Nov. 15, 2001 – The president and chief executive officer of the West Indian Co. Ltd., Edward Thomas, suggested Wednesday that a Virgin Islands Port Authority investment in St. Croix would be more advisable than developing the Crown Bay marine port into a shopping center.
Thomas, speaking on tourism issues to the Advertising Club of the Virgin Islands, noted what he considered drawbacks to the visitor experience on St. Thomas if the shopping district were to be expanded, as opposed to benefits of investing in a cruise ship home port in St. Croix.
"St. Thomas does not need any more tourism-related retail outlets," Thomas said.
He noted that if such a plan does materialize, Main Street, the traditional shopping mecca, will be the big loser since it will be bounded on both ends "by large malls selling the identical merchandise it sells."
Thomas said the Port Authority has a $300,000 federal grant to study what is needed to jump-start the economy on St. Croix. Thomas said he expected that a major recommendation of that study will be the establishment of a cruise home port on St. Croix to coincide with soon-to-be-completed airport improvements.
Thomas also offered a proposal concerning the controversial matter of a public-private Virgin Islands Tourism Authority. He suggested that the private element be an advisory panel, and the authority be allowed to draw from new revenue sources for tourism promotion.
"I propose to the 24th Legislature that as one of its first items of business, a Tourism Authority be established," he said. "The subsidiary agencies of the authority should include the Public Finance Authority, VIPA and the Tourism Department. The directors should be the chairman of the PFA, WICO, VIPA and the commissioner of Tourism."
Thomas said the mission of the authority would include:
– Determining how much of WICO's annual dividend to the PFA should be used for tourism promotion.
– Determining what tourism infrastructure projects the Port Authority will construct.;
– Determining how hotel occupancy funds are spent.
"These policy decisions will then be communicated to the respective agencies under the authority's umbrella for their boards to take appropriate action," he said.
Thomas said he is not convinced that the territory is taking maximum advantage of its success in attracting cruise ships to St. Thomas. Despite some concerns about the congestion caused by ever-increasing numbers of visitors, he sees the potential for filling hotel rooms with many of those same passengers.
"Tourism planners and executives need to stop pitting one sector against the other and feed upon each other instead," he said. He noted that not a single dollar is spent to advertise for the 1.7 million cruise passengers, "yet this is a perfect market for cultivating overnight guests."
While the demographics of the cruise sector have changed, Thomas said he finds hoteliers here are continuing in their old paradigms. "Someone needs to tell them that their competition is Branson, Missouri, and the Disney properties which host 6 million persons annually. The cruise lines have yet to carry 10 million passengers annually," he noted.
Planning the economy around tourism, the WICO president suggested, is consistent with all the trends in a region where tourism has proven its value.
"Tourism for all the Caribbean islands is growing to a regional economic mainstay. Tourism, including cruise tourism, has proven to be a particularly reliable source of revenue even during difficult economic periods," he said.
Thomas pointed out that in the Caribbean region, cruise tourism continues to account for 50 percent of the total capacity and delivers a significant increase in passenger numbers to the region each year. As a consequence, he said, the economic impact of cruise tourism on the islands of the region becomes even more important.
"A particular item of significance to the Caribbean is a passenger-driven shift from making the ship the destination itself to adding more ports on an itinerary," Thomas said.
Given the inclination of some Virgin Islands lawmakers to revisit the issue of an increase in the cruise passenger head tax, Thomas offered information on Panama's effort to attract more cruise visits, saying that as the Virgin Islands considers charging more for visits here, that country, which also has a Caribbean coast, is offering to pay for visits. He noted that at a conference a month ago, the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association spoke of a plan by the government of Panama to offer an incentive that solidifies its commitment to the cruise industry and to tourism.
"Under this agreement, the government will pay an incentive of $2.50 to $12 per passenger calls at any Panamanian port," Thomas said. "The incentive increases as the passenger count rises. The term of the agreement is for five years."
WVWI Radio One will broadcast Thomas' entire speech to the Ad Club of the Virgin Islands at 12:30 p.m. Thursday.

In the wake of the 2000 census, the most recent, microfilms of the earliest censuses in the Virgin Islands will be presented to Gov. Charles W. Turnbull at 11:30 a.m. Thursday at Government House. Erik Goebel of the Danish National Archives will formally present the censuses of 1841 and 1846 to Turnbull as part of the bilateral agreement signed last year by Denmark and the U.S.V.I. on cooperation regarding the joint heritage of Danes and Virgin Islanders.
Films of all other censuses in the Virgin Islands when they were under Danish rule will follow as soon as possible, according to a statement from Government House.
Myron Jackson, director of the V.I. State Historic Preservation Office, said in the statement that by April 2001, the Danish National Archives plans to finish a detailed catalog and guide to all records pertaining to the V.I., followed by an English translation.
"Many more records of relevance to Virgin Islands history that are kept in Copenhagen may be copied," Jackson said. "This is very expensive, however, and the accomplishment of that much desirable project depends on the funds that can be raised in Denmark, the U.S. Virgin Islands, as well as in the United States."
Jackson said further joint efforts will be discussed in a meeting of the Bilateral Archive Commission in the U.S.V.I. in March 2001.

Shopping at Tutu Park Mall and Kmart just took a big step forward as the two are now joined through an entryway to be dedicated in a Grand Opening celebration starting at 2 p.m. Saturday.
"Both patrons and tenants saw the value of having this entryway," said Pamela Morales, Mall marketing director, who said the change had been requested by both groups in order to facilitate the shopping experience.
Now it will no longer be necessary to go outside the mall to access Kmart. "Luckily, it was completed just in time for the holidays," said Morales of the construction which began in September.
Tony T will host the event, which will include a ribbon cutting ceremony, refreshments, prizes and live jazz. "The event is our way of connecting with our patrons, and celebrating the successful completion of this much awaited project," Morales said.

Public school students have a rare opportunity to brush up on their Shakespeare this weekend at no cost. More than 300 free tickets are available for Shenandoah Shakespeare Express productions Nov. 17 and 18 at the Reichhold Center for the Arts.
The Express company claims to "blow the cobwebs off Shakespeare," which they will do in performances of "Othello" on Friday, and "Twelfth Night" on Saturday. Both shows are at 8 p.m.
A generous group of corporate sponsors has provided the free tickets, which must be picked up at the Reichhold Center Box Office between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Students must identify themselves when making a reservation, and bring a student ID card when picking up tickets. Call (340) 693-1559 to make reservations. Regular adult tickets are $22 and $18.
The tickets were provided by Dr. Frank Odlum, MSI Building Supply, David Jones Real Estate, John's Auto Center, Rotary Club of St. Thomas, Attorney James Hindels and Reliable Construction.

The Turnbull administration is on the offensive to try to legitimize the formation of a special unit to protect the governor, lieutenant governor and the territory’s budget.
Officers from the V.I. Police Department’s general force are now assigned to the governor and lieutenant governor’s security units. But the practice means officers rack up exorbitant amounts of overtime pay. To address the issue, Gov. Charles Turnbull announced last April that he would form an executive security unit within the Police Department.
In a Government House release Tuesday, Police Commissioner Franz Christian said the proposed unit would save the department $500,000 annually. Christian said that between 1994 and now, some officers assigned to the security unit earned more than $100,000 a year.
Criticism of the new unit has been strong, especially from the St. Croix Police Benevolent Association and other government employees who see it as needless spending at a time when Turnbull says there is no money for wage increases.
The St. Croix PBA is planning to block Turnbull’s efforts in court, saying the move violates the collective bargaining agreement between police officers and the government. Naomi Joseph, PBA president, said the union has no problem with the unit as long as it’s not staffed by PBA members.
"Put employees in there that aren’t part of the bargaining unit," Joseph said, adding that the $500,000 Christian claims will be saved by the new unit will be offset by taking officers off the street to protect the governor and lieutenant governor. "We need police officers. There is not enough manpower as it is."
In the Government House release, Christian disputed reports that the unit would have 35 sworn officers. While he said the size of the unit hasn’t been decided, the number of sworn officers assigned in the past has been as high as 12. Seven sworn officers are now assigned to protect the governor and lieutenant governor, he said.
In addition to the sworn officers, the unit will include Government House orderlies, chauffeurs and guards who will receive their regular salaries.
Salaries for sworn officers in the new unit will be in the "$50,000 range to compensate, at best, the duties of these officers without overtime compensation," Christian said.
All members of the unit will be unclassified employees, retain their respective ranks and seniority in the departments they were in prior to being assigned to the unit and be able to test for promotion, according to the Turnbull administration.
That, however, doesn’t sit well with the PBA. Officers in the proposed unit aren’t going to be part of the Police Department, Joseph said. The idea that the security unit members would still retain their ranks and be able to take promotional exams makes it unfair for other officers, Joseph said.
"They will have a foot in and out of the door at the same time," she said.
The unit will be headed by a director who will be designated by the police commissioner with the approval of the governor. The unit will protect the chief executive and his second-in-command on a 24-hour basis.
Members of the unit will accompany their charges outside of the territory and escort visiting dignitaries and officials of the Governor’s Office. They will also be responsible for transportation, guarding the governor and the lieutenant governor’s residences and other duties the governor assigns.

About 45 persons turned out Tuesday night for the second in a series of town hall meetings on St. Thomas. Originally called to deal with the government's financial crisis and the impasse with the American Federation of Teachers, the meetings increasingly have focused on the latter.
Tuesday's gathering focused on site-based management and other concepts to determine if savings can be realized in the Education Department's budget, which could then be diverted to teachers compensation. That focus was in keeping with the first such town hall meeting, in which resolutions were adopted to institute site-based management and earmark all monies saved by future restructuring of Education for reopening wage negotiations for teachers.
Site-based management is already endorsed by Education and the collective bargaining units representing teachers and school administrators. In fact, the commitment to site-based management is incorporated in the last contract negotiated with these unions in 1993.
But so far, only two schools are experimenting with the concept, the E. Benjamin Oliver and Edith Williams elementary schools.
Emily Carter, Oliver school principal, shared that school's early experiment with a limited $30,000 budget under its control. "I think we are just in the beginning, planning stages," she said, "and are no where near we can reach the fullest potential."
Carter said she was pleased, however, that the groundwork for such management tools has already been laid by the pilot project at Oliver.
The president of the local Educational Administrators Association, Carver Farrow, endorsed site-based management as a means of getting more education resources directly to students and believes the concept needs to be expanded to place more budgetary and decision-making authority in the hands of school-based teams. Farrow said the town hall meetings can become the forum by which educational reform can be used.
"The town meeting is a very good vehicle to discuss educational issues because all persons in the community can offer opinions and dialogue in a politically free environment," Farrow said.
Businessman Neal Weiss proposed a more comprehensive approach, which is being incorporated into a proposal being developed. It would require the government to make money available for education by trimming the government payroll by 45 employees each month for a year. Assuming that mid-level management employees would constitute the bulk of the dismissals, they would be absorbed by the private sector, which Weiss believes could use their skills.
The incentive for the private sector would be a $2,500 tax credit for each government employee hired. The Weiss proposal would be worded to include employees of the government's semi-autonomous agencies, including the West Indian Co., Ltd.
Any savings they realize by reducing payroll would be added to their annual payments to the government in lieu of taxes, with the money designated for specific educational purposes.

Montessori School is holding its 31st annual "Las Vegas Night" starting at 7 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Beach Resort ballroom, featuring an auction with a top prize of $10,000.
About 90 dealers have been recruited this year, not only from parents, but from the ranks of good-hearted community people, according to Shournagh McWeeney, school administrator. It's not only a good cause – it's fun. The evening will have roulette, blackjack, craps tables and even bingo. Though 90 seems a lot, the dealers work from 7 p.m. until the wee hours when the last players wind down.
Though the $10,000 raffle prize would be nice, there are also several "lovely surprises" from the students, McWheeney said. Since the students are under 18 years old, they cannot attend the event in person, so each grade makes something to auction.
Last year one class made a ceramic dish set and another group of six to nine-year-old created a painting which sold for $600. Not Picasso perhaps, but maybe a baby Grandma Moses.
Aside from the children's contributions, the auction will feature cruise and airline trips, jewelry and a variety of prizes donated from local merchants. There will also be a silent auction.
Tickets for the event are $30 in advance, or $35 at the door, and can be purchased from the school, or from any Montessori parent. They are also available at Glenn's Gifts and Bags, Phil's Paradise in Tutu park Mall, Sanrio, East End Secretarial in Red Hook, the Veggie Table in Frenchtown, Silk Greenery in Fort Mylner and Connections in Cruz Bay, St. John. Raffle tickets are $5, and can be purchased from any Montessori student or parent. For more information, call (340) 775-6360 or (340) 775-6511.

Montessori School is holding its 31st annual "Las Vegas Night" starting at 7 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Beach Resort ballroom, featuring an auction with a top prize of $10,000.
About 90 dealers have been recruited this year, not only from parents, but from the ranks of good-hearted community people, according to Shournagh McWeeney, school administrator. It's not only a good cause – it's fun. The evening will have roulette, blackjack, craps tables and even bingo. Though 90 seems a lot, the dealers work from 7 p.m. until the wee hours when the last players wind down.
Though the $10,000 raffle prize would be nice, there are also several "lovely surprises" from the students, McWheeney said. Since the students are under 18 years old, they cannot attend the event in person, so each grade makes something to auction.
Last year one class made a ceramic dish set and another group of six to nine-year-old created a painting which sold for $600. Not Picasso perhaps, but maybe a baby Grandma Moses.
Aside from the children's contributions, the auction will feature cruise and airline trips, jewelry and a variety of prizes donated from local merchants. There will also be a silent auction.
Tickets for the event are $30 in advance, or $35 at the door, and can be purchased from the school, or from any Montessori parent. They are also available at Glenn's Gifts and Bags, Phil's Paradise in Tutu park Mall, Sanrio, East End Secretarial in Red Hook, the Veggie Table in Frenchtown, Silk Greenery in Fort Mylner and Connections in Cruz Bay, St. John. Raffle tickets are $5, and can be purchased from any Montessori student or parent. For more information, call (340) 775-6360 or (340) 775-6511.

Montessori School is holding its annual "Las Vegas Night" starting at 7 p.m. Dec. 2 at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Beach Resort ballroom, featuring an auction with a top prize of $10,000.
Tickets for the event are $30 in advance, or $35 at the door, and can be purchased from the school, or from any Montessori parent. They are also available at Glenn's Gifts and Bags, Phil's Paradise in Tutu park Mall, Sanrio, East End Secretarial in Red Hook, the Veggie Table in Frenchtown, Silk Greenery in Fort Mylner and Connections in Cruz Bay, St. John. Raffle tickets are $5, and can be purchased from any Montessori student or parent. For more information, call (340) 775-6360 or (340) 775-6511.

Former St. Thomas resident Shannon Carstens recently moved to California to work as public relations coordinator for The Coppola Companies, owned by renowned filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola ("The Godfather" trilogy, "Apocalypse Now"). Based in Rutherford, in Napa Valley country, Carstens is the liaison between all of the Coppola companies and the company's publicist in New York.
"This is quite an opportunity for me," she said about her new job. "I'm a tremendously lucky person."
The Coppola Companies is comprised of its film division, Zoetrope, located in San Francisco, the historic Inglenook winery now called Niebaum-Coppola Estate winery, the food brands Mammarella pasta, pasta sauce and olive oil, and two cafes, one in San Francisco and the second, newly opened, in Palo Alto. Among the wine brands produced by the company are Francis Coppola Presents, Diamond Series, Niebaum-Coppola Estate wines, and the flagship proprietary blend Rubicon.
Carstens brings to the position the experience of having worked for both a retailer and distributor of wines. In St. Thomas, Carstens worked in the advertising department at A.H. Riise where she was involved in the promotion of the store's wine and liquor products. She went on to work for the West Indies Corporation as their marketing director, and then for a brief period operated her own catering business. She now spends her free time learning all she can about the process of winemaking, recently volunteering to pick grape samples to test sugar levels for harvest.
Carstens enjoys the "diversity of the job" and "being able to tackle a wide range of projects." A typical day for her involves sending out press releases introducing new wines, or arranging for a film crew to shoot at the winery. On occasion, Carstens works directly with Coppola, whom she describes as "animated and very gracious." Most recently, she has been involved with the promotion of his new virtual studio, www.zoetrope.com.
Carstens moved to St. Thomas from Minnesota in 1988 after graduating from high school. She attended the University of the Virgin Islands where she studied marketing and received a degree in business administration. She credits Prof. Marie Hermann and Jayne Winter of A.H. Riise as mentors, but says her biggest role model professionally and otherwise is her Mom, Deanna Smith. Smith still resides in St. Thomas and works at Roy L. Schneider Hospital.