Discussions at a Cabinet meeting Wednesday indicated that Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's upcoming State of the Territory address will have a positive tone.
James O'Bryan, assistant to the governor, said that many commissioners gave upbeat reports on their departments, and that "in most categories" revenue collections are up over 1999 figures. In some cases, the increases are "10, 20 to 25 percent."
Tourist arrivals are up "significantly," O'Bryan said, and it looks like the Virgin Islands will have a "banner year."
The meeting was held on St. John at the Battery, and O'Bryan said the administration believes it is the first time a full-blown Cabinet meeting was held on that island.
"The governor wishes to rotate the Cabinet meetings on each island," he said. It gives department heads a chance to see things firsthand and to focus their attention on each island's needs in turn.
St. John Administrator Julien Harley made a presentation concerning St. John issues, and Turnbull gave the go-ahead for some capital improvements, O'Bryan said.
On the list of projects is a long-awaited multipurpose center in the Cruz Bay area. Designs for the building are 10 or 15 years old, O'Bryan said. He had no cost estimate.
Feb. 1 is the target date for beginning to bring St. John's new sewage treatment plant on line, O'Bryan said. And the governor gave the green light for construction of a new fish market.
