The Virgin Islands Board of Education should be able to move back into its St. Thomas office by June after a yearlong renovation, but its St. Croix office is in need of work, the board was told during its Saturday meeting.
The board met at 9 a.m. Saturday, continuing the meeting they began Friday afternoon. During Saturday morning’s session, the board’s executive director, Carol Henneman, reported on the progress of the St. Thomas renovation.
“The work is about 90 percent complete,” she said. “We’re well on our way.”
The electrical wiring is finished, and interior doors and wall board are being installed. Exterior doors and windows are all completed.
“I am pleased with the progress and the pace.”
While the initial move-in date was March, delays have changed that date to June. However, the contractor has said they might be able to move in sooner. About $300,000 was budgeted for the work; when it’s complete, the board will be able to stop paying rent for office space on St. Thomas, cutting that cost out of the budget during difficult economic times, Henneman noted.
At the same time, serious moisture and mold problems are affecting operations at the St. Croix office. The board rents space at Sunny Isles, and according to Associate Executive Director Stephanie Barry, the condition of the building is posing a health risk for workers.
Barry said a person recently opened the door and was almost immediately affected by an allergic reaction. The board has to keep air conditioning running constantly to maintain air flow, she said, and water gathers in the light fixtures.
The landlord has replaced water damaged ceiling tiles, but the new tiles almost immediately become wet, indicating “there is obviously something wrong with the roof,” Barry said.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently inspected the office, purely on a random basis, Barry said, and reported back last week about the extent of the health and safety issue. Barry said she forwarded that report to the Sunny Isles management, which has acknowledged the problem and its responsibility for alleviating it, but has not yet explained what it intends to do about it.
