Government efforts to beef up safety at St. Thomas’ popular Coki Point Beach pushed forward over the weekend with the signing of a contract to allow for the much-discussed vendor pavilion, boardwalk and restrooms.
Gov. John deJongh Jr. signed the $733,703 contract with St. Thomas-based Custom Builders for the work, which got the go-ahead a few months ago from the Public Finance Authority’s board of directors.
At a meeting in August, the board approved $750,123 worth of funding to finish off the project, which is expected to cost an overall $1.7 million. Housing, Parks and Recreation, which is overseeing the work, has already received more than $500,000 to start the project, but plans were stalled after an archeological study revealed there were graves in the area, which forced a change in the design, officials have said.
Since then, the project has been broken up into phases, the first of which will be the renovation of bathrooms to include a cistern and office, which is expected to cost – according to the winning bid – $472,000. In addition to the planned improvements to the restrooms, the scope of work includes construction of a cistern, expansion of the restroom building to accommodate an office for staff, handicapped accessible ramp and installation of stone veneer perimeter railing, according to a Government House release.
The projected timeline on the completion of the bathrooms has been estimated to span as long as 18 months, though Housing, Parks and Recreation officials have said they were trying to negotiate down to five or six.
The remainder of the project is estimated to cost somewhere around $261,000, including a 15-percent contingency – about $97,000 – in case there are more changes in the architectural and engineering plans or something else happens. Also included in the plans is a vendor pavilion, with spaces for nine vendors instead of the initial 11 to 13.
The government’s efforts to spruce up the beach came on the heels of a daylight shooting that claimed the lives of a local teenager and 14-year-old tourist from Puerto Rico in July. The beach was subsequently shut down for 10 days so the area could be cleaned and properly patrolled.
"We have gotten positive feedback on the major clean-up of the roadway leading to the beach, as well as on the work that has been done by V.I. Tourism, Police and Housing, Parks and Recreation," deJongh said in a recent statement. "We have taken some steps in a forward direction but there is much more work to be done. We will continue to build on what we have started in that area."
Efforts to clean up another V.I. beach were also celebrated over the weekend, as the governor came out for the groundbreaking of new bath and shower facilities at John Brewer’s Beach on the West End.
The structure will be 850 square feet, will be completely handicapped accessible, and is expected to be finished in January.
"Visitors always marvel at the magnificent sparkling water and white sand at Brewer’s Bay, but are often disappointed by the lack of public facilities to make it easier to change and wash off," deJongh said. "By January, not only will it be easier and more pleasant to spend time at Brewer’s, but with the lifeguard office incorporated into this facility, it will be a safer beach to swim in as well."
