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.
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.
PORT AUTHORITY PREVIEWS 2002 PROJECTS
Aug. 24, 2001 – The financially healthy V.I. Port Authority brought the Senate Finance Committee up to date Thursday on capital projects in the pipeline and noted plans for new airline and ferry operations.
Gordon Finch, VIPA executive director, appearing with Darlan Brin, chief port planner, and Lloyd Romeo, director of administration and finance, outlined VIPA's 2002 budget, which, Finch stressed, will not go before the authority board of directors for approval until Sept. 19. The proposed budget calls for $56.6 million in spending, $21.3 million of it for capital projects Finch outlined.
The budget is to be financed primarily from generated revenues, estimated at $45.6 million. The balance is projected to come from federal grants. The authority does not receive any money from the government's General Fund.
Capital projects VIPA has started or will start in FY 2002 include the following:
St. Croix: the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport terminal building expansion and renovation, the airport runway extension, and the Gallows Bay dock development.
St. John: the long-planned, $16 million Enighed Pond cargo facility, which Finch said will move forward as soon as VIPA receives the funding from the V.I. government.
St. Thomas: the Red Hook marine facility, St. Thomas harbor dredging, the Crown Bay cruise ship terminal, and the upgrading of the Charlotte Amalie waterfront apron — which still is scheduled to begin in FY 2001, or before the end of September.
Under questioning from Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole, Finch gave some details about the Federal Aviation Administration's deadline for the territory to shut down the Anguilla landfill on St. Croix. The FAA has said the landfill must be closed by the end of 2002 because it poses a hazard to aviation from the birds at the landfill. [See story "FAA wants answers to landfill closure plan".]
Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel asked Finch about rumors that VIPA was going to supply $5 million to subsidize a new airline coming into St. Croix. Finch said it was only a rumor. He noted that Sun Airways had made a presentation at the last VIPA board meeting and had asked for nothing in the way of financial considerations. Finch said he would welcome more airline seats into St. Croix, which he said has been an ongoing concern.
Finch also noted that two fast ferry services are scheduled to begin service this winter between St. Thomas and St. Croix: Boston Harbor Cruises, which already has a V.I. business license, and Crucian Express Inc.
Gordon Finch, VIPA executive director, appearing with Darlan Brin, chief port planner, and Lloyd Romeo, director of administration and finance, outlined VIPA's 2002 budget, which, Finch stressed, will not go before the authority board of directors for approval until Sept. 19. The proposed budget calls for $56.6 million in spending, $21.3 million of it for capital projects Finch outlined.
The budget is to be financed primarily from generated revenues, estimated at $45.6 million. The balance is projected to come from federal grants. The authority does not receive any money from the government's General Fund.
Capital projects VIPA has started or will start in FY 2002 include the following:
St. Croix: the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport terminal building expansion and renovation, the airport runway extension, and the Gallows Bay dock development.
St. John: the long-planned, $16 million Enighed Pond cargo facility, which Finch said will move forward as soon as VIPA receives the funding from the V.I. government.
St. Thomas: the Red Hook marine facility, St. Thomas harbor dredging, the Crown Bay cruise ship terminal, and the upgrading of the Charlotte Amalie waterfront apron — which still is scheduled to begin in FY 2001, or before the end of September.
Under questioning from Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole, Finch gave some details about the Federal Aviation Administration's deadline for the territory to shut down the Anguilla landfill on St. Croix. The FAA has said the landfill must be closed by the end of 2002 because it poses a hazard to aviation from the birds at the landfill. [See story "FAA wants answers to landfill closure plan".]
Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel asked Finch about rumors that VIPA was going to supply $5 million to subsidize a new airline coming into St. Croix. Finch said it was only a rumor. He noted that Sun Airways had made a presentation at the last VIPA board meeting and had asked for nothing in the way of financial considerations. Finch said he would welcome more airline seats into St. Croix, which he said has been an ongoing concern.
Finch also noted that two fast ferry services are scheduled to begin service this winter between St. Thomas and St. Croix: Boston Harbor Cruises, which already has a V.I. business license, and Crucian Express Inc.
PORT AUTHORITY PREVIEWS 2002 PROJECTS
Aug. 24, 2001 – The financially healthy V.I. Port Authority brought the Senate Finance Committee up to date Thursday on capital projects in the pipeline and noted plans for new airline and ferry operations.
Gordon Finch, VIPA executive director, appearing with Darlan Brin, chief port planner, and Lloyd Romeo, director of administration and finance, outlined VIPA's 2002 budget, which, Finch stressed, will not go before the authority board of directors for approval until Sept. 19. The proposed budget calls for $56.6 million in spending, $21.3 million of it for capital projects Finch outlined.
The budget is to be financed primarily from generated revenues, estimated at $45.6 million. The balance is projected to come from federal grants. The authority does not receive any money from the government's General Fund.
Capital projects VIPA has started or will start in FY 2002 include the following:
St. Croix: the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport terminal building expansion and renovation, the airport runway extension, and the Gallows Bay dock development.
St. John: the long-planned, $16 million Enighed Pond cargo facility, which Finch said will move forward as soon as VIPA receives the funding from the V.I. government.
St. Thomas: the Red Hook marine facility, St. Thomas harbor dredging, the Crown Bay cruise ship terminal, and the upgrading of the Charlotte Amalie waterfront apron — which still is scheduled to begin in FY 2001, or before the end of September.
Under questioning from Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole, Finch gave some details about the Federal Aviation Administration's deadline for the territory to shut down the Anguilla landfill on St. Croix. The FAA has said the landfill must be closed by the end of 2002 because it poses a hazard to aviation from the birds at the landfill. [See St. Croix Source story "FAA wants answers to landfill closure plan".]
Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel asked Finch about rumors that VIPA was going to supply $5 million to subsidize a new airline coming into St. Croix. Finch said it was only a rumor. He noted that Sun Airways had made a presentation at the last VIPA board meeting and had asked for nothing in the way of financial considerations. Finch said he would welcome more airline seats into St. Croix, which he said has been an ongoing concern.
Finch also noted that two fast ferry services are scheduled to begin service this winter between St. Thomas and St. Croix: Boston Harbor Cruises, which already has a V.I. business license, and Crucian Express Inc.
Gordon Finch, VIPA executive director, appearing with Darlan Brin, chief port planner, and Lloyd Romeo, director of administration and finance, outlined VIPA's 2002 budget, which, Finch stressed, will not go before the authority board of directors for approval until Sept. 19. The proposed budget calls for $56.6 million in spending, $21.3 million of it for capital projects Finch outlined.
The budget is to be financed primarily from generated revenues, estimated at $45.6 million. The balance is projected to come from federal grants. The authority does not receive any money from the government's General Fund.
Capital projects VIPA has started or will start in FY 2002 include the following:
St. Croix: the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport terminal building expansion and renovation, the airport runway extension, and the Gallows Bay dock development.
St. John: the long-planned, $16 million Enighed Pond cargo facility, which Finch said will move forward as soon as VIPA receives the funding from the V.I. government.
St. Thomas: the Red Hook marine facility, St. Thomas harbor dredging, the Crown Bay cruise ship terminal, and the upgrading of the Charlotte Amalie waterfront apron — which still is scheduled to begin in FY 2001, or before the end of September.
Under questioning from Sen. Donald "Ducks" Cole, Finch gave some details about the Federal Aviation Administration's deadline for the territory to shut down the Anguilla landfill on St. Croix. The FAA has said the landfill must be closed by the end of 2002 because it poses a hazard to aviation from the birds at the landfill. [See St. Croix Source story "FAA wants answers to landfill closure plan".]
Sen. Norma Pickard-Samuel asked Finch about rumors that VIPA was going to supply $5 million to subsidize a new airline coming into St. Croix. Finch said it was only a rumor. He noted that Sun Airways had made a presentation at the last VIPA board meeting and had asked for nothing in the way of financial considerations. Finch said he would welcome more airline seats into St. Croix, which he said has been an ongoing concern.
Finch also noted that two fast ferry services are scheduled to begin service this winter between St. Thomas and St. Croix: Boston Harbor Cruises, which already has a V.I. business license, and Crucian Express Inc.
NEGOTIATIONS START BETWEEN AFT AND GOVERNMENT
Aug. 25, 2001 – The territory’s American Federation of Teachers union and the Turnbull administration have agreed to negotiate across-the-board salary hikes for teachers and staff.
Following a bill passed earlier this year aimed at increasing the starting salary for entry-level teachers in the public schools, Turnbull administration and AFT officials began talks Monday on ways to raise the wages of teachers already in the system. On Thursday, St. Thomas AFT president Glen Smith said the two sides agreed to ground rules that broach the subject of across-the-board raises.
"We passed that hurdle," Smith said, and now it is on to "hard bargaining."
Sen. Norman Jn Baptiste, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, prompted the new negotiations through an amendment to Gov. Charles Turnbull’s request for $10 million to pay salary step increases to government workers. Jn Baptiste's amendment authorized the governor to reopen negotiations with the St. Croix and St. Thomas-St. John AFT unions to increase entry-level salaries of public school teachers.
Turnbull’s pay increase to government workers came after an AFT strike led to a contract agreement late last year that saw meager increases for teachers and staff. At that time, Turnbull said the government couldn’t make a better offer.
In light of the subsequent pay raises, teachers now want in on the increases.
"Clearly, the ground rules include negotiations for all three bargaining units" made up of professional teachers, para-professionals and support staff, Smith said.
Karen Andrews, the administration's chief negotiator, didn’t return calls Thursday.
Under the contract agreed to by AFT members and the Turnbull administration, AFT officials said teachers lost five years of salary and step increases, which equated to more than $50 million. By reopening negotiations to address starting salaries, Jn Baptiste said teachers will be included in the plan to pay government employees their raises by October.
Following a bill passed earlier this year aimed at increasing the starting salary for entry-level teachers in the public schools, Turnbull administration and AFT officials began talks Monday on ways to raise the wages of teachers already in the system. On Thursday, St. Thomas AFT president Glen Smith said the two sides agreed to ground rules that broach the subject of across-the-board raises.
"We passed that hurdle," Smith said, and now it is on to "hard bargaining."
Sen. Norman Jn Baptiste, chairman of the Senate Education Committee, prompted the new negotiations through an amendment to Gov. Charles Turnbull’s request for $10 million to pay salary step increases to government workers. Jn Baptiste's amendment authorized the governor to reopen negotiations with the St. Croix and St. Thomas-St. John AFT unions to increase entry-level salaries of public school teachers.
Turnbull’s pay increase to government workers came after an AFT strike led to a contract agreement late last year that saw meager increases for teachers and staff. At that time, Turnbull said the government couldn’t make a better offer.
In light of the subsequent pay raises, teachers now want in on the increases.
"Clearly, the ground rules include negotiations for all three bargaining units" made up of professional teachers, para-professionals and support staff, Smith said.
Karen Andrews, the administration's chief negotiator, didn’t return calls Thursday.
Under the contract agreed to by AFT members and the Turnbull administration, AFT officials said teachers lost five years of salary and step increases, which equated to more than $50 million. By reopening negotiations to address starting salaries, Jn Baptiste said teachers will be included in the plan to pay government employees their raises by October.
FAA WANTS ANSWERS TO LANDFILL CLOSURE PLAN
Aug. 24, 2001 — While the Federal Aviation Administration’s Dec. 31, 2002 closure deadline for the Anguilla Landfill on St. Croix is not necessarily written in stone, FAA officials nonetheless want answers from the V.I. government.
V.I. Port Authority Executive Director Gordon Finch, testifying Thursday before the Senate Finance Committee, said FAA officials are "very, very tired" of listening to the same reasons why the landfill adjacent to St. Croix’s Henry E. Rohlsen Airport has yet to be moved. In fact, Finch, who had been on the mainland until Thursday meeting with FAA officials about the airport’s proposed control tower, read a letter he had just received from the FAA.
It said the FAA is preparing its grant requests for fiscal year 2002 for developing the Rohlsen Airport and wanted to know what action has been taken by the Port Authority and the Turnbull administration to "satisfy the commitment" made to close the landfill by the end of next year.
Because of the threat that scavenging birds and frequent dump fires pose to aircraft using the airport, the FAA has ordered the landfill closed. But in order to do that, a new waste facility must be constructed.
The FAA has the authority to decertify the runway and close the St. Croix airport if the deadline is not met.
Finch has also said the FAA has threatened to turn the approximately $31 million in federal grants to renovate the airport into loans if the deadline is missed.
But Finch told senators that the deadline wasn’t cast in stone.
"They did not say they would not give an extension," he said.
Finance Committee Chairwoman Alicia "Chucky" Hansen said the landfill issue needs to be resolved. She scolded the Turnbull administration for not being candid about a landfill closure plan and about a replacement.
"How can you do long-range planning if you don’t have the cards on the table," she said.
The Turnbull administration is leaning heavily toward a waste-to-energy gasification plant that will likely carry a price tag of between $150 million and $200 million. Such a facility would be the single most costly project ever undertaken by the V.I. government.
The landfill is located on Port Authority land but operated by the Public Works Department, which had forecast construction of the gasification plant to begin last March. A revised schedule now has work beginning sometime next year with a construction timeline of at least 20 months.
Tentative sites for the new facility are near the molasses pier or on the property of the now-closed St. Croix Alumina. Both of those sites, however, still could cause problems with the FAA because they are within 10,000 feet of the airport’s runway.
V.I. Port Authority Executive Director Gordon Finch, testifying Thursday before the Senate Finance Committee, said FAA officials are "very, very tired" of listening to the same reasons why the landfill adjacent to St. Croix’s Henry E. Rohlsen Airport has yet to be moved. In fact, Finch, who had been on the mainland until Thursday meeting with FAA officials about the airport’s proposed control tower, read a letter he had just received from the FAA.
It said the FAA is preparing its grant requests for fiscal year 2002 for developing the Rohlsen Airport and wanted to know what action has been taken by the Port Authority and the Turnbull administration to "satisfy the commitment" made to close the landfill by the end of next year.
Because of the threat that scavenging birds and frequent dump fires pose to aircraft using the airport, the FAA has ordered the landfill closed. But in order to do that, a new waste facility must be constructed.
The FAA has the authority to decertify the runway and close the St. Croix airport if the deadline is not met.
Finch has also said the FAA has threatened to turn the approximately $31 million in federal grants to renovate the airport into loans if the deadline is missed.
But Finch told senators that the deadline wasn’t cast in stone.
"They did not say they would not give an extension," he said.
Finance Committee Chairwoman Alicia "Chucky" Hansen said the landfill issue needs to be resolved. She scolded the Turnbull administration for not being candid about a landfill closure plan and about a replacement.
"How can you do long-range planning if you don’t have the cards on the table," she said.
The Turnbull administration is leaning heavily toward a waste-to-energy gasification plant that will likely carry a price tag of between $150 million and $200 million. Such a facility would be the single most costly project ever undertaken by the V.I. government.
The landfill is located on Port Authority land but operated by the Public Works Department, which had forecast construction of the gasification plant to begin last March. A revised schedule now has work beginning sometime next year with a construction timeline of at least 20 months.
Tentative sites for the new facility are near the molasses pier or on the property of the now-closed St. Croix Alumina. Both of those sites, however, still could cause problems with the FAA because they are within 10,000 feet of the airport’s runway.
TUITT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL OPENING
Parents and guardians of students who will be attending the Jane E. Tuitt Elementary School are given informaiton for the coming school year:
Aug. 28 – 8 a.m. – All new and returning students in grades one through six, including multiage students, are to report. Parents and guardians are to accompany their children.
Kindergarten students are also to report to school for orientation on this day and are to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Following the orientation, parents will leave with their children.
Aug. 2 – 9:30 a.m. A mandatory orientation for students in grades one through six will be held in the school assembly area adjacent to the stage.
Aug. 28 – 8 a.m. – All new and returning students in grades one through six, including multiage students, are to report. Parents and guardians are to accompany their children.
Kindergarten students are also to report to school for orientation on this day and are to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Following the orientation, parents will leave with their children.
Aug. 2 – 9:30 a.m. A mandatory orientation for students in grades one through six will be held in the school assembly area adjacent to the stage.
