The longstanding concerns of senators regarding the V.I. Port Authority came to the forefront Friday night as the renomination of Yvonne Thraen for another three-year term on VIPA’s board came up for consideration before the Rules and Judiciary Committee.
After a few hours, Thraen’s nomination was sent onto the full Senate body for final approval, but not before she was lectured about outstanding Port Authority debts and the controversial Charlotte Amalie harbor dredging project, which recently ended with the world’s largest cruise ship, the Oasis of the Seas, docking in Crown Bay instead of Havensight.
As of October, the authority had about $6.3 million in outstanding receivables, which Thraen said after the meeting was owed by vendors for rent and other operational expenses. Senators concentrated on two debts in particular and peppered Thraen with questions about money owed to VIPA by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, along with Deliver It, the former ships’ agent for Princess Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland America and Carnival Cruise Lines.
VIPA has had a longstanding agreement with Customs to collect wharfage and tonnage fees on behalf of the authority at the docks, which is remitted to the Finance Department and turned over to VIPA after Customs deducts its share of the costs. Thraen said Friday the authority hasn’t been paid in about a year and is now working to dissolve its agreement with the federal agency.
Thraen also explained that the amount of money owed by Deliver It has been "significantly reduced" over the past few months, since a lion’s share of the debt has been covered by the cruise lines. What’s left is a few hundred thousand dollars, and that amount is currently "in dispute," she added.
The crux of senators’ concerns focused on the controversial Charlotte Amalie harbor dredging project, which initially proposed funneling about 160,000 cubic yards of sediment into the 35-foot dredge hole in the middle of Lindbergh Bay. The project was staunchly opposed by local residents, who said at various Coastal Zone Management Committee and Senate meetings that the spoils contained harmful contaminants and would kill off the marine life that is slowly starting to repopulate the hole and surrounding area.
Responding to the concerns, Gov. John deJongh Jr. announced in October that the Lindbergh Bay site was no longer on the table, and laid out temporary plans to berth the Oasis at the Crown Bay dock, which — thanks to some recent maintenance dredging conducted to accommodate some of the Princess ships — was deep enough to fit the Oasis on the south side.
Senators contended Friday that the authority knew this temporary solution was available all along but had not made that clear during previous discussions about the project, leaving them "misinformed" when it came time to vote on the CZM permit allowing the spoils to be placed in Lindbergh Bay.
To avoid having a similar situation come up again, Sen. Sammuel Sanes said a bill setting up deep-water dumping sites for dredge spoils is in the works.
Thraen’s nomination sailed through the committee on a unanimous vote, with Sens. Carlton "Ital" Dowe, Sanes, Michael Thurland and Celestino A. White Sr. moving it onto the full body with a favorable recommendation.
Senators subsequently approved the nomination of Mark A. Walters to head the V.I. Territorial Management Agency, a position that became cabinet-level with the recent signing into law of the Emergency Management Act of 2009, which severed VITEMA from the Adjutant General’s Office and made it a standalone agency.
At a press conference in July, Gov. John deJongh Jr. announced he was nominating Walters — who had been working as VITEMA’s state director since mid-2008 — to continue heading the agency in its new form, putting him back before the Senate for confirmation.
Senators had nothing but praise for Walters Friday, commending him on his education and work experience. Before coming back to the territory to take the helm of VITEMA, Walters worked for the federal government for 19 years, most recently as director of the Management Division for FEMA Region II, which has jurisdiction over the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, New Jersey and New York.
After Hurricane Katrina, Walters served as a senior FEMA liaison to New Orleans, where he was responsible for assisting the city with developing housing strategies for displaced victims, along with providing guidance to the mayor’s office and the city’s leadership on disaster-assistance programs.
Walters also served as FEMA’s recovery branch chief, a supervisor, information analysis officer and human services specialist for the agency’s Caribbean Division. He earned the agency’s Director’s Award for Outstanding Performance in Leadership for responding to and helping individuals and businesses recover from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
Many senators spent time Friday recounting childhood memories of Walters, eliciting chuckles from the packed crowd of supporters in the Earle B. Ottley Legislative Hall.
"But all jokes aside, I know of your education and experience — that’s why I’m supporting you," Dowe said. "It’s because of your own background, the work you have done. I know you can get the job done."
Both nominations will get a final vote during a Senate session scheduled at the end of the month.
Also present during Friday’s meeting was Sen. Louis P. Hill.
