The V.I. Port Authority will begin contract negotiations next week with a partnership of two local firms that submitted the winning design proposal to spruce up the Charlotte Amalie waterfront apron.
Yssis Group and Paradigm Design teamed up for the winning entry, which would add benches, historic lighting and landscaping to what is now a bare concrete slab. Port Authority planner Darlan Brin said Friday the improvements will stretch from the Coast Guard dock near the Legislature building all the way to the Ellis Blyden Marine Terminal.
Brin said the initial call for proposals stipulated a maximum cost of $1.2 million.
"We realize the eventual project will cost more than that, but we used that as a guide," he said. "No matter what, we're going to have to do it in phases anyway."
The plan also calls for improved highway safety and pedestrian access along Veterans Drive, Brin said.
The Port Authority will need the cooperation of the V.I. Historic Preservation Commission and the Public Works Department, he said, and will discuss prospective details of the plan with those agencies.
The Yssis/Paradigm partnership was one of three finalists in the design competition; the two runners-up will receive a $5,000 stipend, Brin said.
