76.7 F
Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesV.I. National Park Accepts Deed to Nanny Point

V.I. National Park Accepts Deed to Nanny Point

Pictured (from left) are John Garrison of the Trust for Public Land, Concordia Preserve owner Stanley Selengut and V.I. National Park Superintendent Mark Hardgrove.As waves crashed along the shore and a brisk breeze blew, V.I. National Park Superintendent Mark Hardgrove accepted the deed to 2.2 acres of land at Nanny Point from the Trust for Public Land. The Trust was the middleman in the donation from Stanley Selengut, who owns the adjacent Concordia Preserve condominium and eco-tent resort.
“Some things are meant to be,” Hardgrove said after accepting the deed to the property in a brief ceremony attended by about a dozen people.
John Garrison of the trust called the spot “one of the most special and spiritual places on St. John.”
Rafe Boulon, who serves as the park’s chief of resources management, described the area as an “incredibly rich” dry forest with a cactus community not seen elsewhere.
Boulon was instrumental in working with the federal government to expand the boundaries of the park so it could accept the donation.
However, it still cost the trust $48,000 in administrative costs to make the donation happen. Garrison said that money came from donors.
The trust is working on a deal to get Selengut’s other St. John property, Maho Bay Camps, turned over to the park. The land on which the campground sits is for sale, and Selengut’s lease runs out in 2010. If the Trust doesn’t work out a deal with the owners, Selengut has said he’ll have to start shutting down the campground in about a year.
“Send positive thoughts that we get Maho Bay,” Garrison said.
Although the paved road to the park’s 2.2 acres at Nanny Point passes through Concordia, Selengut indicated it was no problem for visitors to use the road. A path leads from a small parking area out to the point.
“I hope that someday someone will build an elevated boardwalk to the point,” Selengut said.
Earlier, Selengut talked about the need to protect view sheds, which is what he accomplished by donating the land, worth $2.2 million dollars, to the park.
“Very few places have a view as beautiful as the view from these hills,” he said.
Selengut owns the 51 adjacent acres. Half of that acreage is used for the resort, and the rest is for sale as house lots.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Keeping our community informed is our top priority.
If you have a news tip to share, please call or text us at 340-228-8784.

Support local + independent journalism in the U.S. Virgin Islands

Unlike many news organizations, we haven't put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as accessible as we can. Our independent journalism costs time, money and hard work to keep you informed, but we do it because we believe that it matters. We know that informed communities are empowered ones. If you appreciate our reporting and want to help make our future more secure, please consider donating.