To the St. John Community,
The best site in Cruz Bay for a U.S. Post Office and parking garage, the vacant government land behind St. Ursulas Church next to the Elaine I. Sprauve Library and Museum, is about to be given away in the latest example of government cronyism and mismanagement that is the biggest threat facing the island.
While government officials were congratulating themselves for the opening of an incomplete Enighed Pond port and demonstrators were criticizing government development decisions, the V.I. Senate was considering a lease for a small, street front portion of the property next to the Animal Care Center for a plumbing company.
The islands administration continues to push a waterfront parking garage disguised as a vendors plaza and is now proposing to inconvenience the islands residents by including a new U.S. Post Office in the nebulous government development in the center of the islands tourism congestion.
Meanwhile, the centrally-located, government-owned site behind St. Ursulas continues to be used as a parking lot, free of charge, by rental car companies, cab drivers and truckers who control the island. Now, it will include an industrial use.
Maybe the community activists could organize to save the palm trees on the site so the plumbing company can be heard but not seen by visitors to the neighboring library and museum.
Tom Oat
Cruz Bay
