In a release received by the Source at 2 p.m. Tuesday marked "Urgent Attention," Public Works Commissioner Harold Thompson Jr. announced he would "like to advise the motoring public that a portion of Back Street (area of Cuzzins Restaurant to Bakery Square) would be closed to vehicular traffic from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tuesday."
Presumably Tuesday. Or perhaps it wouldn't be. Then again, it might be, or it might have been. It depends whom you talk to.
An employee at Blue Carib Gems at the corner of Back Street and Bakery Square said traffic had been running smoothly all day. "That would have been terrible for business," said she.
Not to worry.
Another employee, this time at Parrot Fish Records at the intersection near Virgilio's, where motorists were instructed in the release to turn right, said he had been there all day and traffic was "normal."
A Cuzzins Restaurant employee laughed. "Back Street? Closed? I don't think so."
A call to Government House, which issued the release, elicited the information that "it wasn't supposed to go out to the print media, just the radio."
Did the radio get the message at 2 p.m., too? Who knows.
The "motoring public" should feel secure in the knowledge that, as Thompson put it, the Public Works Department "regrets any inconvenience incurred, and would appreciate the public's usual cooperation."
But wait! In the breaking news department: A late afternoon call to Public Works revealed that there was "a slight mistake in the announcement." The employee who answered the phone didn't wish to be identified, but she said Back Street will be closed for repairs from 7 p.m. Tuesday until 3 a.m. Wednesday.
(And that, motoring public, is show biz.)

Excitement is running high in the local Republican Party as delegates to the 2000 GOP national convention discuss plans at 6 p.m. Thursday at a district meeting at Nisky Center, Suite 211.
The convention is being held in Philadelphia from July 29 through Aug. 5.
According to Samuel Baptiste, delegation chair, April Newland, Lawrence Boschulte and Molly Mills-Fuch will represent St. Thomas. Elissa Runyon was the fourth St. Thomas delegate; however she cannot attend, and will be replaced by a St. Croix delegate, former Lt. Gov. Julio Brady.
Representing St. Croix are Samuel Baptiste, Humberto O'Neal, Reuben Fenton and Herbert Schoenbohm. They are all voting delegates.
Non-voting delegates are James Oliver, state chairman, and former Sens. Holland Redfield, the national committeeman, and Lilliana Belardo de O'Neal, national committeewoman.

Apparently intending to make good on his threat to bring police grievances to the attention of tourists, Police Benevolent Association president Elroy Raymo has announced a "press conference" for 10 a.m. Wednesday at Al Cohen's Mall across the street from the entrance to the Havensight Mall and the cruise ship docks. He said the event would be "peaceful."
At a demonstration Raymo led outside the Zone A Command in downtown Charlotte Amalie on June 30, he said he would take his message to tourists if the government didn't do something about pay increases in the police union contract not being honored.
Police Commissioner Franz Christian, who last week termed Raymo's threatened action "highly irresponsible," said Tuesday he was concerned about the union plans. "I will monitor the situation, and any action that needs to be taken will be taken," he said. Christian added, however, that he is optimistic that the demonstration will be peaceful. "I want the community and the tourism interests to be at ease," he said.
Raymo, the commissioner noted, "cannot officially speak on any issue before the police. He can air the discontent of the PBA membership, but he is not allowed to state any official message on behalf of the Police Department."
Christian said he has met with union officials on the issue, and has "expressed my deep concern about anything being said or done." He added, "I am most certain the unions understand my position that anything good for the department cannot injure the safety or the economic growth of the community."
The commissioner stressed that he will not tolerate placards or any actions that would compromise the safety of or cause embarrassment to the territory. As far as any intervention action, "I will have to wait and see," he said, "and if I have to step in, I will."
Christian said he had spoken with Edward E. Thomas, chief executive officer of the West Indian Co. Ltd., which manages the Havensight Mall for the Public Employees Retirement System. Thomas said he had not authorized any demonstrations on WICO property. Al Cohen's Mall is not a part of the Havensight Mall property, however.
Capt. Al Donastorg, president of the Law Enforcement Supervisors Union and Zone A commander, said of the LESU, "We don't generally participate in demonstrations. If any individual member wants to, he does it on his own with no blessing from me."
In his 25 years of labor experience, Donastorg said, he has seen that "you can walk and shout and scream, but you have nothing afterward to touch." He said the only tangible improvement he has seen is Zone A's new headquarters in the Alexander A. Farrelly Criminal Justice Building, which took three years of protests and complaints to attain. "Now," he said, "I can point to a much better working environment, indeed more professional. The struggle was worth it."
But he doesn't recommend the PBA expressing public discontent over wages. "It's counterproductive," he said, referring to Raymo's declared intention to address tourists. "We are the ones responsible for security for visitors and residents, alike," he said. "The government doesn't have the funds to pay us right now. We ought to analyze that and come to the realization that we are expending resources we don't have."
In Donastorg's view, "We should utilize the services available to us, like the Public Employees Relations Board." But, he said, the law has "no teeth in it." For example, he said, there should be a $5,000 violation for the administration ignoring workers' legitimate complaints.

The V.I. Port Authority Governing Board will meet at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 19, in the conference room of the Port Authority Administration Building in St. Thomas.
An agenda is available to the public for a fee of $15.

Parents and well-wishers were on hand at Cyril E. King Airport Monday night to welcome home 50 tired but contented young musicians from the St. Andrew's Episcopal Church Golden Miracles Steel Orchestra.
The band had just traveled to Colorado, where the youngsters performed, took part in a "Y2K 4 Jesus" youth conference in Boulder and stopped in at the annual general convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States in Denver.
Travel is nothing new for the Golden Miracles. Founded in 1992, the pan players have also performed in Antigua, Puerto Rico and Orlando, Fla.. Most of the musicians are 8 to 15 years old.
As the glass door for arriving passengers opened to admit the first of the returning performers to the terminal, there was a spontaneous opening of parental arms and children rushing in to be caught in an embrace.
Among the eager parents greeting a child – in this case, his son – was Bishop Theodore Daniel of the Virgin Islands Episcopal Diocese. "It was very, very enlightening because they were able to come to the convention for the first time and see their own church in a larger context as they did their business for the next three years," he said.
During their 10-day visit, the Golden Miracles gave three performances, one of which the bishop saw while he was in Denver to attend the church convention. "I went down to the university and saw them," he said. "All of the counselors were very complimentary of our particular group because, they said, they were the best behaved of the young people."
Bass pan player Desiree Burton at 11 has been with the group for three years. She said the trip was a good experience and that she would do it again, given the opportunity.
Band leader Akeel Breedy passed through the airport arrival gate tired but just as happy as the reunited families. For most of the people at the youth conference, he said, steelpan music was a new and delightful experience.
"It was very, very exciting, a learning experience," he said. "The kids performed well. The people in Colorado received us well, also. It was a good experience for all the kids and the people of Colorado."

For at least the third time in two months, the failure of backup equipment at the LBJ Pump Station has forced Public Works to discharge sewage into the sea in the Christiansted area.
According to a release Monday from Public Works Commissioner Harold Thompson Jr., a temporary 4-inch pump being used at the LBJ Pump Station just west of downtown Christiansted broke down, forcing the department to discharge sewage into the sea just beyond Long Reef. The temporary pump, which also failed in June and earlier in July, is being used while Public Works makes court-ordered repairs to the pump station.
In his release, Thompson didn’t say when the discharge started or how much is being bypassed into the sea. The pump handles sewage from the Christiansted area, however, and flows are estimated at approximately 1 million gallons a day.
The pump is in place to handle sewage flows while contractors work to replace worn-out valves in the 28-year-old pump station. When the pump fails, a bypass pump sends the sewage through a pipe offshore.
District Court Judge Thomas K. Moore had ordered Public Works to install a larger temporary pump by July 3, but Public Works sought to have the date changed to well into August. Moore refused the extension and told Public Works to have the pump paid for by July 12.
On Monday, Thompson said "a new pump is on order via Federal Express."
Meanwhile, he warned the public to avoid being in the water at LBJ to the La Grande Princess area until water-testing results are complete. For more information, contact Public Works’ Utility Division at 773-1290 ext. 2262 or 2263.
The problems at the LBJ and Figtree Pump stations, which began in August and November of last year respectively, had caused more than 225 million gallons of untreated sewage to flow into the Caribbean Sea, according to an EPA report earlier this year. That total has increased by millions of gallons since February and was the impetus behind Moore’s order to have the entire St. Croix sewage system revamped.
To view a copy Moore’s April order, click here.

Dear Source:
I recently stumbled onto The Source because I missed home so much and was trying to find anything about St. Croix.
Since then I've written my brother in New York to tell him about it and he's told tons of his Crucian friends up there. Thank you for giving us up-to-date news about the island. It doesn't bother me that other people write in to say that there's "so much crime on St. Croix." There's crime everywhere! Your paper prints the news — good or bad, it's news.
Thanks again for being our island connection. Good luck and I'll keep spreading the news so that all my Crucian friends, as well as my American friends, know about the paper.

Marie Jacob

More than $8 million in federal funding will come the territory’s way for a variety of projects, including rehabilitating buildings in Christiansted to purchasing bulletproof vests.
The St. Croix Foundation for Community Development has been approved for a $50,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Rural Development to renovate the old Chase Manhattan Bank and police building on Sunday Market Square, also called Times Square, in downtown Christiansted. The money will allow the Foundation to build a new roof so the building can be used as low-cost office space to promote private-sector investment aimed at revitalizing the area, said Roger Dewey, the organization’s executive director.
"We figured we’d start at the top and work down," Dewey said of the building.
The roof work is just one of the projects the St. Croix Foundation has slated for Sunday Market Square, long an eyesore at the gateway of Christiansted’s historic district.
"It’s been a disincentive for people for a long time," Dewey said. "It’s been a bad face to the world."
Over the last two years, the Foundation has purchased seven buildings in the area and is rebuilding a structure on the corner of King and Market Streets using Community Development Block Grant and Housing Finance Authority funds. Over the next year, Dewey said the square itself will be revamped with paving blocks, trees, historic lighting and burying above-ground utility wires.
Among the other grants:
— The V.I. Port Authority has been awarded $7,933,379 by the U.S. Department of Transportation to raise the asphalt pavement of one of the taxiways at the Cyril E. King Airport. The project is required to maintain the continuity and safety of airport operations along runway 10/28 and will be phased through 2003.
— The Planning and Natural Resources Department has been awarded $36,972 from the U.S. Department of Commerce to collect, manage and disseminate fishery data within the territorial sea and exclusive economic zone contiguous to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
— The V.I. Police Department has been awarded $45,361 by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, a component of the U.S. Department of Justice Programs, for its Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program, Christensen said. The money will be used to purchase 341 armored vests for local law enforcement officers.
"I want to commend these agencies for their diligence in seeking external funding to maintain and improve their programs for the community," Delegate Donna Christian Christensen said. "It is especially important at this time that we take a proactive stance in researching available grants and other sources of funding to continue providing quality services during these difficult economic times."

More than $8 million in federal funding will come the territory’s way for a variety of projects, including rehabilitating buildings in Christiansted to purchasing bulletproof vests.
The St. Croix Foundation for Community Development has been approved for a $50,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Rural Development to renovate the old Chase Manhattan Bank and police building on Sunday Market Square, also called Times Square, in downtown Christiansted.
The money will allow the Foundation to build a new roof so the building can be used as low-cost office space to promote private-sector investment aimed at revitalizing the area, said Roger Dewey, the organization’s executive director.
"We figured we’d start at the top and work down," Dewey said of the building.
The roof work is just one of the projects the St. Croix Foundation has slated for Sunday Market Square, long an eyesore at the gateway of Christiansted’s historic district.
"It’s been a disincentive for people for a long time," Dewey said. "It’s been a bad face to the world."
Over the last two years, the Foundation has purchased seven buildings in the area and is now rebuilding a structure on the corner of King and Market Streets using Community Development Block Grant and Housing Finance Authority funds. Over the next year, Dewey said the square itself will be revamped with paving blocks, trees, historic lighting and burying above-ground utility wires.
The Virgin Islands Port Authority has been awarded $7,933,379 by the U.S. Department of Transportation to raise the asphalt pavement of one taxiway at the Cyril E. King Airport. The project is required to maintain the continuity and safety of airport operations along runway 10/28 and will be phased through 2003.
The Department of Planning and Natural Resources has been awarded $36,972 from the U.S. Department of Commerce to collect, manage and disseminate fishery data within the territorial sea and exclusive economic zone contiguous to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
The V.I. Police Department has been awarded $45,361 by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, a component of the U.S. Department of Justice Programs, for its Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program, Christensen said. The money will be used to purchase 341 armored vests for local law enforcement officers.
"I want to commend these agencies for their diligence in seeking external funding to maintain and improve their programs for the community," V.I. Delegate Donna Christian Christensen said. "It is especially important at this time that we take a proactive stance in researching available grants and other sources of funding to continue providing quality services during these difficult economic times."

More than $8 million in federal funding will come the territory’s way for a variety of projects, including rehabilitating buildings in Christiansted to purchasing bulletproof vests.
The St. Croix Foundation for Community Development has been approved for a $50,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Office of Rural Development to renovate the old Chase Manhattan Bank and police building on Sunday Market Square, also called Times Square, in downtown Christiansted. The money will allow the Foundation to build a new roof so the building can be used as low-cost office space to promote private-sector investment aimed at revitalizing the area, said Roger Dewey, the organization’s executive director.
"We figured we’d start at the top and work down," Dewey said of the building.
The roof work is just one of the projects the St. Croix Foundation has slated for Sunday Market Square, long an eyesore at the gateway of Christiansted’s historic district.
"It’s been a disincentive for people for a long time," Dewey said. "It’s been a bad face to the world."
Over the last two years, the Foundation has purchased seven buildings in the area and is rebuilding a structure on the corner of King and Market Streets using Community Development Block Grant and Housing Finance Authority funds. Over the next year, Dewey said the square itself will be revamped with paving blocks, trees, historic lighting and burying above-ground utility wires.
Among the other grants:
— The V.I. Port Authority has been awarded $7,933,379 by the U.S. Department of Transportation to raise the asphalt pavement of one of the taxiways at the Cyril E. King Airport. The project is required to maintain the continuity and safety of airport operations along runway 10/28 and will be phased through 2003.
— The Planning and Natural Resources Department has been awarded $36,972 from the U.S. Department of Commerce to collect, manage and disseminate fishery data within the territorial sea and exclusive economic zone contiguous to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
— The V.I. Police Department has been awarded $45,361 by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, a component of the U.S. Department of Justice Programs, for its Bulletproof Vest Partnership Program, Christensen said. The money will be used to purchase 341 armored vests for local law enforcement officers.
"I want to commend these agencies for their diligence in seeking external funding to maintain and improve their programs for the community," Delegate Donna Christian Christensen said. "It is especially important at this time that we take a proactive stance in researching available grants and other sources of funding to continue providing quality services during these difficult economic times."