Virgin Islands residents have given failing grades to the territory’s economy, according to a poll taken by the St. Croix Chamber of Commerce.
The telephone poll of 607 people on St. Croix and St. Thomas was commissioned by the Chamber and conducted by long-time pollster John Boyd. Chamber President Noel Loftus said it was undertaken to gauge residents’ views on the economy and their personal spending.
Overall, the most common grade given to the economy by both St. Thomas and St. Croix residents was "F".
Even as the poll was taken between Sept. 27 and Oct. 7, Loftus said consumers scaled back their spending. The main reason is because people, mostly government sector workers, are fearful about layoffs, he said.
"From September and October there was a marked decline in economic activity, both on St. Croix and St. Thomas," Loftus said, adding that gross receipts taxes were down 31 percent compared to a year ago July. "Everybody is very fearful and uncertain about what’s occurring."
The poll reflected residents’ skepticism about the government’s ability to solve the economic problems. Seventy-one percent of the people polled said they don’t believe the current administration will solve the economic crisis.
Of the 607 people asked, 56 percent said it was time the federal government took control of the V.I.’s finances. On St. Croix, the call for federal intervention was 65 percent in favor while on St. Thomas it was 47 percent.
According to Boyd, 323 randomly selected responses were taken on St. Thomas and 284 on St. Croix. The respondents were asked if they were government employees, worked in the private sector or were not working. Boyd said no attempt was made to weight the average for all Virgin Islanders, which means that since more St. Thomas residents responded the bias for the total is in their favor.
"There are more similarities than differences" in the poll’s responses, Boyd said. "But St. Croix government employees are the most disgruntled sector of our populace, while their St. Thomas counterparts are the most contented."
Other questions in the poll found that:

• Compared to a year ago, 75 percent of the respondents said the economy was worse than a year ago.
• Because of the state of the economy, 55 percent of those polled have thought about leaving the territory for better economic opportunities.

The majority of those polled have no confidence in the government, Loftus said. Translate that to the community at large, especially public sector workers who continue to hold off on spending in fear of layoffs, and Loftus predicted a domino effect of layoffs in the private sector.
To ease the uncertainty, he said Gov. Charles Turnbull must unveil his administration’s five-year recovery plan.
"People want to see a plan," Loftus said. "They’re losing confidence and not spending money."
Both Boyd and Loftus noted that government workers on St. Thomas outnumber their colleagues on St. Croix almost two-to-one.
"I think really and truly that’s where the problem is," Loftus said.

The low cost of gasoline on St. Croix compared to the high cost in the St. Thomas-St. John district has at least one V.I. senator up in arms.
Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg said the average cost of gas on St. Croix is 96 cents per gallon compared to nearly $2 on St. Thomas and St. John. Because of the "outrageous" disparity he is calling for Senate hearings on the issue.
In an Oct. 12 letter to Sen. Gregory Bennerson, chairman of the Government Operations Committee, Donastorg called for a hearing that would include representatives from HOVENSA, gas station owners, the Industrial Development Commission and the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs.
"It is high time that we determine exactly why St. Johnians and St. Thomians are paying nearly twice as much for gasoline as their St. Croix counterparts," Donastorg wrote. "In these fiscally difficult times it is simply shameful that consumers in one district continue to be gouged this way."
Donastorg also requested that Sen. David Jones’ Committee on Economic Development, Agriculture and Consumer Protection look into the price difference as soon as possible.
Donastorg said the Legislature "must" establish a fair-pricing policy throughout the territory, through either the IDC, the DLCA or another entity.
Meanwhile, DLCA Commissioner Andrew Rutnik said Texaco gas station operators told him Thursday that they will drop the price of gas 10 cents a gallon once they deplete current inventories.
He agreed with Donastorg that gas retailers needed to be scrutinized to ensure their "profits aren’t out of hand." Rutnik said the main reason for the high prices in the St. Thomas-St. John district was the use of wholesalers between the supplier, HOVENSA, and the gas stations.
"We need to put some pressure on the wholesalers," he said.

Tryouts for men and women for the holiday season Pistarckle Theater production of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on the second floor of the main building at American Yacht Harbor. Play performance dates are Dec. 9-11 and Dec. 17-19.

Tryouts for boys and girls ages 5-13 for the holiday season Pistarckle Theater production of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on the second floor of the main building at American Yacht Harbor. Play performance dates are Dec. 9-11 and Dec. 17-19.

The St. Croix Landmarks Society presents Foreign Films at Whim begining at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 22, and Saturday, Oct. 23, with the award-winning Brazilian motion picture "Central Station."
There will be hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar available from 6:30; the film begins at 7 p.m. Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with this great film from Brazil. This movie is in Portuguese with English subtitles.
$8 for Landmarks Society members, $10 for non-members.

In observance of World Food Day, which is Saturday, a "Youth Against Hunger" fair will be held Sunday on the St. Croix campus of the University of the Virgin Islands.
The food resources fair is a joint project of the Agriculture Department and UVI's Cooperative Extension Service and Agricultural Experiment Station. After music by Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be an opening ceremony, followed by workshops at 2 p.m. on nutrition and health, healthful vegetarian meal preparation, and pumpkin cultivation. All events are free and open to the public.
Other attractions will include a daylong farmers' market of fresh produce, food and drink booths, activities for children, and the collection of non-perishable foods for distribution to the needy. Finishing off the day's events will be performances by the Guardians of Culture Mocko Jumbies, Uprising Cultural Theater/Dance and DJ Dog Heart.

The Virgin Islands will join nations around the world in officially observing World Food Day on Saturday, via administrative proclamation and a "Youth Against Hunger" program the following day on the St. Croix campus of the University of the Virgin Islands.
Gov. Charles Turnbull, in his proclamation, noted that each day millions of people around the world face hunger and malnutrition, threats to the survival of family farming and concerns about food safety. "These problems are devastating to developing countries, where they cause immeasurable human suffering, especially among children," he said.
World Food Day emphasizes the need to develop innovative approaches to easing global hunger and to promoting greater understanding between nations in need and those with food to share, he said.
The food resources fair on Sunday on the St. Croix UVI campus is a joint project of the Agriculture Department and UVI's Cooperative Extension Service and Agricultural Experiment Station. After music by Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be an opening ceremony, followed by workshops at 2 p.m. on nutrition and health, healthful vegetarian meal preparation, and pumpkin cultivation. All events are free and open to the public.
The fair continues until 6 p.m. Other attractions will include a daylong farmers' market of fresh produce, food and drink booths, activities for children, and the collection of non-perishable foods for distribution to the needy. Finishing off the day's events will be performances by the Guardians of Culture Mocko Jumbies, Uprising Cultural Theater/Dance and DJ Dog Heart.

The Virgin Islands will join nations around the world in officially observing World Food Day on Saturday, via administrative proclamation and a "Youth Against Hunger" program the following day on the St. Croix campus of the University of the Virgin Islands.
Gov. Charles Turnbull, in his proclamation, noted that each day millions of people around the world face hunger and malnutrition, threats to the survival of family farming and concerns about food safety. "These problems are devastating to developing countries, where they cause immeasurable human suffering, especially among children," he said.
World Food Day emphasizes the need to develop innovative approaches to easing global hunger and to promoting greater understanding between nations in need and those with food to share, he said.
The food resources fair on Sunday on the St. Croix UVI campus is a joint project of the Agriculture Department and UVI's Cooperative Extension Service and Agricultural Experiment Station. After music by Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be an opening ceremony, followed by workshops at 2 p.m. on nutrition and health, healthful vegetarian meal preparation, and pumpkin cultivation. All events are free and open to the public.
Other attractions will include a daylong farmers' market of fresh produce, food and drink booths, activities for children, and the collection of non-perishable foods for distribution to the needy. Finishing off the day's events will be performances by the Guardians of Culture Mocko Jumbies, Uprising Cultural Theater/Dance and DJ Dog Heart.

The Virgin Islands will join nations around the world in officially observing World Food Day on Saturday, via administrative proclamation and a "Youth Against Hunger" program the following day on the St. Croix campus of the University of the Virgin Islands.
Gov. Charles Turnbull, in his proclamation, noted that each day millions of people around the world face hunger and malnutrition, threats to the survival of family farming and concerns about food safety. "These problems are devastating to developing countries, where they cause immeasurable human suffering, especially among children," he said.
World Food Day emphasizes the need to develop innovative approaches to easing global hunger and to promoting greater understanding between nations in need and those with food to share, he said.
The food resources fair on Sunday on the St. Croix UVI campus is a joint project of the Agriculture Department and UVI's Cooperative Extension Service and Agricultural Experiment Station. After music by Stanley and the Ten Sleepless Knights from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., there will be an opening ceremony, followed by workshops at 2 p.m. on nutrition and health, healthful vegetarian meal preparation, and pumpkin cultivation. All events are free and open to the public.
The fair will run until 6 p.m. Other attractions will include a daylong farmers' market of fresh produce, food and drink booths, activities for children, and the collection of non-perishable foods for distribution to the needy. Finishing off the day's events will be performances by the Guardians of Culture Mocko Jumbies, Uprising Cultural Theater/Dance and DJ Dog Heart.

In the world of live theater, work is often under way on more than one production at a time. What's happening at the moment with Pistarckle Theater is a good example.
Rehearsals are well under way for the coming production of "Dracula," which opens the 1999-2000 season on Oct. 28 for a run that spans the Halloween weekend plus Nov. 5 and 6.
Meantime, there's a casting call this weekend for the not-for-profit company's next undertaking, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever."
This holiday season play will require the onstage talents of boys, girls, men and women, as well as support from a stage manager, properties assistant, costumers, technical crew members and ushers. Tryouts for youngsters ages 5 to 13 are Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon on the second floor of the main building at American Yacht Harbor; those for adults are Sunday, same time and place.
To be directed by Pamela New, the holiday season family show will be presented in the Coral World amphitheater on Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 9-11, and Friday through Sunday, Dec. 17-19.
Meantime, "Dracula" returns to life in island style with a "pay as you can" opening night on Thursday, Oct. 28, again in the Coral World amphitheater. The remainder of the performances are on Friday through Sunday, Oct. 29-31, and Friday and Saturday, Nov. 5 and 6. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are $22, with "corporate rate" discounts available.
Pistarckle stalwart Trudy Tucker is directing this Crane Johnson adaptation of the Bram Stoke classic horror story. Gino Skoff has the role of the legendary neck romancer. Also in the cast are Christina Harper as Prof. Van Helsing; Michael Burton as Dr. Seward; Amy Huentelman at Lucy, the professor's fiancee; Gregory Fowler as the insect-loving Renfield; Dee Warren as Lucy's aunt, Mrs. Harker; and Dena Benson Elliott as the wary maid, Abigail. Harper and Huentelman are Pistarckle veterans; the others are making their debuts with the company.
For "Dracula" reservations and further information about "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" auditions, call 775-7877.