenue stream collected from the returned rum taxes is of "critical importance to the health and welfare of the V.I." He said the molasses subsidy and rum promotion need be appropriated each year, especially in light of new competition from rum producers from elsewhere in the Caribbean and in other countries entering the U.S. market.
