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Charlotte Amalie
Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesV.I. Picks Company to Study Water Park Feasibility

V.I. Picks Company to Study Water Park Feasibility

Gov. John deJongh, Jr. executed a contract Thursday with Baker Barrios Architects, a Tampa, Fla., based company selected to report on the economic feasibility report of developing a water adventure park on St. Croix, Government House announced Saturday.

The contract will pay the company $155,800 to complete the study in one year. The project has been discussed off and on for several years, but the Legislature moved it from the discussion phase to the front burner, according to the governor.

”Initiated by members of the Senate, this project had its founding in the Triad Report underwritten by the Virgin Islands Port Authority, one that I found easy to support," deJongh said Saturday. "The legislation required three agencies of the government, Tourism, Property and Procurement and the Economic Development Authority, to collaborate on the initiative to ensure that we cover all the bases that would result in attracting a developer based on the strength of the study. We are anticipating a final product that will provide the financial rationale on how best move forward in a partnership with an experienced developer.”

Tourism officials think such a project could be a big boost for St. Croix.

“There is no doubt that a water-adventure park will be an attractive amenity and one more benefit that we can use in marketing all that St. Croix has to offer," said Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty. "It will provide an economic injection with the construction activity and on-going jobs that will be beneficial to our diversification. The first step is this study, structure recommended, and then our identification of the companies in this industry.”

Baker Barrios was among a handful of companies that bid on the request for proposal for a firm to provide insight on the viability of the park and guidance on the concept and associated costs.

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