Those expecting some sort of ground-breaking on the long-delayed Enighed Pond marine cargo project in the next three months will likely be disappointed, according to the V.I. Port Authority.
Though Gov. Charles W. Turnbull told the Virgin Islands Daily News Wednesday that work will begin in three months, Port Authority Planner Darlan Brin clarified that the agency will only be able to start accepting bids on the project within 90 days or so.
"We have permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and the Coastal Zone Management Commission," Brin said Thursday, "but it still has to go through a federal environmental review, and that's 60 days. Then there must be a 30-day period for public comment."
Brin said those requirements must be met before the services of a contractor can be engaged.
The $16 million project has finally begun moving ahead in the past few months after years of delay, much of it related to funding. It will be financed by GARVEE bonds, which are backed by annual grants from the Federal Highway Administration, to be floated in September. Brin said the V.I. government is providing funds until then.
The Enighed Pond faciliity is intended to ease congestion in Cruz Bay, which has become a crowded place for marine as well as land traffic in recent years. Virtually everything sold on St. John is transported from St. Thomas, and garbage generated on St. John is transported to St. Thomas. All cargo vessels now must tie up along the Cruz Bay Creek dock, and space is at a premium both in the water and on the dock.
