The House Resources Committee Wednesday unanimously passed a bill seeking to clarify the process for the Virgin Islands and Guam to adopt a local constitution.
HR 3999 was sponsored by Committee Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska) and contains concerns raised by Gov. Charles Turnbull and other witnesses from the Virgin Islands that testified at the hearing on the bill last week.
"I am pleased that Chairman Young responded to our concern that his original bill eliminated the requirement that Congress had to act within 60 days of a proposed constitution that was submitted for approval," said V.I. Delegate to Congress Donna Christian Christensen.
Congress passed legislation in 1976, sponsored by then-Delegate Ron de Lugo, authorizing the people of the Virgin Islands and Guam to adopt local constitutions, however neither territory has succeeded in adopting a constitution. Young introduced HR 3999 to both eliminate the need for Congress to have to pass legislation to make changes to the Organic Acts for Guam and the Virgin Islands for non-federal matters as well as possible legal and perceived problems with the existing law that authorized the adoption of a constitution.
Christensen said that if Young’s legislation is approved by Congress her bill seeking to reduce the number of members in the V.I. Legislature would not be needed. Her bill is expected to come up for a vote in the Resources Committee after the Memorial Day congressional recess.
HOUSE COMMITTEE PASSES V.I. CONSTITUTION BILL
The House Resources Committee Wednesday unanimously passed a bill seeking to clarify the process for the Virgin Islands and Guam to adopt a local constitution.
HR 3999 was sponsored by Committee Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska) and contains concerns raised by Gov. Charles Turnbull and other witnesses from the Virgin Islands that testified at the hearing on the bill last week.
"I am pleased that Chairman Young responded to our concern that his original bill eliminated the requirement that Congress had to act within 60 days of a proposed constitution that was submitted for approval," said V.I. Delegate to Congress Donna Christian Christensen.
Congress passed legislation in 1976, sponsored by then-Delegate Ron de Lugo, authorizing the people of the Virgin Islands and Guam to adopt local constitutions, however neither territory has succeeded in adopting a constitution. Young introduced HR 3999 to both eliminate the need for Congress to have to pass legislation to make changes to the Organic Acts for Guam and the Virgin Islands for non-federal matters as well as possible legal and perceived problems with the existing law that authorized the adoption of a constitution.
Christensen said that if Young’s legislation is approved by Congress her bill seeking to reduce the number of members in the V.I. Legislature would not be needed. Her bill is expected to come up for a vote in the Resources Committee after the Memorial Day congressional recess.
HR 3999 was sponsored by Committee Chairman Don Young (R-Alaska) and contains concerns raised by Gov. Charles Turnbull and other witnesses from the Virgin Islands that testified at the hearing on the bill last week.
"I am pleased that Chairman Young responded to our concern that his original bill eliminated the requirement that Congress had to act within 60 days of a proposed constitution that was submitted for approval," said V.I. Delegate to Congress Donna Christian Christensen.
Congress passed legislation in 1976, sponsored by then-Delegate Ron de Lugo, authorizing the people of the Virgin Islands and Guam to adopt local constitutions, however neither territory has succeeded in adopting a constitution. Young introduced HR 3999 to both eliminate the need for Congress to have to pass legislation to make changes to the Organic Acts for Guam and the Virgin Islands for non-federal matters as well as possible legal and perceived problems with the existing law that authorized the adoption of a constitution.
Christensen said that if Young’s legislation is approved by Congress her bill seeking to reduce the number of members in the V.I. Legislature would not be needed. Her bill is expected to come up for a vote in the Resources Committee after the Memorial Day congressional recess.
MILLION MOM MARCHER: GUN CONTROL IS CRITICAL
"Accessibility to guns is the root of the violent crime in the United States and the territory," in the view of Virgin Islands therapist Alice Hamilton, who participated in the Million Mom March in Washington, D.C., on Mother's Day.
In contrast, she said, "When persons get into an altercation in Europe, they tend to ‘duke it out' with fists instead of firing off a fatal shot. Here, where guns are easily available, anger results in fatalities."
As executive director for the first 10 years of Women's Resource Center (now Family Resource Center) on St. Thomas, Hamilton had frequent experience dealing with the tragedies of violent crime. As a therapist in private practice now, she is assisting the family of the victim of Tuesday's Main Street shooting.
Hamilton's niece, a physician in Ann Arbor, Mich., invited Hamilton to join her in Washington for the march. "It was a very moving experience to be with so many people who are concerned about the welfare of others," Hamilton said. "It is too rare that people take action and give witness to a call for meaningful change."
It was not known whether any other Virgin Islanders took part in the march. The office of Delegate Donna Christian-Christensen in Washington had no information on any other participants.
Donna Dees-Thomases, a mother from New Jersey, led in organizing the Million Mom March. Like Hamilton, she has not lost a child to gun violence, but she agonized for the many mothers who had, and she felt a great need to make an impact for change.
As Dees-Thomases watched one more gun tragedy on the nightly news last August, she scribbled plans for a demonstration on the back of an envelope. The next day she reserved the Washington Mall, contacted several anti-gun groups, ordered an 800 number and went to work, taking a leave from her job as a CBS Entertainment publicist. The result was the gathering of hundreds of thousands of women, along with children and men, on May 14. (Organizers put the number at 750,000; while seasoned Washington demonstration observers said it was less than that, it was without question by far the nation's largest-ever protest against gun violence.)
A longtime advocate of gun control, Hamilton remembers a significant conference on violence that she attended in the late 1980s, presented by the federal government in Charlotte, N.C. "At that conference the main theme was that guns were a major factor in violent crime," she recalled. "The New York Sullivan Act was touted as the way to go. It is a law that has a mandatory prison sentence for illegal gun possession." She noted, "The relationship of gun control to the reduction of crime is not a new idea."
"The points emphasized by the many speakers at the Million Mom March included requiring gun manufacturers to put safety locks on all guns, enforcing gun registration laws already on the books, and particularly taking the time to thoroughly research the background of the applicants to see if they have a criminal record," she said.
Hamilton said strong enforcement of gun laws is desperately needed in the Virgin Islands. "Police should stop cars to search for guns and be more vigilant about enforcing minor laws before major crimes are committed," she said. She said there is no doubt about the connection between guns and drugs and believes that smuggling is a major problem.
She will continue to advocate for stronger gun control laws so she doesn't have to comfort dear friends like the parents of promising young men like Jason Carroll.
In contrast, she said, "When persons get into an altercation in Europe, they tend to ‘duke it out' with fists instead of firing off a fatal shot. Here, where guns are easily available, anger results in fatalities."
As executive director for the first 10 years of Women's Resource Center (now Family Resource Center) on St. Thomas, Hamilton had frequent experience dealing with the tragedies of violent crime. As a therapist in private practice now, she is assisting the family of the victim of Tuesday's Main Street shooting.
Hamilton's niece, a physician in Ann Arbor, Mich., invited Hamilton to join her in Washington for the march. "It was a very moving experience to be with so many people who are concerned about the welfare of others," Hamilton said. "It is too rare that people take action and give witness to a call for meaningful change."
It was not known whether any other Virgin Islanders took part in the march. The office of Delegate Donna Christian-Christensen in Washington had no information on any other participants.
Donna Dees-Thomases, a mother from New Jersey, led in organizing the Million Mom March. Like Hamilton, she has not lost a child to gun violence, but she agonized for the many mothers who had, and she felt a great need to make an impact for change.
As Dees-Thomases watched one more gun tragedy on the nightly news last August, she scribbled plans for a demonstration on the back of an envelope. The next day she reserved the Washington Mall, contacted several anti-gun groups, ordered an 800 number and went to work, taking a leave from her job as a CBS Entertainment publicist. The result was the gathering of hundreds of thousands of women, along with children and men, on May 14. (Organizers put the number at 750,000; while seasoned Washington demonstration observers said it was less than that, it was without question by far the nation's largest-ever protest against gun violence.)
A longtime advocate of gun control, Hamilton remembers a significant conference on violence that she attended in the late 1980s, presented by the federal government in Charlotte, N.C. "At that conference the main theme was that guns were a major factor in violent crime," she recalled. "The New York Sullivan Act was touted as the way to go. It is a law that has a mandatory prison sentence for illegal gun possession." She noted, "The relationship of gun control to the reduction of crime is not a new idea."
"The points emphasized by the many speakers at the Million Mom March included requiring gun manufacturers to put safety locks on all guns, enforcing gun registration laws already on the books, and particularly taking the time to thoroughly research the background of the applicants to see if they have a criminal record," she said.
Hamilton said strong enforcement of gun laws is desperately needed in the Virgin Islands. "Police should stop cars to search for guns and be more vigilant about enforcing minor laws before major crimes are committed," she said. She said there is no doubt about the connection between guns and drugs and believes that smuggling is a major problem.
She will continue to advocate for stronger gun control laws so she doesn't have to comfort dear friends like the parents of promising young men like Jason Carroll.
SUSPECT CHARGED IN MAIN STREET SLAYING
Major Crime Task Force detectives charged Deshawn Harrigan, 24, of Hospital Ground, late Wednesday night with second-degree murder and illegal possession of a weapon in connection with the fatal shooting of 18-year-old Jason Carroll in downtown Charlotte Amalie Tuesday afternoon.
Harrigan's arrest came after hours of intense interrogation Wednesday afternoon and evening, a police source said.
During the hours of questioning, Harrigan reportedly told police that a friend of his and Carroll became involved in a dispute near the Main Street end of Drake's Passage. Harrigan allegedly got involved after Carroll wrestled Harrigan's friend to the ground. A fight that ensued between Harrigan and Carroll intensified to the point where a weapon was brandished and shots were fired, police sources said.
Shot in the chest and left arm, Carroll staggered across Main Street in full view of dozens of tourists and residents on the street, collapsed in front of Princess Jewelers and died a few minutes later. Witnesses said two individuals ran from Drake's Passage and fled the scene.
The murder weapon was recovered, a police source said Wednesday.
Police investigators reportedly also questioned the friend who had been with Harrigan, but since he was not involved in the final struggle in which the shots were fired, he was not charged.
Harrigan was escorted from the Investigation Bureau in Nisky Center around 10 p.m. Wednesday to be booked at Zone A Command in the Criminal Justice Complex. Details on bail were not available. It was expected that an advice-of-rights hearing would be held on Thursday morning.
WVWI/Radio One quoted unnamed sources as saying the fatal shooting was a difficult case to bring to closure with an arrest. "We spent hours up and down the block around Drake's Passage canvassing persons who may have seen the altercation — and came up empty. Persons are just not coming forward," one officer said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Police worked through Tuesday night and all day Wednesday evaluating evidence and information acquired in efforts to identify the assailant. Carroll, who had just completed his first year of study at the University of the Virgin Islands, was the son of Assistant U.S. Attorney James Carroll.
Harrigan's arrest came after hours of intense interrogation Wednesday afternoon and evening, a police source said.
During the hours of questioning, Harrigan reportedly told police that a friend of his and Carroll became involved in a dispute near the Main Street end of Drake's Passage. Harrigan allegedly got involved after Carroll wrestled Harrigan's friend to the ground. A fight that ensued between Harrigan and Carroll intensified to the point where a weapon was brandished and shots were fired, police sources said.
Shot in the chest and left arm, Carroll staggered across Main Street in full view of dozens of tourists and residents on the street, collapsed in front of Princess Jewelers and died a few minutes later. Witnesses said two individuals ran from Drake's Passage and fled the scene.
The murder weapon was recovered, a police source said Wednesday.
Police investigators reportedly also questioned the friend who had been with Harrigan, but since he was not involved in the final struggle in which the shots were fired, he was not charged.
Harrigan was escorted from the Investigation Bureau in Nisky Center around 10 p.m. Wednesday to be booked at Zone A Command in the Criminal Justice Complex. Details on bail were not available. It was expected that an advice-of-rights hearing would be held on Thursday morning.
WVWI/Radio One quoted unnamed sources as saying the fatal shooting was a difficult case to bring to closure with an arrest. "We spent hours up and down the block around Drake's Passage canvassing persons who may have seen the altercation — and came up empty. Persons are just not coming forward," one officer said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Police worked through Tuesday night and all day Wednesday evaluating evidence and information acquired in efforts to identify the assailant. Carroll, who had just completed his first year of study at the University of the Virgin Islands, was the son of Assistant U.S. Attorney James Carroll.
MILLION MOM MARCHER: GUN CONTROL IS CRITICAL
"Accessibility to guns is the root of the violent crime in the United States and the territory," in the view of St. Thomas therapist Alice Hamilton, who participated in the Million Mom March in Washington, D.C., on Mother's Day.
In contrast, she said, "When persons get into an altercation in Europe, they tend to ‘duke it out' with fists instead of firing off a fatal shot. Here, where guns are easily available, anger results in fatalities."
As executive director for the first 10 years of Women's Resource Center (now Family Resource Center) on St. Thomas, Hamilton had frequent experience dealing with the tragedies of violent crime. As a therapist in private practice now, she is assisting the family of the victim of Tuesday's Main Street shooting.
Hamilton's niece, a physician in Ann Arbor, Mich., invited Hamilton to join her in Washington for the march. "It was a very moving experience to be with so many people who are concerned about the welfare of others," Hamilton said. "It is too rare that people take action and give witness to a call for meaningful change."
It was not known whether any other Virgin Islanders took part in the march. The office of Delegate Donna Christian-Christensen in Washington had no information on any other participants.
Donna Dees-Thomases, a mother from New Jersey, led in organizing the Million Mom March. Like Hamilton, she has not lost a child to gun violence, but she agonized for the many mothers who had, and she felt a great need to make an impact for change.
As Dees-Thomases watched one more gun tragedy on the nightly news last August, she scribbled plans for a demonstration on the back of an envelope. The next day she reserved the Washington Mall, contacted several anti-gun groups, ordered an 800 number and went to work, taking a leave from her job as a CBS Entertainment publicist. The result was the gathering of hundreds of thousands of women, along with children and men, on May 14. (Organizers put the number at 750,000; while seasoned Washington demonstration observers said it was less than that, it was without question by far the nation's largest-ever protest against gun violence.)
A longtime advocate of gun control, Hamilton remembers a significant conference on violence that she attended in the late 1980s, presented by the federal government in Charlotte, N.C. "At that conference the main theme was that guns were a major factor in violent crime," she recalled. "The New York Sullivan Act was touted as the way to go. It is a law that has a mandatory prison sentence for illegal gun possession." She noted, "The relationship of gun control to the reduction of crime is not a new idea."
"The points emphasized by the many speakers at the Million Mom March included requiring gun manufacturers to put safety locks on all guns, enforcing gun registration laws already on the books, and particularly taking the time to thoroughly research the background of the applicants to see if they have a criminal record," she said.
Hamilton said strong enforcement of gun laws is desperately needed in the Virgin Islands. "Police should stop cars to search for guns and be more vigilant about enforcing minor laws before major crimes are committed," she said. She said there is no doubt about the connection between guns and drugs and believes that smuggling is a major problem.
She will continue to advocate for stronger gun control laws so she doesn't have to comfort dear friends like the parents of promising young men like Jason Carroll.
In contrast, she said, "When persons get into an altercation in Europe, they tend to ‘duke it out' with fists instead of firing off a fatal shot. Here, where guns are easily available, anger results in fatalities."
As executive director for the first 10 years of Women's Resource Center (now Family Resource Center) on St. Thomas, Hamilton had frequent experience dealing with the tragedies of violent crime. As a therapist in private practice now, she is assisting the family of the victim of Tuesday's Main Street shooting.
Hamilton's niece, a physician in Ann Arbor, Mich., invited Hamilton to join her in Washington for the march. "It was a very moving experience to be with so many people who are concerned about the welfare of others," Hamilton said. "It is too rare that people take action and give witness to a call for meaningful change."
It was not known whether any other Virgin Islanders took part in the march. The office of Delegate Donna Christian-Christensen in Washington had no information on any other participants.
Donna Dees-Thomases, a mother from New Jersey, led in organizing the Million Mom March. Like Hamilton, she has not lost a child to gun violence, but she agonized for the many mothers who had, and she felt a great need to make an impact for change.
As Dees-Thomases watched one more gun tragedy on the nightly news last August, she scribbled plans for a demonstration on the back of an envelope. The next day she reserved the Washington Mall, contacted several anti-gun groups, ordered an 800 number and went to work, taking a leave from her job as a CBS Entertainment publicist. The result was the gathering of hundreds of thousands of women, along with children and men, on May 14. (Organizers put the number at 750,000; while seasoned Washington demonstration observers said it was less than that, it was without question by far the nation's largest-ever protest against gun violence.)
A longtime advocate of gun control, Hamilton remembers a significant conference on violence that she attended in the late 1980s, presented by the federal government in Charlotte, N.C. "At that conference the main theme was that guns were a major factor in violent crime," she recalled. "The New York Sullivan Act was touted as the way to go. It is a law that has a mandatory prison sentence for illegal gun possession." She noted, "The relationship of gun control to the reduction of crime is not a new idea."
"The points emphasized by the many speakers at the Million Mom March included requiring gun manufacturers to put safety locks on all guns, enforcing gun registration laws already on the books, and particularly taking the time to thoroughly research the background of the applicants to see if they have a criminal record," she said.
Hamilton said strong enforcement of gun laws is desperately needed in the Virgin Islands. "Police should stop cars to search for guns and be more vigilant about enforcing minor laws before major crimes are committed," she said. She said there is no doubt about the connection between guns and drugs and believes that smuggling is a major problem.
She will continue to advocate for stronger gun control laws so she doesn't have to comfort dear friends like the parents of promising young men like Jason Carroll.
MILLION MOM MARCHER: GUN CONTROL IS CRITICAL
"Accessibility to guns is the root of the violent crime in the United States and the territory," in the view of St. Thomas therapist Alice Hamilton, who participated in the Million Mom March in Washington, D.C., on Mother's Day.
In contrast, she said, "When persons get into an altercation in Europe, they tend to ‘duke it out' with fists instead of firing off a fatal shot. Here, where guns are easily available, anger results in fatalities."
As executive director for the first 10 years of Women's Resource Center (now Family Resource Center) on St. Thomas, Hamilton had frequent experience dealing with the tragedies of violent crime. As a therapist in private practice now, she is assisting the family of the victim of Tuesday's Main Street shooting.
Hamilton's niece, a physician in Ann Arbor, Mich., invited Hamilton to join her in Washington for the march. "It was a very moving experience to be with so many people who are concerned about the welfare of others," Hamilton said. "It is too rare that people take action and give witness to a call for meaningful change."
It was not known whether any other Virgin Islanders took part in the march. The office of Delegate Donna Christian-Christensen in Washington had no information on any other participants.
Donna Dees-Thomases, a mother from New Jersey, led in organizing the Million Mom March. Like Hamilton, she has not lost a child to gun violence, but she agonized for the many mothers who had, and she felt a great need to make an impact for change.
As Dees-Thomases watched one more gun tragedy on the nightly news last August, she scribbled plans for a demonstration on the back of an envelope. The next day she reserved the Washington Mall, contacted several anti-gun groups, ordered an 800 number and went to work, taking a leave from her job as a CBS Entertainment publicist. The result was the gathering of hundreds of thousands of women, along with children and men, on May 14. (Organizers put the number at 750,000; while seasoned Washington demonstration observers said it was less than that, it was without question by far the nation's largest-ever protest against gun violence.)
A longtime advocate of gun control, Hamilton remembers a significant conference on violence that she attended in the late 1980s, presented by the federal government in Charlotte, N.C. "At that conference the main theme was that guns were a major factor in violent crime," she recalled. "The New York Sullivan Act was touted as the way to go. It is a law that has a mandatory prison sentence for illegal gun possession." She noted, "The relationship of gun control to the reduction of crime is not a new idea."
"The points emphasized by the many speakers at the Million Mom March included requiring gun manufacturers to put safety locks on all guns, enforcing gun registration laws already on the books, and particularly taking the time to thoroughly research the background of the applicants to see if they have a criminal record," she said.
Hamilton said strong enforcement of gun laws is desperately needed in the Virgin Islands. "Police should stop cars to search for guns and be more vigilant about enforcing minor laws before major crimes are committed," she said. She said there is no doubt about the connection between guns and drugs and believes that smuggling is a major problem.
She will continue to advocate for stronger gun control laws so she doesn't have to comfort dear friends like the parents of promising young men like Jason Carroll.
In contrast, she said, "When persons get into an altercation in Europe, they tend to ‘duke it out' with fists instead of firing off a fatal shot. Here, where guns are easily available, anger results in fatalities."
As executive director for the first 10 years of Women's Resource Center (now Family Resource Center) on St. Thomas, Hamilton had frequent experience dealing with the tragedies of violent crime. As a therapist in private practice now, she is assisting the family of the victim of Tuesday's Main Street shooting.
Hamilton's niece, a physician in Ann Arbor, Mich., invited Hamilton to join her in Washington for the march. "It was a very moving experience to be with so many people who are concerned about the welfare of others," Hamilton said. "It is too rare that people take action and give witness to a call for meaningful change."
It was not known whether any other Virgin Islanders took part in the march. The office of Delegate Donna Christian-Christensen in Washington had no information on any other participants.
Donna Dees-Thomases, a mother from New Jersey, led in organizing the Million Mom March. Like Hamilton, she has not lost a child to gun violence, but she agonized for the many mothers who had, and she felt a great need to make an impact for change.
As Dees-Thomases watched one more gun tragedy on the nightly news last August, she scribbled plans for a demonstration on the back of an envelope. The next day she reserved the Washington Mall, contacted several anti-gun groups, ordered an 800 number and went to work, taking a leave from her job as a CBS Entertainment publicist. The result was the gathering of hundreds of thousands of women, along with children and men, on May 14. (Organizers put the number at 750,000; while seasoned Washington demonstration observers said it was less than that, it was without question by far the nation's largest-ever protest against gun violence.)
A longtime advocate of gun control, Hamilton remembers a significant conference on violence that she attended in the late 1980s, presented by the federal government in Charlotte, N.C. "At that conference the main theme was that guns were a major factor in violent crime," she recalled. "The New York Sullivan Act was touted as the way to go. It is a law that has a mandatory prison sentence for illegal gun possession." She noted, "The relationship of gun control to the reduction of crime is not a new idea."
"The points emphasized by the many speakers at the Million Mom March included requiring gun manufacturers to put safety locks on all guns, enforcing gun registration laws already on the books, and particularly taking the time to thoroughly research the background of the applicants to see if they have a criminal record," she said.
Hamilton said strong enforcement of gun laws is desperately needed in the Virgin Islands. "Police should stop cars to search for guns and be more vigilant about enforcing minor laws before major crimes are committed," she said. She said there is no doubt about the connection between guns and drugs and believes that smuggling is a major problem.
She will continue to advocate for stronger gun control laws so she doesn't have to comfort dear friends like the parents of promising young men like Jason Carroll.
CRUISE SHIP FEE WAIVER HITTING VIPA’S BOTTOM LINE
The V.I. Port Authority’s decision two years ago to waive half of the fees for cruise ships calling on St. Thomas and St. Croix on the same trip is cutting into the agency’s bottom line while not producing any new port visits, according to Gordon Finch, VIPA’s executive director.
A contract signed by the V.I. government and VIPA in 1998 called for the waiver of the $7.50-per passenger marine fees at either St. Thomas or St. Croix as long as the Big Island was included in a ship’s itinerary. In lieu of collecting the fees VIPA doesn’t have to contribute $500,000 to the V.I. government’s coffers each year.
The idea behind the plan, spurred by business and tourism officials, was to attract more ships to St. Croix. Instead, VIPA has seen a decrease of $723,000 in user fees, resulting in an overall impact to the authority’s bottom line of approximately $236,000, according to an audit done by Roberto Santa Maria of PriceWaterhouse Coopers.
Santa Maria said the overall effect of the waiver means that shortfalls in VIPA’s Aviation Division usually covered by its Marine Division won’t be covered in the future.
"Once you do that for a whole year you’ll see a large decrease" in the bottom line, he said.
At Wednesday’s’s meeting of the VIPA board of directors, Finch said the agreement means everyone but the cruise lines are coming up short. He said that when the contract was signed there were some in government that felt VIPA was "ripping them off" by not making the half-million dollar contribution. Instead, Finch said VIPA is "actually suffering from the deal."
"Here it is the Port Authority went down to zero dollars," Finch said. "We haven’t seen the benefit of us giving away the barn. There has been no increase in visits. The cruise lines are simply adding that to their bottom line."
Based on current passenger arrivals, Finch said the loss in fees is close to $800,000 a year. Even though VIPA would have to contribute its $500,000 to the government if the contract were not in place, the authority would still reap approximately $300,000 in fee revenue.
Finch said projections for the 2000-2001 cruise seasons are for even more passenger arrivals on St. Croix, which under the contract would mean approximately $1.5 million in fees lost. Without the contract, VIPA would pay its $500,000 contribution to the government and pocket the balance.
While he didn’t recommend outright that board members reconsider the contract, Finch said that in light of VIPA’s overall revenue situation it is something they should think about.
"In fiscal 2000 we’re going to see the first impact of waiving those fees. The net effect . . . is going to be a negative number on our bottom line," Finch said, adding that VIPA should collect what’s due and pay its $500,000 contribution to the government. "It would shut (critics) up and we’d end up with a million dollars."
VIPA board member Sydney Lee, however, defended the fee waiver, saying that St. Croix’s beleaguered economy "needs all the help it can get." He said waiving the fees isn’t a permanent arrangement.
"You just can’t cut them off," Lee said. "We have to go easy and at the same time we (VIPA) can’t go bankrupt."
While Lee’s board colleague, Robert O’Connor Jr., said "nobody is suggesting cutting off St. Croix."
He said board members have a duty to operate VIPA in the black.
A contract signed by the V.I. government and VIPA in 1998 called for the waiver of the $7.50-per passenger marine fees at either St. Thomas or St. Croix as long as the Big Island was included in a ship’s itinerary. In lieu of collecting the fees VIPA doesn’t have to contribute $500,000 to the V.I. government’s coffers each year.
The idea behind the plan, spurred by business and tourism officials, was to attract more ships to St. Croix. Instead, VIPA has seen a decrease of $723,000 in user fees, resulting in an overall impact to the authority’s bottom line of approximately $236,000, according to an audit done by Roberto Santa Maria of PriceWaterhouse Coopers.
Santa Maria said the overall effect of the waiver means that shortfalls in VIPA’s Aviation Division usually covered by its Marine Division won’t be covered in the future.
"Once you do that for a whole year you’ll see a large decrease" in the bottom line, he said.
At Wednesday’s’s meeting of the VIPA board of directors, Finch said the agreement means everyone but the cruise lines are coming up short. He said that when the contract was signed there were some in government that felt VIPA was "ripping them off" by not making the half-million dollar contribution. Instead, Finch said VIPA is "actually suffering from the deal."
"Here it is the Port Authority went down to zero dollars," Finch said. "We haven’t seen the benefit of us giving away the barn. There has been no increase in visits. The cruise lines are simply adding that to their bottom line."
Based on current passenger arrivals, Finch said the loss in fees is close to $800,000 a year. Even though VIPA would have to contribute its $500,000 to the government if the contract were not in place, the authority would still reap approximately $300,000 in fee revenue.
Finch said projections for the 2000-2001 cruise seasons are for even more passenger arrivals on St. Croix, which under the contract would mean approximately $1.5 million in fees lost. Without the contract, VIPA would pay its $500,000 contribution to the government and pocket the balance.
While he didn’t recommend outright that board members reconsider the contract, Finch said that in light of VIPA’s overall revenue situation it is something they should think about.
"In fiscal 2000 we’re going to see the first impact of waiving those fees. The net effect . . . is going to be a negative number on our bottom line," Finch said, adding that VIPA should collect what’s due and pay its $500,000 contribution to the government. "It would shut (critics) up and we’d end up with a million dollars."
VIPA board member Sydney Lee, however, defended the fee waiver, saying that St. Croix’s beleaguered economy "needs all the help it can get." He said waiving the fees isn’t a permanent arrangement.
"You just can’t cut them off," Lee said. "We have to go easy and at the same time we (VIPA) can’t go bankrupt."
While Lee’s board colleague, Robert O’Connor Jr., said "nobody is suggesting cutting off St. Croix."
He said board members have a duty to operate VIPA in the black.
CRUISE SHIP FEE WAIVER HITTING VIPA’S BOTTOM LINE
The V.I. Port Authority’s decision two years ago to waive half of the fees for cruise ships calling on St. Thomas and St. Croix on the same trip is cutting into the agency’s bottom line while not producing any new port visits, according to Gordon Finch, VIPA’s executive director.
A contract signed by the V.I. government and VIPA in 1998 called for the waiver of the $7.50-per passenger marine fees at either St. Thomas or St. Croix as long as the Big Island was included in a ship’s itinerary. In lieu of collecting the fees VIPA doesn’t have to contribute $500,000 to the V.I. government’s coffers each year.
The idea behind the plan, spurred by business and tourism officials, was to attract more ships to St. Croix. Instead, VIPA has seen a decrease of $723,000 in user fees, resulting in an overall impact to the authority’s bottom line of approximately $236,000, according to an audit done by Roberto Santa Maria of PriceWaterhouse Coopers.
Santa Maria said the overall effect of the waiver means that shortfalls in VIPA’s Aviation Division usually covered by its Marine Division won’t be covered in the future.
"Once you do that for a whole year you’ll see a large decrease" in the bottom line, he said.
At Wednesday’s’s meeting of the VIPA board of directors, Finch said the agreement means everyone but the cruise lines are coming up short. He said that when the contract was signed there were some in government that felt VIPA was "ripping them off" by not making the half-million dollar contribution. Instead, Finch said VIPA is "actually suffering from the deal."
"Here it is the Port Authority went down to zero dollars," Finch said. "We haven’t seen the benefit of us giving away the barn. There has been no increase in visits. The cruise lines are simply adding that to their bottom line."
Based on current passenger arrivals, Finch said the loss in fees is close to $800,000 a year. Even though VIPA would have to contribute its $500,000 to the government if the contract were not in place, the authority would still reap approximately $300,000 in fee revenue.
Finch said projections for the 2000-2001 cruise seasons are for even more passenger arrivals on St. Croix, which under the contract would mean approximately $1.5 million in fees lost. Without the contract, VIPA would pay its $500,000 contribution to the government and pocket the balance.
While he didn’t recommend outright that board members reconsider the contract, Finch said that in light of VIPA’s overall revenue situation it is something they should think about.
"In fiscal 2000 we’re going to see the first impact of waiving those fees. The net effect . . . is going to be a negative number on our bottom line," Finch said, adding that VIPA should collect what’s due and pay its $500,000 contribution to the government. "It would shut (critics) up and we’d end up with a million dollars."
VIPA board member Sydney Lee, however, defended the fee waiver, saying that St. Croix’s beleaguered economy "needs all the help it can get." He said waiving the fees isn’t a permanent arrangement.
"You just can’t cut them off," Lee said. "We have to go easy and at the same time we (VIPA) can’t go bankrupt."
While Lee’s board colleague, Robert O’Connor Jr., said "nobody is suggesting cutting off St. Croix."
He said board members have a duty to operate VIPA in the black.
A contract signed by the V.I. government and VIPA in 1998 called for the waiver of the $7.50-per passenger marine fees at either St. Thomas or St. Croix as long as the Big Island was included in a ship’s itinerary. In lieu of collecting the fees VIPA doesn’t have to contribute $500,000 to the V.I. government’s coffers each year.
The idea behind the plan, spurred by business and tourism officials, was to attract more ships to St. Croix. Instead, VIPA has seen a decrease of $723,000 in user fees, resulting in an overall impact to the authority’s bottom line of approximately $236,000, according to an audit done by Roberto Santa Maria of PriceWaterhouse Coopers.
Santa Maria said the overall effect of the waiver means that shortfalls in VIPA’s Aviation Division usually covered by its Marine Division won’t be covered in the future.
"Once you do that for a whole year you’ll see a large decrease" in the bottom line, he said.
At Wednesday’s’s meeting of the VIPA board of directors, Finch said the agreement means everyone but the cruise lines are coming up short. He said that when the contract was signed there were some in government that felt VIPA was "ripping them off" by not making the half-million dollar contribution. Instead, Finch said VIPA is "actually suffering from the deal."
"Here it is the Port Authority went down to zero dollars," Finch said. "We haven’t seen the benefit of us giving away the barn. There has been no increase in visits. The cruise lines are simply adding that to their bottom line."
Based on current passenger arrivals, Finch said the loss in fees is close to $800,000 a year. Even though VIPA would have to contribute its $500,000 to the government if the contract were not in place, the authority would still reap approximately $300,000 in fee revenue.
Finch said projections for the 2000-2001 cruise seasons are for even more passenger arrivals on St. Croix, which under the contract would mean approximately $1.5 million in fees lost. Without the contract, VIPA would pay its $500,000 contribution to the government and pocket the balance.
While he didn’t recommend outright that board members reconsider the contract, Finch said that in light of VIPA’s overall revenue situation it is something they should think about.
"In fiscal 2000 we’re going to see the first impact of waiving those fees. The net effect . . . is going to be a negative number on our bottom line," Finch said, adding that VIPA should collect what’s due and pay its $500,000 contribution to the government. "It would shut (critics) up and we’d end up with a million dollars."
VIPA board member Sydney Lee, however, defended the fee waiver, saying that St. Croix’s beleaguered economy "needs all the help it can get." He said waiving the fees isn’t a permanent arrangement.
"You just can’t cut them off," Lee said. "We have to go easy and at the same time we (VIPA) can’t go bankrupt."
While Lee’s board colleague, Robert O’Connor Jr., said "nobody is suggesting cutting off St. Croix."
He said board members have a duty to operate VIPA in the black.
VIPA SAYS YES TO $9M CROWN BAY DOCK EXPANSION
The V.I. Port Authority board of directors gave the go ahead Wednesday for the approximately $9 million expansion of the Crown Bay dock.
A mainland engineering firm, Gee and Johnson, told board members that a feasability study using input from cruise ship captains, VIPA harbor pilots and computer simulations found that under certain wind conditions and with renovations the dock could be used by ships up to 950-feet long. Currently, the north side of the dock can accommodate ships 640 feet in length.
A reconfigured facility, including the addition of 1,000 feet of wharfage, will mean ships that now moor in the inner and outer harbor when the West Indian Company Ltd. dock at Havensight is full will have a place to comfortably berth, said VIPA Executive Director Gordon Finch.
He said the fact that the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association pitched in one-third of the $85,000 cost for the study – the remainder was paid by VIPA and WICO. – shows that if the dock is upgraded it will be used extensively.
"It gives an indication of the cruise lines’ interest in developing Crown Bay," he said.
The reconfiguration of the dock would allow it to accommodate 90 percent of the cruise ships now sailing the Caribbean, Finch said.
Because of wind, current and the proximity of other berthing facilities adjacent to the Crown Bay dock, the north side of the structure will not be able to accommodate the largest of the cruise ships. The south side, however, poses no restrictions, engineers said.
The board’s approval of the plan means a request for proposals will be circulated by VIPA on the dock renovations and a shopping center on land adjacent to the dock area. A time line for the project’s completion wasn’t given, but when it is finished, "We know we’re going to get significantly more calls . . . especially with a shopping center," said Finch. "It’s the kind of project that will present increased revenue for the Port Authority."
A mainland engineering firm, Gee and Johnson, told board members that a feasability study using input from cruise ship captains, VIPA harbor pilots and computer simulations found that under certain wind conditions and with renovations the dock could be used by ships up to 950-feet long. Currently, the north side of the dock can accommodate ships 640 feet in length.
A reconfigured facility, including the addition of 1,000 feet of wharfage, will mean ships that now moor in the inner and outer harbor when the West Indian Company Ltd. dock at Havensight is full will have a place to comfortably berth, said VIPA Executive Director Gordon Finch.
He said the fact that the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association pitched in one-third of the $85,000 cost for the study – the remainder was paid by VIPA and WICO. – shows that if the dock is upgraded it will be used extensively.
"It gives an indication of the cruise lines’ interest in developing Crown Bay," he said.
The reconfiguration of the dock would allow it to accommodate 90 percent of the cruise ships now sailing the Caribbean, Finch said.
Because of wind, current and the proximity of other berthing facilities adjacent to the Crown Bay dock, the north side of the structure will not be able to accommodate the largest of the cruise ships. The south side, however, poses no restrictions, engineers said.
The board’s approval of the plan means a request for proposals will be circulated by VIPA on the dock renovations and a shopping center on land adjacent to the dock area. A time line for the project’s completion wasn’t given, but when it is finished, "We know we’re going to get significantly more calls . . . especially with a shopping center," said Finch. "It’s the kind of project that will present increased revenue for the Port Authority."
PROGRAM TO CELEBRATE AFRICAN LIBERATION DAY
The 23rd Legislature is commemorating African Liberation Day Thursday with a cultural program scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on the St. Thomas Legislature Building grounds.
The program, part of the wider observance of Virgin Islands African Heritage Week, will be a tribute to Julius K. Nyerere, president of Tanzania from 1961 to 1985. An educator, pan- Africanist and statesman, Nyerere died last year.
Nyerere "was an inspiration to many Africans and promoted Third World solidarity and cooperation," a release from the Legislature noted, and he "felt that regional federation was first and essential toward African unity."
This is the 10th year that African Liberation Day is being observed in the territory. Thursday's celebrations are to include performances by Addelita Cancryn Junior High School students, a step show by James Rhymer and Company, a performance by V.I. Calypso king Whadablee (St. Clair DeSilva), the raising of the pan-African nationalist flag and a fashion show of African wear.
In the release, Senate president Vargrave Richards urged residents "to commemorate the evolution of the Virgin Islands through our African heritage." Gov. Charles W. Turnbull in a release from Government House called on Virgin Islanders to "observe this week and join together in commemorative ceremonies to reflect upon our African heritage."
In designating Thursday as African Liberation Day and proclaiming May 22-26 as Virgin Islands African Heritage Week, Turnbull noted that the majority of the territory's population is of African descent and many Virgin Islanders' ancestors were taken away from their homeland and families and brought to the Caribbean by force.
"Because the culture and heritage of the Virgin Islands is largely due to this African heritage," the governor said, "it is appropriate that we should set aside time to remember our proud African heritage."
The program, part of the wider observance of Virgin Islands African Heritage Week, will be a tribute to Julius K. Nyerere, president of Tanzania from 1961 to 1985. An educator, pan- Africanist and statesman, Nyerere died last year.
Nyerere "was an inspiration to many Africans and promoted Third World solidarity and cooperation," a release from the Legislature noted, and he "felt that regional federation was first and essential toward African unity."
This is the 10th year that African Liberation Day is being observed in the territory. Thursday's celebrations are to include performances by Addelita Cancryn Junior High School students, a step show by James Rhymer and Company, a performance by V.I. Calypso king Whadablee (St. Clair DeSilva), the raising of the pan-African nationalist flag and a fashion show of African wear.
In the release, Senate president Vargrave Richards urged residents "to commemorate the evolution of the Virgin Islands through our African heritage." Gov. Charles W. Turnbull in a release from Government House called on Virgin Islanders to "observe this week and join together in commemorative ceremonies to reflect upon our African heritage."
In designating Thursday as African Liberation Day and proclaiming May 22-26 as Virgin Islands African Heritage Week, Turnbull noted that the majority of the territory's population is of African descent and many Virgin Islanders' ancestors were taken away from their homeland and families and brought to the Caribbean by force.
"Because the culture and heritage of the Virgin Islands is largely due to this African heritage," the governor said, "it is appropriate that we should set aside time to remember our proud African heritage."
