Editor's note: The following is excerpted from an address given by St. Croix Chamber of Commerce president Carmelo Rivera at a Rotary luncheon on Feb. 22 aboard the cruise ship Nordic Empress at the Frederiksted dock.
Growing up in Frederiksted, I use to stand at the top of this pier — by Jacaranda, which was a restaurant and ice cream parlor. Everyone went there. I stood there with my shoeshine box trying to make a few dollars from the visitors who came to the island. But, I could never find a tourist that needed a shoeshine. Tourists always wore flip-flops or sneakers.
In those days, I would dream and ponder whether one day I would have the opportunity to travel and see the world. Thank God, I had a chance to see some of it. I was away for about 20 years. And when I was away, I remember how much I longed to be back home. Now that I have been home, I must confess there are some moments, when I despair and question whether it makes any sense to stay on this island.
Nowadays, I walk to the end of the pier and look at St. Croix from Ham's Bluff to Sandy Point. What I see is natural beauty and enormous potential. And this is what keeps me home. I do not intend to go away. Today, the key question is: How can we make this place realize its fullest potential?
Imagine if we had a plan and we followed that plan. Imagine what St. Croix could be in the next four years, six years, 10 years. But it takes more than wishful thinking; it takes people working together, commitment, energy, smart strategic planning.
There is no reason for us to accept bizarre and negative politics, mediocrity and incompetence in government, abandoned and dilapidated buildings, potholes, garbage on our highways, poor service, corruption in government or poor schools. We must stop accepting lame excuses from our leaders, and especially from ourselves!
To start on the journey of revival and recovery, St. Croix needs an aggressive and comprehensive plan for development. based on fundamental principles and understandings. It must take into consideration our strengths and assets. It must be more important than any person, party, faction or coalition. It must improve our individual and collective quality of life. It must cherish and embrace our diversity. It must create opportunity for all our residents. It must involve government and business working together in partnership. It must be long-term, at least five to eight years. It must set a clear course and continuously be refined.
It is time for:
* training for government excellence and innovation. Too often government employees become supervisors and managers without the requisite skills or training. In this era of technology and global competition, we can no longer run a mom-and-pop government and expect to do business with major corporations. Training can improve worker morale, change the negative culture in our government and reduce the rampant misconduct and abuse of power.
The governor must commit to it. The University of the Virgin Islands could seek to partner with institutions such as George Washington University's Center for Excellence in Municipal Management, Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and the Brookings Institution. Funds for this initiative can be sought from a foundation or the federal government.
* a centralized government facility. Such a center has been proposed on numerous occasions. We waste millions of dollars each year in unsuitable and inadequate government facilities. Sometimes it takes days to get a piece of mail from one government office to another. We also waste money on excessive rents. We must centralize as many government offices and functions as possible, as soon as possible. We must also accelerate the use of technology. Frederiksted would be a fine site for our state-of-the-art government center.
* a convention center. St. Croix loses millions of dollars in business to other destinations because we do not have adequate meeting and convention facilities.
* a sports arena. Like the movie "Field of Dreams" said, "Build it and they will come." We must find an investor to build a professional sports facility. We have world-class athletes. Why not provide more opportunities for our young people to excel in all sports? Sports is a major revenue-generating industry.
* a permanent, well-designed Crucian Festival Village. Our Christmas celebrations can draw thousands of tourists, but our festival villages look like Third World shanties. We should have a permanent site for our village with a great sound stage, paved grounds, sanitary facilities and beautiful cultural pavilions.
* a museum of Caribbean anthropology and culture. St. Croix is the ideal location for such a facility, which if developed properly would be a source of inspiration and pride for residents, celebrating the universality and diversity of the Caribbean people, and would add an exciting dimension to the St. Croix tourism package.
In addition, we need to:
* develop our arts and entertainment industry. A tourist destination must not leave this to chance. Such attractions draw tourists, provide employment and generate revenues. The industry should be developed through special incentives. Activities such as St. Croix's jazz festival should be revived.
* create bicycle trails. St. Croix needs more nature and bicycle trails along highways and in special areas. Biking is an attraction to many and low-cost family entertainment.
* create boating and sailing education programs in our schools. We should expose our children more to the marine industry.
* beautify and replant St. Croix, especially along our roads and at scenic areas. Natural disasters and public recklessness have destroyed most of the palm trees along our roads and on many beaches.
* restore beaches. Because of erosion, pollution and neglect, we are quickly losing our beaches. They should be dredged, protected and regularly cleaned and maintained.
* develop recycling programs. The newly proposed waste management authority is a great idea. Our landfills are full. If we do not act now, we will drown in a sea of garbage! We must immediately implement mandatory recycling and reuse programs.
* develop a well-trained work force. We have a serious skilled-labor shortage, particularly on St. Croix. Many workers are imported while many of our unemployed residents cannot pass a simple test. There is a dire need for nurses, teachers, industrial workers, financial analysts and technology workers.
* expand the St. Croix UVI campus. A good university is a magnet for economic development. The St. Croix campus needs more academic and professional programs and amenities to draw students locally and from elsewhere. Every classroom must be wired for Internet technology.
* develop a charter school system. We must break up the current structure of our school system and allow for more flexibility, innovation and management autonomy among our educators. We must test new models of education. Charter schools (approved in 36 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico) are growing fast, enjoying broad bipartisan support from governors, legislators and education officials.
* rename and transform the Education Complex. Labels influence and shape our perception and self-esteem. Perhaps the school should become the School of Technology and Commerce and focus on technology, industrial arts and entrepreneurial development.
* develop a research and technology park. A technology park proposal being considered by UVI should be fast-tracked. I encourage you to look at the "City of Knowledge" that Panama has created.
* develop a transshipment port. Puerto Rico is developing major transshipment port. We are strategically located in the West Indies and should do every thing possible to exploit our tremendous potential for the transshipment business.
* develop homeporting for cruise ships. If we do not do it, someone else will.
* develop the Sunny Isle area, which already has more people than Frederiksted or Christiansted. Let's plan it properly to reduce congestion and haphazard development. The area needs new streets, better infrastructure and services. An urban planning task force of the key stakeholders should be assembled.
* expand our medical care industry. More than $25 million is spent off-island on medical care. We should encourage the expansion and development of this vital industry on St. Croix. Juan F. Luis Hospital should be expanded and modernized so that residents will remain here and people elsewhere will come here for medical treatment.
* relocate and modernize the power utility, With the closure of the St. Croix alumina plant, a new Water and Power Authority plant could be built on the site. It is worth considering as a solution to WAPA's outmoded infrastructure and plant facility.
* develop strategies to revitalize Frederiksted and Christiansted. Our towns must become a source of community pride, social activity and economic potential. Landlords must be accountable for property upkeep. We must modify some preservation laws to have more flexibility to remove the worst eyesores; diversify the towns' economies by identifying potential market niches, finding new uses for vacant or underused spaces; and enhance the downtowns' visual quality (buildings, signs, window displays, landscaping and environment).
Many more worthwhile ideas should also be included in the St. Croix Development Plan.
We must find investors to help us realize these projects. Some will require financing through private and public partnering. Federal and foundation funds should be also leveraged.
The point is that our future on St. Croix can be much brighter. Our quality of life can be vastly improved. I can visualize it. You can visualize it. But we have to roll up our sleeves and make it happen.
Editor's note: Carmelo Rivera, president of the St. Croix Chamber of Commerce, is the owner of HR Consulting Service, a human resources and management consulting firm on St. Croix which publishes V.I. Business, a onepaper.com online publication. Readers are invited to send comments on this article to source@viaccess.net.
