Monday’s jam-packed Government House press briefing ended with the announcement that approximately $5.4 million in tax refunds will soon be paid out to Virgin Islands taxpayers who filed their tax returns by June 28, 2024.
Government House Communications Director Richard Motta Jr. began the briefing by reminding the public of an upcoming special session of the 36th Legislature, called by Gov. Albert Bryan Jr., to discuss a revised agreement between the government and Southland Gaming VI regarding plans to restore the Randall “Doc” James Race Track on St. Croix. The session is slated for July 21.
“There have been meetings, concerns were raised, recommendations were made, changes were incorporated, and many of those concerns are now reflected in the revised agreement before the Legislature,” Motta said. “But at some point, the process has to move from discussion to decision.”
Motta later turned the briefing over to V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency Director Daryl Jaschen, who urged Virgin Islanders to take precautions amid an ongoing heat advisory. Jaschen also noted that researchers from Colorado State University are now predicting a well-below-normal 2027 hurricane season, with nine named storms. Those include four hurricanes and one major hurricane at Category Strength or higher.
“As with all hurricane seasons, coastal residents are reminded it only takes one to make landfall to make your whole day terrible — or whole season terrible,” Jaschen said. “So that’s why it’s important that we look at preparedness continually.”
V.I. Public Works Commissioner Derek Gabriel said later that DPW crews have been working to clear the territory’s major guts and culverts in preparation for any upcoming storms, and he added that the territory’s bridges are “still in good repair.”
“Our historic bridges do have some challenges, which our crews will be out there making sure they’re shored up,” he said. “But we do feel confident in them going into the hurricane season.”
One bridge in particular elicited concern recently after a piece of falling debris struck a moving vehicle on St. Thomas. Gabriel said Monday that Public Works inspected the Cancryn pedestrian bridge with federal partners two years ago. The span was deemed “safe and sound,” but some deteriorating aesthetic pieces were removed.
“We do see it deteriorating,” he said. “We do plan to get emergency repairs done within the next 30 days. We’re going to go ahead and issue the basic emergency solicitation — just have someone go up there again, assess and make sure that these structural areas are set in place, which we are pretty sure of — and then remove those superficial members that are still deteriorating.”
