Nov. 11, 2008 — Citing their opposition to the erection of a new communications tower on the western end of St. Thomas, about 50 residents living in the area turned out Tuesday for a town meeting to discuss how they could put a stop to the project.
The site on which the tower is expected to sit is attached to the multipurpose center, a compound in Estate Bordeaux shared by V.I. Fire Services and the V.I. Police Department. The land has already been cleared. Crews working on the site have said a temporary tower should soon be erected, while a second site — another plot of land below the multipurpose center — will be prepared for a permanent structure, residents said at the meeting.
There are currently no permits filed at the Department and Planning and Natural Resources for the project, according to Sheri Meyers, president of the St. Thomas West End Alliance. When contacted Tuesday, DPNR Commissioner Robert Mathes said his staff is working to confirm whether any permit applications have been submitted. If not, DPNR will halt the project, he said.
"Hopefully we'll know what's going on by Wednesday," he said. "But it seems there's going to be a need for permits, and we're still checking to see whether or not they have been issued."
A petition circulated by residents at the meeting calls for the government to issue a cease-and-desist order to keep the project from moving forward. The petition should be submitted to DPNR by the end of the week, Meyers said. Residents have said government crews, along with workers from both Property and Procurement and Public Works, have been on the site, but have not produced any construction permits or other forms of documentation.
It is unclear at this point who all the players in the project are, residents said.
"We've come here today not knowing all the answers," Meyers said. "We're confused, and we've come out so we can put all hour heads together and see if we can come up with some solutions."
It appears that the project is a collaboration between the government and a private entity, she added.
"They came here in the dark of night — not even the firemen were informed," Meyers said. "The construction of this tower shows a disregard for local law, which says that before any property is cleared, graded or otherwise altered, earth-change permits have to be approved. But no such permits exist."
Residents said they were concerned that the tower — which sits close to a number of houses in the area — could expose the community to radiation poisoning. The tower could also collapse in a heavy storm, and could affect the property values on the west end, they said.
"For the life of me, I don't understand why they would put up an antenna here when there are houses all around," said Al White, a West End Alliance board member. "It's like they don't care about us. They want us to fry."
While it was mentioned during the meeting that the VIPD has a stake in the tower, Police Commissioner James McCall said Tuesday the department currently is not involved with the project.
The lease for the property is between the V.I. Housing Finance Authority and St. Thomas based Royal Systems LLC. Upon learning of the lease, Gov. John deJongh Jr. reached out to officials from both the authority and the Bureau of Information Technology to set up a meeting with homeowners in the area, Government House spokesman Jean P. Greaux Jr. said Wednesday.
The government is looking for a spot to place two antennas to support the territory's emergency 911 system, but have also been considering other options on the West End, Greaux said.
"We have not reached a final decision as yet," he added.
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