The Landmark Society will hold its annual members' Christmas party on Wednesday, Dec. 15.
For further information contact Chris Goodier at 772-0598.

Sen. Adelbert Bryan is calling for the full Senate to meet on St. Croix to hear the public’s views on the proposed land swap between the V.I. government and Beal Aerospace.
In a letter to Senate President Vargrave Richards on Thursday, Bryan said he disagreed with the decision to assign the issue to the Committee on Planning and Environmental Protection, which has set a meeting for July 23.
In his letter to Richards, Bryan said the exchange agreement between the government and Beal requires the entire Legislature to review the proposal. Assigning the issue to the committee, he said, keeps non-members from having "true and full participation in the process" and promises a "long and drawn-out process of having the proposal moved from committee to committee…"
The land swap involves 14.5 acres at Camp Arawak, deeded to the V.I. government in 1974 to be used as park land, for approximately 15 acres of land Beal owns in Estates Whim and La Grange. Beal needs the Camp Arawak land for a portion of a parking lot that will accompany its world headquarters and rocket assembly plant near Great Pond Bay on St. Croix’s sparsely populated southeast shore.
Bryan added that since the agreement refers to an exchange of land and is not a permit, it has been wrongly assigned to the committee, chaired by Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg.
"It should be made emphatically clear," wrote Bryan, "this issue is not a ‘permit’ and should not be swept to the limited powers of authority of the Committee on Planning and Environmental Protection."
Donastorg’s meeting has been scheduled for 10 a.m. on July 23. Unlike a daytime meeting, Bryan said assigning the issue to a meeting of the entire Senate on St. Croix in the evening would allow more residents to attend.
"It is important to provide a forum for addressing the numerous concerns raised by St. Croix residents, both pro and con, during a feasible time," Bryan said.
Meanwhile, the scheduling of Donastorg’s hearing and Bryan’s request may put a damper on rumors that the land swap proposal will be special ordered to the Senate agenda when members meet next week.
Robin Freeman, the out-going executive director of the St. Croix Environmental Association, said the proposal should go through a public hearing process. She added that within the land exchange agreement is language that would allow Beal to gain needed rezoning for it to build its rocket assembly plant.
The land is currently zoned for waterfront hotel development. Beal must have some 270 acres rezoned for industrial use.
"There should be a public input on it," Freeman said. "That bill has the zoning variance in it. (special ordering) it would totally circumvent the public process."
Freeman said the land Beal is offering in the swap "doesn’t come close to the land at Camp Arawak."
"People really need to research this," she said. "Including the senators. This is their land. People should have the opportunity to speak to the bill itself."
Gov. Charles Turnbull submitted the land exchange proposal to the Senate on July 1. Questions have been raised about the legality of the land swap by Sen. Lorraine Berry and V.I. Attorney General Iver Stridiron.

Ruins Ramble, sponsored by the Landmark Society, will be held on Sunday, Dec. 12.
For more information call Chris Goodier, Director of Special Events & Fundraising at 772-0598.

Wine at Whim, sponsored by the Landmark Society will be held on Saturday, Nov. 6. For more information contact Chris Goodier, Director of Special Events & Fundraising at 772-0598.

Scientific Name: Plumeria alba
Common name: White Frangipani
Family Name: APOCYNACEAE
Growth Habit: Small tree to 25' with an open crown formed by a few stout, brittle branches, each ending in spreading clusters of leaves; trunk 4-5" in diameter.
Identification: Bark is brownish-gray, smoothish, exuding large quantities of latex when cut.
Leaves: Deciduous, alternate, simple; narrow, lance-shaped, 6-15" long and 5/8- 2" broad, thick, leathery, with edges reflexed; shiny, dark green above, white, sometimes fuzzy beneath.
Flowers: Showy, white, fragrant, tubular and spreading; 11/2-2" long and broad; borne in flattened clusters on flower stalks to 8" in length. Flowering throughout the year.
Fruit: Paired brown pods, cigar-shaped and pointed at each end, 4-6" long and 1/2" in diameter; each containing many flat, winged seeds.
Growth Rate: Slow – Moderate
Salt Tolerance: High
Drought Tolerance: High
Propagation Methods: Seeds, large cuttings
Landscape Uses/Limitations: This is an excellent small tree for gardens with limited space. Its salt and drought tolerance, as well as its fragrant flowers, warrants more extensive landscape use. The white sap is irritating and the leaves may be attacked by large caterpillars.
Economic/Medicinal Uses: The wood is hard, heavy, and tough. Has been used as fuel wood and in carpentry where it reaches sufficient size. The blossoms are favored in floral arrangements. The sap has been used on fresh wounds, and a tea from the leaves has been employed as a purgative.
Conservational Needs: This species has largely been replaced in use by Plumeria rubra, which is less durable.White frangipani should be propagated for its use in coastal areas.
Natural Distribution on St. Croix: In coastal thickets and on rock bluffs; Creque Dam, Caledonia.

The Bob Owens Slowpitch Softball League began its third week of the Summer League recently.There are seven teams in the league — the Stealers, Champagnes, 40 Caliber, Anchor Dive, Guidance, Xtreme Danger Too and Most High.
There were three games scheduled this past Monday at D.C. Canegata Ballpark in Christiansted. But the first game between Anchor Dive and Guidance was suspended after two innings because of problems with the lights at the park. The problem, though, was not caused by WAPA. The remaining games between 40 Caliber and Champagnes and the Stealers and Xtreme Danger Too were not played.
The games scheduled for Wednesday night were not played due to the continuing electrical problems at ballpark.
The schedule for Monday, July 19 is Most High (0-3) vs Xtreme Danger Too (0-3) at 6:15 p.m. Stealers (3-0) vs 40 Caliber (2-1) at 7:30 p.m. and Champagnes (2-0) vs Anchor Dive (1-1) at 8:45 p.m.

After years of talk and last year’s premature ribbon cutting and ground breaking by former Gov. Roy Schneider, the extension of downtown Christiansted’s boardwalk is a step closer to reality.
On Thursday, the Senate’s Committee on Planning and Environmental Protection approved the V.I. government’s Coastal Zone Management permit to extend the boardwalk from where it ends in King’s Alley 1,450 feet west toward the Holger Danske Hotel.
According to Neil Watson, special projects coordinator for the Office of the Governor, the project will cost approximately $1.7 million and be funded by the Federal Highway Administration. He said a contractor, R&R Caribbean, has already been approved.
"As soon as this (permit) is passed, we can issue a notice to proceed," Watson said. "I can’t say when it will start. According to Public Works, the money has already been committed for the project by the Federal Highway Administration."
The chairman of the committee on Planning and Environmental Protection, Sen. Adlah "Foncie" Donastorg, said it has the authority to ratify the permit, meaning it will go directly to Gov. Charles Turnbull rather than the full Senate for final approval.
About a year ago, Schneider held a public ceremony on the waterfront announcing the start of the project. At that point, the former commissioner of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources had submitted a minor coastal zone management permit for the extension.
But Watson said that such a permit has a $75,000 limit, therefore a more involved major coastal zone permit was required. More than a year later, in which public hearings on the project were held and easements with property owners finalized, the permit was voted on in committee.
Because of the length of the process, though, Sens. David Jones and Almondo "Rocky" Liburd said they were concerned that the cost of the project may now exceed the allotted federal funding.
If that happens, said Watson, the federal government won’t pay for the additional costs.
"There is a possibility that we may have to utilize another source of funding to augment" the construction, Watson said.
He said the V.I. government would most likely have to use the balance of the $1 million St. Croix Economic Development Bond issued in 1994. Watson estimated that to be approximately $500,000.
"I’m assuming it’s still there," he said.
Phase Two of the boardwalk project would extend the wooden walkway from the Holger Danske Hotel to the seaplane building near Watergut. Phase Three would see the boardwalk extend east from near the King Christian Hotel toward Lobster Lane in Gallows Bay. Those projects, however, would need additional funding and permits.
"I do believe this particular project is an important part of our plan to invest in the infrastructure of St. Croix," said Jones. "It will serve as a critical mass of the development of the King’s Alley area."
The committee also approved a CZM permit for the reconstruction of a dock at the soon-to-be opened Divi Carina Bay Resort located on Grapetree Bay. Although there was lengthy debate on technical aspects of the permit, it was approved.
Leroy Arnold, representative for the developer of the hotel, Grapetree Shores Inc., said the resort’s opening date is slated for September of October. The permit allows the reconstruction of a 28-by-13-foot dock with a 69-by-9-foot approach walkway that was destroyed in Hurricane Hugo in 1989. The permit also allows for two swim platforms and swim buoys to be placed in the bay adjacent to the hotel.
Committee members Sens. Donastorg, Liburd, Donald Cole and Jean Baptiste voted in favor of the permits. Jones is not a committee member.

The monthly luncheon meeting of the League of Women Voters will be at 12 noon, Monday, July 19 at L'escargot in Sub Base. The topic will be the Tobacco Settlement.
Deputy Attorney General Alva Swan will be the guest speaker. The major topic for discussion will be the Tobacco settlement which was achieved through the National Association of Attorneys General. The discussion will include the award to come to the Virgin Islands, and a description of how these funds may be used.
The general public is encouraged to attend. Cost for the buffet style lunch will be $20.00 per person. If you wish to attend please make your reservations by contacting Ms. Eleanor Cerge at 776-9357, or Mrs. Elizabeth Delagarde at 776-0287 by Friday evening, July 16,1999.

The League of Women Voter's monthly luncheon will be held at 12 noon, Monday July 19, at L'escargot restaurant in Sub Base.
Deputy Attorney General Alva Swan will be the guest speaker. The major topic for discussion will be the Tobacco settlement which was achieved through the National Association of Attorneys General. The discussion will include the award to come to the Virgin Islands, and a description of how these funds may be used.
The general public is encouraged to attend. Cost for the buffet style lunch will be $20.00 per person. If you wish to attend please make your reservations by contacting Ms. Eleanor Cerge at 776-9357, or Mrs. Elizabeth Delagarde at 776-0287 by Friday evening, July 16, 1999.

Twelve Virgin Islands college students chosen as Anna Walsh Scholars have received a total of $7,100 in grants from the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands.
Five of the scholars are University of the Virgin Islands students: Virginia Anthony, Marthious Clavier, Steve Lawrence, Paula Matthew, and Miguelina Simmons.
Three of the scholars, Gail Douglas, Aesha Thomas, and Janine Turbe, are students at the University of Miami.
The remaining four Scholars are Chisa Brookes, who attends North Carolina State University in Raleigh; Tiphanie Galiber Gundel at Tufts University in Boston; Trevor Julien at Moorehouse College in Atlanta; and Gareth Moise at the University of Tampa.
Each student received between $500 and $800; four of them have received Anna Walsh grants in previous years.
"Once again, the Anna Walsh Scholar Awards will help support a cadre of talented people, the future pharmacists, computer scientists, attorneys, engineers, teachers, business men and women in our community, " states Dr. Ruth Thomas, chair of the selection committee. "The Virgin Islands can be proud of these twelve students for what they have achieved as well as for their personal and professional aspirations."
The grants are funded by the income from a $140,000 bequest from Anna Greene Walsh, a twenty-year resident of Frenchman's Hills, St. Thomas. The awards were first made available in 1996, to qualifying undergraduate college students.
Ms. Walsh was a social worker in New York City, where her supervisor was Hulita Blyden, a native Virgin Islander. In 1973 when Ms. Walsh retired, she moved to St. Thomas.