On Tuesday evening, U.S. Virgin Islands senators agreed on resolutions honoring Kerra Samuel, the 2019 State Teacher of the Year from the District of St. Croix, and another to petition the U.S. Congress to provide subsidies to the Virgin Islands to assist in reimbursement of earned income credit and child tax credits.
However, concerns about setting a precedent that would result in many resolution requests and the tying together of resolutions with such diverse content bogged down the session for a while.
When the concerns were worked out, both resolutions were passed and forwarded to Gov. Albert Bryan to sign. Then the senators quickly moved through the approval of four lease agreements and one rezoning.
The leases approved were for:
– Government land at Submarine Base, No. 6 Southside Quarter, St. Thomas for Victor’s New Hideout;
– Government farm land in Prince Quarter, St. Croix to Violet Drew and Samuel Tyson;
– Government farm land in Prince Quarter, St. Croix to Rueben Liburd and Sylvia Liburd; and
– Government land at Parcel No. 99 B-3 Submarine Base, No. 6 Southside Quarter, St. Thomas to Dave Jeffers, d/b/a Paradise Trucking Service.
The rezoning request approved was from Frank Powell Jr. and Nancy Powell Callwood to change Parcel No. 285 Estate Contant and Enighed, Cruz Bay Quarter, St. John from R-4 (Residential-Medium Density) to B-1 (Business Central/ Business District).
Sen. Janelle Sarauw, in voting for the leases and rezoning said, “I will not stand in the way of economic development.”
