A Territorial Court judge’s decision on whether or not to issue a permanent injunction against the government’s plan to trade public land for property owned by Beal Aerospace has been postponed by Hurricane Jose.
The hearing was to have been held Thursday. However, Territorial Court offices were closed in the aftermath of Jose.
On Oct. 5, the Legislature approved the land swap so that Texas-based Beal could acquire 14.5 acres of land, once the home of the Camp Arawak youth camp, for a portion of a parking lot. The lot will accompany Beal’s proposed $57-million world headquarters and rocket assembly plant near Great Pond Bay.
In exchange for the Camp Arawak land, the government would receive acreage owned by Beal in Estates Whim and Grange Hill.
Opponents of the swap contend that the Camp Arawak land was deeded to the people of the territory to be developed into a park and therefore cannot be traded away.
On Oct. 8, Territorial Court Judge Alphonso Andrews granted a temporary restraining order against the government on behalf of Sen. Alicia "Chucky" Hansen and a number of other St. Croix residents. Andrews ruled that Gov. Charles Turnbull violated the public trust when he sent the land exchange agreement to the Senate for approval.
Andrews had scheduled a hearing for Oct. 21 on whether to grant Hansen a permanent injunction. He also had extended the temporary restraining order to Oct. 28.
