St. Johnn Architecture Then and Now, presented by architect Glen Speer, Sun Dog Cafe, Mongoose Junction, St. John.

Taino Pottery Pit Firing Workshop Part II by artists Gail Van de Bogurt and Kat Sowa join archaeologist Ken Wild, Cinnamon Bay Archaeology Lab. This is a two day seminar that one must register for both days.

Taino Pottery Pit Firing Workshop, Part I, by artists Gail Van de Bogurt and Kat Sowa join archaeologit Ken Wild, Cinnamon Bay Archaeology Lab.

Adjusting to Technological Change: Charcoal, will be presented by Bernie Kemp and Guy Benjamin, Agricultural Department, Coral Bay.

Dear Source,
Gas prices on St. Thomas are substantially more than on St. Croix. Gas prices on St. John are higher than on St. Thomas. Many may be baffled. The V.I. government says they need $75,000 to study the problem. By looking closer at the problem, perhaps we can all agree on a solution.
1. Gas is refined on St. Croix. Thus there is very little transportation cost for gas stations on St. Croix compared to St. Thomas, and St. John has the highest transportation cost factor. The barging of gas is an added cost.
2. On St. Croix there are numerous independent gas stations owned by several deferent people competing against each other. Thus the competition keeps the profit margins down. In fact some stations in St. Croix may be selling below cost to attract business in the short-run. On St. Thomas and St. John there are only three players, Esso, Texaco and Domino. Thus the competitive pressures to have lower prices are not nearly as great, thus profit margins can be higher.
3. Real estate cost of the station and thus the operating cost on St. Croix are less than that of a station on St. Thomas or St. John.
4. Typically the gas stations on St. Croix have less expensive equipment than a Texaco or Esso station on St. Thomas and St. John because of the corporate image and overhead of those companies.
5. Insurance costs are higher for a Texaco and Esso than for an independent. On St. Thomas and St. John if an environmental accident occurs the deep pockets of Texaco and Esso assure the damage will be cured. On St. Croix there is no such comfort level. Such a comfort level costs money and is added to the operating cost of a station.
6. The quality of fuel is not an issue. Texaco and Esso will say other wise but the fact is the fuel coming out of Hovensa is perfectly fine for your car without any "proprietor additives" of the majors. Yet Texaco and Esso add cost for their "brand" product.
7. Storage on St. Croix is not a cost factor. Fuel is delivered directly from Hovensa. On St. Thomas and St. John storage costs are incurred by Domino, Texaco and Esso.
8. Volume of business is not a factor relative to the islands but it is a factor when comparing prices between the Virgin Islands and Mainland prices. In the states a station can expect to pump more gallons per month than here due to greater driving distances and more vehicles. The greater volume of gallons pumped at a station allows its owner to charge less per gallon in exchange for pumping more gallons.
9. Taxes are higher in St. Thomas and St. John for two reasons. First there is a distributor in between the Hovensa Refinery and the St. Thomas and St. John gas station, the distributor has to pay Gross receipts on the sale to the gas station (4%) and the gas station has to pay gross receipts on the sale to the consumer (4%). Thus the total tax is of 8%. In St. Croix the gross receipts tax is only paid once (4%). In addition, the gross receipts tax is not per gallon but a percentage of the sale. Thus the higher the sales price the higher the tax. In St. Croix the tax is on a lower priced item and it is only charged once.
These are the factors attributing to the difference in retail gas prices between the islands.
The next issue is how much should the difference be?
Only the market can determine that. You and I as consumers will be a factor. If we consistently drive the extra distance to find the cheapest gas, owners will respond by lowering prices to get your business. But if owners are not punished for higher profit margins they will continue to charge higher prices. Presently Domino on the East End is the lowest priced station.
The second factor is the present scenario of limited competition is going to create more competition. An astute business person is going to open a centrally located, independent gas station, with limited liability exposure, with a direct supply line from Hovensa via tanker trucks on a barge and lower profit margins. Such a low cost, efficient gas station will be rewarded with substantial business.
In a free market economy if the consumer is willing to pay high prices, businesses will charge high prices. Until the consumer becomes more price conscious on St. Thomas and St. John gas prices will remain substantially higher than in St. Croix. Yet if you and I and others would drive to the gas station with the lowest price, gas prices would come down at all stations.
Sincerely
Michael Bornn

Editor's note: We welcome and encourage readers to keep the dialogue going by responding to Source commentary. Letters should be e-mailed with name and place of residence to source@viaccess.net

Feb. 23, 2002 – A teen-ager from Evergreen, Colorado, crossed the finish line first at Saturday's 7th annual PowerAde 8 Tuff Miles Race on St. John and set a new course record in the process.
Austin Thompson, 16, made the 8 3/8-mile run from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay in 54:53, snapping 36 seconds off St. Croix chiropractor Marlon Williams' old course record of 55:29.
Williams, who was the 2002 winner, came in second this year with a time of 56:28.
Thompson, a high school runner, is on island vacationing with his family at Gallows Point Resort. He said he learned about the race while on a Low Key Watersports diving trip.
"8 Tuff Miles is an understatement," he said, although he seemed barely winded after crossing the finish line at the Coral Bay Ballfield.
Williams, 45, said he was happy to see youths such as Thompson come out for the race. He said he had just returned from Salt Lake City, himself, and was suffering from jet lag and hadn't yet acclimated to the island's warmer climate. However, he said he was happy to race for the fun of it.
Third place in the men's division with a time of 56:42 was Kevin Chipman, a bartender at Chloe and Bernard restaurant at the Westin Resort. "It was tough, especially for the first mile," he said, relaxing on the grass after the race. He said he had trained for the race and ran the course last Sunday to get used to it.
Regina Randazza, 28, a fashion designer who lives on St. John, repeated her 2001 first-place finish in the women's division. Finishing right up there with the fastest men, she crossed the finish line in 59:03. "The course is very hard, but I trained on the hills," she said.
Second place in the women's division went to Claire Gadrow, 34, an accountant from South Kingston, Rhode Island, who had a time of 1:03:18. She said she was not accustomed to the hills and had to make up two minutes on the downhill run from Bordeaux to Coral Bay. "I just sprinted," she said. She said she had just missed the 8 Tuff Miles race on previous trips to St. John, so this year she planned her visit to coincide with the event.
St. Croix attorney Rachel Witty, 30, placed third in her first 8 Tuff Miles race. "I'm satisfied," she said.
The event itself set a record: a massive turnout of 356 participants, up from last year's 239.
While the top finishers got the glory, many of those who ran, jogged or walked the up-hill-and-down-dale course took satisfaction in just getting across the finish line.
"We're all celebrating life. I hope to be doing this till I'm 110," St. John video rental store owner Catherine Fahy, 52, said. She ran the course with her sister, Terez Fahy, 49.
St. John construction manager Bob Hart, 51, suffered leg cramps coming down hill and had ankle trouble. Limping across the finish line, he allowed that if he had trained even a little, the course would have been easier. "I didn't run 50 feet before," he said.
Mary Lambert, 36, the principal at St. John Christian Academy, also made the run without having trained. She said this was her third time jogging the race, but she wanted to see if she could improve. "Last year, I talked most of the time," she said of her trek along the course.
St. John resident Patty Mahoney, 57, is recent convert to the benefits of exercise. She said she started working out at the gym in July. While she walked the course three years ago, this was her first time running. "I wanted to train and do it right," she said.
For many people, the race was a chance to visit with friends and enjoy a morning out. However, St. John resident Ernest Matthias and his wife, Donna, had another purpose. Matthias pushed their daughter Seala, 6 ½ months old, in a stroller in memory of their daughter Skyla, who died at birth.
Matthias said Seala was a trouper as he made his way along the course. "I had to stop and give her some company," he said, "and halfway down Bordeaux, she took a nap." The applause woke her as they neared the finish line.
Peter Alter, who organized the event, carried the American flag along the course. He said he saw it done when he ran the New York City Marathon in November and wanted to bring that emotion to this race.

Feb. 23, 2002 – A teen-ager from Evergreen, Colorado, crossed the finish line first at Saturday's 7th annual PowerAde 8 Tuff Miles Race on St. John and set a new course record in the process.
Austin Thompson, 16, made the 8 3/8-mile run from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay in 54:53, snapping 36 seconds off St. Croix chiropractor Marlon Williams' old course record of 55:29.
Williams, who was the 2002 winner, came in second this year with a time of 56:28.
Thompson, a high school runner, is on island vacationing with his family at Gallows Point Resort. He said he learned about the race while on a Low Key Watersports diving trip.
"8 Tuff Miles is an understatement," he said, although he seemed barely winded after crossing the finish line at the Coral Bay Ballfield.
Williams, 45, said he was happy to see youths such as Thompson come out for the race. He said he had just returned from Salt Lake City, himself, and was suffering from jet lag and hadn't yet acclimated to the island's warmer climate. However, he said he was happy to race for the fun of it.
Third place in the men's division with a time of 56:42 was Kevin Chipman, a bartender at Chloe and Bernard restaurant at the Westin Resort. "It was tough, especially for the first mile," he said, relaxing on the grass after the race. He said he had trained for the race and ran the course last Sunday to get used to it.
Regina Randazza, 28, a fashion designer who lives on St. John, repeated her 2001 first-place finish in the women's division. Finishing right up there with the fastest men, she crossed the finish line in 59:03. "The course is very hard, but I trained on the hills," she said.
Second place in the women's division went to Claire Gadrow, 34, an accountant from South Kingston, Rhode Island, who had a time of 1:03:18. She said she was not accustomed to the hills and had to make up two minutes on the downhill run from Bordeaux to Coral Bay. "I just sprinted," she said. She said she had just missed the 8 Tuff Miles race on previous trips to St. John, so this year she planned her visit to coincide with the event.
St. Croix attorney Rachel Witty, 30, placed third in her first 8 Tuff Miles race. "I'm satisfied," she said.
The event itself set a record: a massive turnout of 356 participants, up from last year's 239.
While the top finishers got the glory, many of those who ran, jogged or walked the up-hill-and-down-dale course took satisfaction in just getting across the finish line.
"We're all celebrating life. I hope to be doing this till I'm 110," St. John video rental store owner Catherine Fahy, 52, said. She ran the course with her sister, Terez Fahy, 49.
St. John construction manager Bob Hart, 51, suffered leg cramps coming down hill and had ankle trouble. Limping across the finish line, he allowed that if he had trained even a little, the course would have been easier. "I didn't run 50 feet before," he said.
Mary Lambert, 36, the principal at St. John Christian Academy, also made the run without having trained. She said this was her third time jogging the race, but she wanted to see if she could improve. "Last year, I talked most of the time," she said of her trek along the course.
St. John resident Patty Mahoney, 57, is recent convert to the benefits of exercise. She said she started working out at the gym in July. While she walked the course three years ago, this was her first time running. "I wanted to train and do it right," she said.
For many people, the race was a chance to visit with friends and enjoy a morning out. However, St. John resident Ernest Matthias and his wife, Donna, had another purpose. Matthias pushed their daughter Seala, 6 ½ months old, in a stroller in memory of their daughter Skyla, who died at birth.
Matthias said Seala was a trouper as he made his way along the course. "I had to stop and give her some company," he said, "and halfway down Bordeaux, she took a nap." The applause woke her as they neared the finish line.
Peter Alter, who organized the event, carried the American flag along the course. He said he saw it done when he ran the New York City Marathon in November and wanted to bring that emotion to this race.

Feb. 23, 2002 – A teen-ager from Evergreen, Colorado, crossed the finish line first at Saturday's 7th annual PowerAde 8 Tuff Miles Race on St. John and set a new course record in the process.
Austin Thompson, 16, made the 8 3/8-mile run from Cruz Bay to Coral Bay in 54:53, snapping 36 seconds off St. Croix chiropractor Marlon Williams' old course record of 55:29.
Williams, who was the 2002 winner, came in second this year with a time of 56:28.
Thompson, a high school runner, is on island vacationing with his family at Gallows Point Resort. He said he learned about the race while on a Low Key Watersports diving trip.
"8 Tuff Miles is an understatement," he said, although he seemed barely winded after crossing the finish line at the Coral Bay Ballfield.
Williams, 45, said he was happy to see youths such as Thompson come out for the race. He said he had just returned from Salt Lake City, himself, and was suffering from jet lag and hadn't yet acclimated to the island's warmer climate. However, he said he was happy to race for the fun of it.
Third place in the men's division with a time of 56:42 was Kevin Chipman, a bartender at Chloe and Bernard restaurant at the Westin Resort. "It was tough, especially for the first mile," he said, relaxing on the grass after the race. He said he had trained for the race and ran the course last Sunday to get used to it.
Regina Randazza, 28, a fashion designer who lives on St. John, repeated her 2001 first-place finish in the women's division. Finishing right up there with the fastest men, she crossed the finish line in 59:03. "The course is very hard, but I trained on the hills," she said.
Second place in the women's division went to Claire Gadrow, 34, an accountant from South Kingston, Rhode Island, who had a time of 1:03:18. She said she was not accustomed to the hills and had to make up two minutes on the downhill run from Bordeaux to Coral Bay. "I just sprinted," she said. She said she had just missed the 8 Tuff Miles race on previous trips to St. John, so this year she planned her visit to coincide with the event.
St. Croix attorney Rachel Witty, 30, placed third in her first 8 Tuff Miles race. "I'm satisfied," she said.
The event itself set a record: a massive turnout of 356 participants, up from last year's 239.
While the top finishers got the glory, many of those who ran, jogged or walked the up-hill-and-down-dale course took satisfaction in just getting across the finish line.
"We're all celebrating life. I hope to be doing this till I'm 110," St. John video rental store owner Catherine Fahy, 52, said. She ran the course with her sister, Terez Fahy, 49.
St. John construction manager Bob Hart, 51, suffered leg cramps coming down hill and had ankle trouble. Limping across the finish line, he allowed that if he had trained even a little, the course would have been easier. "I didn't run 50 feet before," he said.
Mary Lambert, 36, the principal at St. John Christian Academy, also made the run without having trained. She said this was her third time jogging the race, but she wanted to see if she could improve. "Last year, I talked most of the time," she said of her trek along the course.
St. John resident Patty Mahoney, 57, is recent convert to the benefits of exercise. She said she started working out at the gym in July. While she walked the course three years ago, this was her first time running. "I wanted to train and do it right," she said.
For many people, the race was a chance to visit with friends and enjoy a morning out. However, St. John resident Ernest Matthias and his wife, Donna, had another purpose. Matthias pushed their daughter Seala, 6 ½ months old, in a stroller in memory of their daughter Skyla, who died at birth.
Matthias said Seala was a trouper as he made his way along the course. "I had to stop and give her some company," he said, "and halfway down Bordeaux, she took a nap." The applause woke her as they neared the finish line.
Peter Alter, who organized the event, carried the American flag along the course. He said he saw it done when he ran the New York City Marathon in November and wanted to bring that emotion to this race.

Feb. 23, 2002 – Seven Smith Bay property owners are appealing a recent Territorial Court ruling that allows plans to proceed for a warehouse to be built among their homes.
The appeal, filed Friday in both Territorial Court and District Court, asks that a three-judge panel review the earlier ruling on the residents' request to stop Merchant's Market from building the warehouse at 8-REM Estate Smith Bay.
A zoning variance sponsored by Sen. Roosevelt David and approved by the 23rd Legislature in 2000 paved the way for the warehouse construction, and clearing of the land began a year ago. The residents went to court last fall to ask for an injunction, but the case was dismissed by Judge Rhys Hodge, citing legislative immunity.
In papers filed in the District Court, the residents say they were denied due process as property owners and that lawmakers acted outside of their scope by giving Merchant's Market the go-ahead without telling them about the re-zoning request.
Homeowner Horace Lewis has been leading the challenge of the zoning variance. "We went to court and filed charges against the Legislature," he said. The lawmakers, he said, "had 90 days to act on the bill, and they didn't act on it in the time. They waited until 239 days and then slipped it in as an amendment. They stuck it on a St. Croix rezoning bill, and they passed it as that."
But, Lewis continued, "Judge Rhys Hodge said the Legislature has absolute immunity and if we wanted [to seek] relief, we would have to do so at the polls. What kind of democracy is that?"
Attorney Rosalie Simmonds Ballentine, writing the appeal on behalf of Lewis and six other property owners, said lawmakers do not have "absolute power" to overrride property rights set out in the U.S. Constitution. "The power of the Legislature in these instances, where particular rights and interests are at issue, cannot be absolute," she wrote. "The enactments relative to rezoning and variances must comport with constitutional constraints on the zoning power, including those which pertain to due process."
The case is being watched closely by the League of Women Voters. "Due process was not followed, and the rights of a whole lot of property owners have been trampled," league president Erva Denham said. "To me, this is a possible landmark case, because we are questioning this whole practice of spot rezoning where everyone has said 'no' to it except the person who is benefitting from the change."
Luis Elias, Merchant's Market general manager, said last fall that the company bought the parcel of land from the Vernon Ball Trust in December 2000 after the variance was in effect and had invested "over a million dollars" in preparation for constructing the warehouse. Work on the structure began last February, but was stopped in July by the Planning and Natural Resources Department because of a dispute over road access.
The homeowners are asking the courts to decide their appeal before the construction work begins.

Feb. 22, 2002 – After listening to Planning and Natural Resources Department consultant Claudette Young-Hinds and PNR planner Bill Rohring urge the Coral Bay community to get involved in developing the management plan for the Coral Bay Area of Particular Concern, Mary Blazine then and there announced a St. John Community Foundation meeting on the topic.
It will be held at 10 a.m. March 2 at the Agriculture Department building in Coral Bay. Blazine promised to distribute copies of the APC plan's summary, called a matrix, to give residents some clues as to what PNR has come up with in what is essentially a working document.
No copies of either the summary or the entire plan were available at a meeting held Friday evening at Emmaus Moravian Church to discuss the topic. Rohring said PNR didn't have any extra copies. A copy of the plan is available for review at the Elaine Sprauve Library in Cruz Bay, but library hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, making it virtually impossibley for working people to have access to the document.
The meeting was supposed to take place at 6 p.m. inside the church, but no one from the congregation came to unlock the door. Young-Hinds, PNR staff and about a dozen residents who showed up gamely met under the stars in the church courtyard.
The territory has 18 APC's, which were so designated in 1979. PNR is only now developing a management plan for an area that covers the Coral Bay watershed from the ridgeline to the water.
"Decide among yourself what is the biggest issue," Rohring suggested, pointing out that if the community doesn't take a position on issues, the government will. He added that if the government were to make the decisions, funding would be the guiding factor.
Residents did point out a few problems that need addressing in the Coral Bay area. For example, the goats are denuding the hillsides, and this causes extensive erosion. "The goat population has tripled in 10 years," naturalist Eleanor Gibney pointed out. She said the animals also are endangering native plants.
Blazine said that the V.I. Agriculture Department, which is charged with rounding them up, doesn't have the staff or the will to do the job. "And it comes down to who's friends with whom," she said.
Many areas of Coral Bay have resident goat populations that broke off from other herds that had owners. The erosion problems they cause are easily visible. "You can't garden unless you invest in a fence," Jeannie Williamson said.
The APC management plan has several goals. They include:
– Finding ways to address and improve quality of life issues, improve Coral Bay's water quality and improve wastewater management through sound planning, education, assistance, and enforcement.
– Seeking to get an equal share of the government's resources, including staff and capital projects, for this APC area.
– Seeking to reduce potential loss of life and property due to natural hazards.
– Seeking to improve efficiency of waterfront operations and service to the boating community.
– Seeking to preserve the historic and cultural character of Coral Bay and its environs while keeping the needs of an increasing number of diverse users in mind.
– Seeking to preserve undeveloped areas of the waterfront.
Residents have until March 22 to comment in writing on the management plan. Those comments should be addressed to Rohring. His postal address is Planning and Natural Resources Department, Cyril E. King Airport Terminal 2nd floor, St. Thomas 00802. His e-mail address is bill.rohring@noaa.gov. His telephone is 774-3320, ext. 5107.