Monday, January 14, 2019

Monday, January 14, 2019 VIRGIN ISLANDS The Virgin Islands Daily News 3 Temporary schools still awaiting finishing touches By SUZANNE CARLSON Oaiivi News Stan Students at Arthur A. Richards Junior High School on St. Croix are expected to move into their tempo- rary campus some time in late Feb- ruary or early Match, according to V.I. Education Department spokes- woman Keva Mullet "The cause in the delay is the classrooms are pretty much ready. but they're waiting for the kitchen to be outfitted with all of the equip- merit and we can't move the school in unless we can feed them." Muller said Friday. The department is utilizing temporary shelter facilities manu- factured by the Sprung company. but "pretty much for most of the Sprungs that arc not in use right now. they're also waiting for the air conditioning units in those Spnings. Those were considered long-lead items because they had to be made specifically for die dimensions of those Sprungs.- Muller said. "So, it's just the air conditioning and the kitchens that we're waiting for in those Sprungs' Once the Richards' campus Sprung shelter is complete, students will be able to relocate. Muller said. St. Croix Central High School's gymnasium is going to be housed in a Sprung shelter. "so they're waiting on the air conditioning for that facility?' which should also be ready by late February or early March. Muller said. On St. Thomas, Addelita Can- cryn Junior High School and Lock- hart Elementary School's campuses arc also still awaiting finishing work on the campus kitchen boll. tics. Muller said. The lack of air conditioning units has been an issue for months, and it remains unclear exactly when the units will be finished and installed. Former Education Commissioner Sharon McCollum submitted writ- ten testimony to the Legislature in October indicating thank Cana yo campus is "98 percent complete:- but the lack of specialized air con- ditioning units was delaying use of the Sprung shelters there and at other school campuses. Fate of Yacht Haven hotel project uncertain By &J. MO Daily News Staff ST THOMAS - • Negotiations to place a new, ireematiorally branded hotel al Yacht Ibsen Grande on St. Thomas have effectively stalled leav- ing millamofdollars m investment — and a potential economic boost to the island —in limbo. On Inday. Thomas Mukamal, CEO of Island Global Yachting. the parent company of Yacht Hawn said the VI goer:mem has all but "abandoned" the project, with the 32nd Legislature failing to bring it to a vote and an in- coming administration that has 3rt to cornet him, - There's nothing we can do:' Muka- mal said. "We deal have a resonating parsec' anymore and there's no one for us to talk to" Indeed Mukamal said he wished the 32nd Legislature would have at least voted one way or the other on the projon. A down rote, he said would have still been an "acceptable outcome" since the democratic process would haw flirt its courts. -But when you engage in a muki. Seat negotiation with sonteone and then you just leave the= hanging and don't vote at all — how do you think the person feels with wham you were resonating with?' he asked."It doesn't show well to the investment communi- ty and r. [creates) a lack of confidence in whether the government can foto- nowt not." The Ira-roan hotel mks-Lemma:. ed to mss S3S million, was prommksl as a putt venture bees...sn the VI gacm- mere.Yacht Hawn and Pukum Group. a Polish manufactunng company that specializes et nodular construction Polcum and Yacht Hawn were shied to provide 520 million and SS million, respronely while the VI government would put up the remaining SIO mil- lion. using cash from the STO million closing payment made with the Lime- tree Bay Tennalal> On St Croix, In September. public and ',risme advceates for the project — including Mukamal testified belbre the Leg- 'shone on St Thorns to describe the O.sxten Coma Al PtiO A PrOpOsed hotel project at Yacht Maven Grande on $t. Thomas has stalled after the VI. Legislature fated to put to a vote government backing for the Dialect, according to Island Global Yachting CEO Thomas Mukamal. pey.wtk benefits. hen-VI. Finance Commissioner Lbldamier Collens said 100.150 andi- ron jobs would be created during the ere-)car construction and develop- ment phase, while another 30 perma- nent jobs would be created after open- ing and an additional I5-20 seasonal jobs. "Hotel tratlic will also indirectly cre- ate another 3040 jobs in the retail and services sector:' he said. Colkns said the VI. government would also receive 53.6 million as min- Cu payments in the long term, as well as more than SS million in new hotel tax revenue's net the Iris 10 years of operations Additional revenues would also come cla income and gross receipt taxes. Then-VI. Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty desenbed Mw the %usury s fledgling roe-urn' tourism teeter needed a spike in ac- commodation in order to keep pace well other economies the region. 'The total traditional hotel units cur- rently operating in the tmuricy is less A rendering of the proposed hotel project at Yacht Hawn Grande. than 2.000 rooms, this isapproximately half of the pre-storm room count?' she said - The terracey ix desperately in need of accommodatiors With in. creased accommodations, we can only expect increased airlift toots lerntory" While many senators embraced the hotel project and hailed the SIO million as a worthy investment. Op- era questioned why the government should provide a substantial loan to a private company in the midst of other unfinished projects and debt obliga- tions Dunn the session, den-Sen. la' :wee MillisYoung referred to the proj• ern as a "pie in the sky" insisting the speakers failed to provide enough de- tail on the profitability of the project. "You throw numbers around but there's really nothing here that gives me comfort on what the markers arc:' she said 'To n-c. they turnaround of 12 months doesn't seem like WS feasible and this whole modular business es not cute for that arcs' A bill to authorize the SI 0 million payment for the project was ultimately tabled m October. blakumal. on Filthy. toldThe Daily News that he was disappointed that no action was taken in light of the time. effort and resources already spent. "It's 90 peceent designed." he said, "We've pcmiitted it. Nk financed most of it. We came up with an idea for the government to finance the rest of it. We put it in a package with a nice pretty bow. There really is r.othir.g else we can do. The project seems to make sense to everybody in pnvate, but rot everybody in public"' Maktenal added that businesses al Yacht Haven Grande would have en- joyed the economic activity. but with legislative inaction, "everybody in the neighborhood loses. including us" Naser Sakm, owner of Perftene World and Men's Comer at Yacht Ha- ven. oksenbed a prospective hotel as the -must beneficial thine that could happen to the Yacht Haven Grande ProPenT" "As a local business owner, I would love to see anything that would con- tribute toward the island," he said "There vs so much potential hat. 'Mires a kit of mthussaun and traffic hoc and we would definitely like to see something that would bring addi- tional life to the property" Other businesses like Fat Tunk have recently completed renovations and also indicated that a new hotel in the hotel would be a boon to the area. For Mukarnal, hawser, the future remains uncertain. "Hopefully, someone will call us in the next couple of weeks or months and we'll pick up negotiations again." Mukamal said. "Bun we haven't heard from anybody yet, certainly not in any formal way. Hopefully, the voices that are favorable to the project can help resurrect it, but we don't feel from "here "e sit that there's any- thing else we on do" EFTA00800057