May 22, 2003 – Federal officials have approved a five-year agreement on the closing down of St. Croix's Anguilla landfill, and the Puerto Rican company selected to bail and wrap the island's trash on an interim basis as an alternative to using the dump has until May 30 to submit its plan to the Public Works Department, the Port Authority board was told on Wednesday.
Meeting at Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix, the board got both bits of information from Public Works Commissioner Wayne Callwood, an ex-officio member of the VIPA board.
Callwood reported that the Federal Aviation Administration has approved the five-year agreement submitted by Public Works outlining the department's plan for closing the landfill. The FAA more than two years ago ordered the V.I. government to shut down the dump by the end of last year because it posed a threat to aircraft landing and taking off due to scavenging birds in the air and periodic smoke from the eruption of fires.
The federal agency had indicated it might close Rohlsen Airport if the government failed to meet the deadline; however, this did not occur.
Callwood in December asked FAA officials to extend the deadline by another year. The FAA said no but agreed to monitor V.I. compliance with a schedule submitted by the commissioner in December. Callwood reported in February that agency officials had "expressed satisfaction with the progress being made."
In March, meanwhile, the federal Environmental Protection Agency levied fines totaling $11,000 against Public Works for failing to take steps to correct deficiencies at the landfill under the terms of an administrative order issued in September 2001. The EPA's V.I. coordinator, Jim Casey, said the fines accumulated from Oct. 7 through Dec. 16 of last year — at $100 a day for the first 30 days of noncompliance and $200 a day for the next 40 days.
At the VIPA board meeting Wednesday, Callwood said that under the five-year plan approved by the FAA, the government will cease accepting refuse at the dump, establish the wrap-and-bail facility and follow sound environmental procedures for closing the landfill.
He also said Public Works will release details in coming months of the plan to be submitted by Landfill Technologies Corp. of Puerto Rico by the end of this month. The company was awarded the contract last June to implement the government's plan to wrap, bale and store St. Croix's garbage on an interim basis until a new waste-disposal system to replace the Anguilla landfill is built. The company was expected to have the temporary system in operation by the Dec. 31 FAA deadline.
In other business, the Port Authority board:
– Approved a summer season "three for two" special on the overnight parking of aircraft at both of the territory's airports. Through Oct. 31, airlines will be able to park three planes for the usual cost of parking two.
VIPA's Aviation Tariff sets the overnight parking rates at $500 a month for aircraft of 34 or fewer seats, $750 a month for those with 35 to 65 seats, and $4,500 a month for those with 66 or more seats.
– Heard a report from Darlan Brin, executive director, that he has reassigned maintenance staff to the Bournefield housing community, which is owned by VIPA and is located across from Cyril E. King Airport. Property management and engineering staff have made site inspections of some of the housing units in most urgent need of repair, he said. A schedule of regular inspections and maintenance work has been established, and repair work is under way.
A group of Bournefield residents showed up at the board's April meeting to protest a recent $100 monthly increase in their rents, especially, they said, since the landlord — VIPA — provided virtually no maintenance.
– Selected a St. Croix materials-testing company, Caribbean Quality Control Services, to perform quality testing at Crown Bay on St. Thomas in connection with the extension of the cruise ship pier and construction of an adjacent shopping center. Selected via a bidding procedure, the company will conduct quality testing of materials used by the contractor including soil, asphalt and concrete.
– Extended VIPA's lease agreement with Bluebeard's Castle for space utilized as a small passenger lounge at King Airport.
– Amended a lease with Crowley Liner Services for space at the Crown Bay cargo port on St. Thomas to provide three renewal options of three years each.
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