The Virgin Islands National Park has finalized a contract to trim the overgrown brush along the roadsides within the park, and no, it’s not with the goats seen grazing near Lind Point several weeks back.
“The goats were volunteers,” said VINP Superintendent Penny Del Bene.
The one-year contract was awarded to Iron Enterprise, LLC, a St. Thomas-based company, Del Bene continued. A crew is scheduled to begin clearing vegetation from roadways, vistas, and adjacent parking lots beginning May 26.
Del Bene was one of several Virgin Islands National Park officials to meet with the public Wednesday evening at the Resource Management and Science Building at Lind Point. It was a regularly scheduled bi-monthly meeting designed to engage the local community and provide updates on park issues. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 16, at 5:45 p.m.
Caneel Bay topics dominate the meeting
As usual at the meetings, issues regarding Caneel Bay Resort – the iconic hotel that has been closed since the hurricanes in 2017 – were a major topic of discussion.
Deputy Superintendent Scott Simmons reported that the cleanup of toxic materials discovered at the maintenance area at the former resort is anticipated to begin in July, but “We’re looking at a different funding source,” he said.
The maintenance area, known as Area 2, was found to contain barium, PAHs (chemicals found in fuel sources) and pesticides. The half-acre site is estimated to contain nearly 425 cubic yards of contaminated material.
The National Park Service has hired an independent company to serve as the project monitor, and all excavated hazardous material will be legally disposed of at a stateside site licensed to accept the material.
Last year, 58 tons of asbestos-containing materials were removed from Area 1 in Caneel Bay. However, the cleanup of the largest area of contamination – Area 3 near Honeymoon Bay – is still in the planning stage. That 1.5-acre site, a former landfill, is estimated to hold up to 12,500 cubic yards of organic material, debris, and hazardous chemicals, including pesticides and PCBs.
On another matter concerning Caneel Bay, Del Bene confirmed that the process for selecting a developer for a resort at the site is moving forward. The window to respond to Requests for Qualifications closed March 5, and a panel is now reviewing the responses. Selected responses will be forwarded to Darrell Echols, Acting Regional Director for the Southeast Region.
Del Bene said the NPS expects to publish a list of potential developers chosen to submit more detailed proposals by fall.
As for the dispute involving the ownership of Caneel Bay, Del Bene said the Third Circuit Appeals Court heard oral arguments on May 2. The three judges on the panel – Theodore A. McKee, L. Felipe Restrepo and Arianna J. Freeman — will take the arguments under consideration and issue a ruling at a future date.
Park expects to expand parking
Janice Williams, VINP administrative officer, said the park is exploring ways to expand parking at popular beaches, including Hawksnest, Trunk, Cinnamon, and Maho bays. With the removal of some vegetation, the parking lots at Cinnamon Bay can be expanded to comprise nearly 130 spaces, she said, and there is a possibility of enlarging the lot at Maho Bay. However, limited space at Hawksnest and Trunk makes expansion difficult.
Chief Ranger Ludric Smith said the park intends to prevent cars from driving over the curb to park along the road at Trunk Bay. “They’re impeding traffic and damaging the resources, pushing rockstones onto the vegetation,” he said.
When a member of the audience asked about the success of a pilot program to ease congestion at popular beaches, Del Bene said it was “hit or miss.” The Easy Beach Shuttle Program was established by the Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park to encourage drivers to park at Caneel Bay for free and take a (paid) shuttle to the north shore beaches, but Del Bene said when cruise ships came in, shuttle drivers were sometimes too busy to stop at Caneel for pickups.
Significant work completed at Hassel Island
In 2024, an NPS team from the Historical Preservation Training Center cleared some trails and removed vegetation from the ruins of the Creque Marine Railway on Hassel Island. Nick Crowley, facilities manager for the VINP, said the work was necessary in order to stabilize and preserve the ruins; the park anticipates awarding a contract to clear the remaining trails this summer.
Once trail maintenance is completed, the park hopes to continue its partnership with the St. Thomas Historic Trust and restart tours on Hassel Island. Ahmad Toure, visitor services program manager, said the organizers of the Dollar Fo’ Dollar tour hope to include Hassel Island on their annual tour.
