After inking a landmark contract for solid waste services in the territory early this month, the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority’s executive director might be finding the day to day business of the authority a little anticlimactic.
The waste-to-energy agreements with Alpine Energy Group, Inc. of Colorado involve the processing of all of the municipal solid was into refuse derived fuel that will be converted into energy on St. Croix and St. Thomas, May Adams Cornwall, the authority’s executive director reported to the VIWMA board.
Alpine Energy Group is working on design and development efforts and permitting at this stage, after which it will move on to financing, Cornwall explained.
Cornwall also told the board the authority is facing a court filing by the St. Croix Environmental Association, alleging the authority is in violation of a 2007 settlement agreement with SEA and others because its Anguilla plant is discharging treated water into the sea south of the plant.
"They could have come to us and found out what we have done to date in our due diligence, getting permits and pursuing users of retained water," Cornwall said.
The authority has been in talks with Diageo, slated to begin work on its Captain Morgan Rum plant, which would use the water to cool the plant’s machinery, as well as St. Croix Renaissance, which might be able to use all of the treated water instead of using pumping and desalination, Cornwall said.
The authority’s board of directors met Thursday at its Red Point offices on St. Thomas and approved a number of actions, including grants for recycling projects to the Boys and Girls Clubs and Beyond Vision on St. Croix, the Antilles School on St. Thomas and the St. John Community Foundation on St. John.
The executive director also reported that the authority issued 58 citations for violations. The citations are aimed at educating the public about waste disposal and the board underscored that the proceeds from fines were not a revenue stream.
The board discussed a "shame on you" ad campaigns that would publicize in the media the name of violators.
In addition, the authority is co-hosting this year’s Caribbean Water and Wastewater Conference and Exhibition with the V.I. Water and Power Authority, Oct. 4 through 10 at the Marriott Frenchman’s Reef and Morningstar Resort on St. Thomas. 40 of 50 booths for the conference have already been sold and registration has been going well according to staff, Cornwall told the board.
In other actions, the board:
• Approved a construction contract in the amount of $104,390 with E.D. Plumbing for installation of a new sewer line for the Elda Shulterbrandt Nursing home. Funding is coming from the Department of Human Services.
• Authorized a contract to isolate the Addelita Cancryn pump station from the Charlotte Amalie wastewater collection system to allow for repairs the the house pump so that the station can be returned to normal operation.
The pumps, which Cornwall estimates may be 50 years old have "exceeded their useful life and we need to change them wholesale," Cornwall told the board. "The investment was maximized."
• Approved a second contract worth $329800 to G.E.C. LLC to install a 900-linear-foot, 24-inch pipe for the realignment of the LBJ force main on St. Croix. According to staff, the main has failed on many occasions, causing millions of gallons of raw sewage to be bypassed over Great Reef, creating an environmental hazard.
"It has been in our faces so much because it is a big major pipe that is sorely outdated," board member Glen J. Smith said. "It is 50 years old but the money we are spending now is good money – good long term money."
• Approved a supplemental contract for $246,000 to OTL Mechanical for additional emergency work to construct two manholes and additional pumps for repair of the failed Krause Lagoon/Catherine’s Rest gravity sewer line.
Cornwall reported a number of lines in the area had failed and there were occasions of sewage overflowing and an additional request for proposal for further repairs was in the offing.
• Also approved a change in scope for the purchase agreement with Storage on Site LLC to purchase four double-wide modular units for office space. The change will add upgraded foundations, high-impact windows and doors, 16 workstation cubicles and associated furnishings. The change increases the contract amount by $123,173 for a total of $898,173. The purchase of the cubicle buildout of the modular units allows for an exact fit, and also guarantees a near-turnkey solution for office space for the authority, according to Sonya Nelthropp, the authority’s Chief of Planning and Program Development.
• Approved a nine-month contract extension for VIESCO, with a three month follow-on option, for operational services at Mangrove Lagoon Wastwater Treatment Plant and for the St. John wastewater treatment system. The $218,750 monthly fee for these services will be locked in for the extension period.
Budget constraints have prevented the authority from hiring staff needed to bring these services in-house, according to Cornwall.
