Whether the expansion of St. Croix's Henry E. Rohlsen Airport will be completed with federal funds has come into question due to a lawsuit threatened by residents of nearby Yellow Cedar.
The Virgin Islands Port Authority has been advised that residents of nearby Yellow Cedar will sue to stop work on the project permanently unless the escape of dust from the runway extension prep work is abated. The authority's Board of Governors ordered a halt to all work last Thursday.
According to Executive Director Gordon A. Finch, it is questionable whether the Federal Aviation Administration will reserve the millions of dollars committed to the project if the stoppage continues for too long.
"We are in touch with the FAA to determine if any funds are in jeopardy. I don't expect to receive any additional funds until the project starts up again," Finch said.
Finch acknowledged the serious problem of dust pollution, but said it was an unavoidable byproduct of the current phase of airport expansion. His objective is to try to accommodate the concerns of nearby residents while keeping the airport project alive.
The Port Authority, Finch said, wants to keep the airport project out of the courtroom, but he said the options left for resolving the issues are limited.
"I am about to enter into talks with the government and residents to discuss our options, which naturally include all steps necessary to engage some sort of dust abatement."
Finch maintained that the main concern now is that attempts to politicize
the dispute between the VIPA and Yellow Cedar residents be kept to a minimum. "We really need to cool the politics and end the rhetoric so that the process may move forward," he said.
The federal government has committed $11 million to the project, Finch said.
