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A PUBLICATION OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS PORT AUTHORITY Volume 11 Issue 2 www.viport.com 2015 Fall Edition

HERA’s New Fire Station

The Virgin Islands Port Authority will be constructing a new 12,000

square feet fire station, replacing its old station at the Henry E. Rohlsen

Airport on St. Croix. The existing fire station has been in a deplorable

condition for several years, which the fire fighters have had to endure.

VIPA received a Federal Aviation Administration Grant in the

amount of $6,870,128 – of which $2,575,084 are discretionary funds.

The total cost of the project is $7,182,801, and the remainder will be

funded by the Port Authority.

“This is an important project for St. Croix. The Rohlsen Airport will

receive a significant improvement and the project will employ St. Croix

residents during the construction phase,” said VIPA Executive Director

Carlton Dowe.

2 New Board Secretary

& Members

3 FY 16 Budget

4 Port Upgrades on St. John

5 New CEKA Fire Truck &

Aviation Fees

6-7 Employee News

8 Upcoming Events and

a VIPA Summer Student Success Story

Page 2 VIPA Portfolio Fall 2015

The VIPA Portfolio is published by: The Virgin Islands Port Authority

P.O. Box 301707 St. Thomas, VI 00803-1707

Tel: (340) 774-1629 Fax: (340) 774-0025

Web site: www.viport.com E-mail: info@viport.com

The Honorable Kenneth E. Mapp Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands

The Honorable Osbert E. Potter

Lt. Governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands

Roberto C. Cintron, P.E. Chairperson of the Board

Private Sector Member, St. Croix

The Honorable Beverly Nicholson Doty Vice Chairperson of the Board

Commissioner of Tourism

Mr. José A. Penn Secretary of the Board

Acting Chairman, Economic Development Authority Board

The Honorable Clade E. Walker, Esq. Acting Attorney General

The Honorable Gustav James Commissioner of Public Works

Mrs. Laurel Hewitt-Sewer

Private Sector Member, St. John

Dr. Yvonne E. L. Thraen Private Sector Member, St. Thomas

Mr. Carlton Dowe Executive Director

Mr. David W. Mapp

Assistant Executive Director

Mrs. Monifa Marrero Brathwaite Public Information Officer

Editor & Layout

Assistant Editors Ms. Julice Harley

Chief of Staff

Ms. Damali Rogers Special Assistant

Established on Feb. 11, 1969, the Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA) is a semi-autonomous agency that owns and manages the two airports and the majority of the public seaports in the United States Virgin Islands. We are also charged with controlling the harbors in the territory. VIPA is a critical arm of the USVI economy, and is committed to maintaining and developing the airports and seaports of the territory to accommodate the current and future demands of its users. The Port Authority is self-supporting and receives no tax revenues from the U.S. Virgin Islands government.

New Board Secretary and New Members

José A. Penn, the acting Economic Development

Authority board chairman, was elected as the new VI Port

Authority board secretary in June. He replaced former

board secretary, Allison Petrus, who resigned from the

VIPA board in May. Penn is the chief financial officer of

his family's group of local businesses. He is also a

member of the St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of

Commerce, Inc., a charter and honorary member of the

Rotary Club of St. John, Inc. and is the chair of the Enterprise &

Commercial Zone Commission. Penn has a Bachelor of Arts degree in

Accounting.

José A. Penn

VIPA Board Secretary

Acting EDA Chair

Attorney Claude Earl Walker sits on VIPA’s board as

the acting Attorney General of the US Virgin Islands and is

the head of the VI Department of Justice. Attorney Walker,

an Albany Law School graduate, served as a U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development litigator;

senior legal counselor at Scotia Bank; policy adviser at the

U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Terrorism and

Financial Intelligence; and a U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency attorney and adviser.

Claude E. Walker, Esq.

Attorney General

Laurel Hewitt-Sewer was confirmed to the VIPA board

in September. Hewitt-Sewer will sit on the board as a

private citizen representing St. John. She is a part-time

professor of Inclusive Early Childhood Education in the

School of Education at the University of the Virgin Islands

and a retired Family and Consumer Sciences teacher.

Hewitt-Sewer holds a Master of Science Degree in Child

and Youth Care Administration from Nova South Eastern

University, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Home Economics, Child

Development from Georgia Southern University and an Associate in Arts

Degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management from the University of the

Virgin Islands.

Laurel Hewitt-Sewer

Private Citizen

St. John

VIPA BOARD ACTIONS ARE ONLINE:

www.viport.com

Gateways to the USVI Economy

VIPA Portfolio Fall 2015 Page 3

VIPA Board Approves Fiscal Year 2016 Budget

The VI Port Authority’s Governing

Board approved a $82.4 million budget for

Fiscal Year 2016 - a 6.7 percent decrease

over last year’s $88.3 million budget. The

decrease is attributed to cuts in travel,

utilities and maintenance costs, and a

scaled-back capital improvement program.

Although the budget includes projected

increases in aviation and marine traffic,

the board has made the fiscally responsible decision

to operate the agency based on conservative

assumptions to avoid over-expending its financial

resources, said Executive Director Carlton Dowe.

Dowe added that over the past three years, the

Authority focused on critically needed

infrastructure improvements. While this work will

continue, VIPA will be using Fiscal Year 2016 to

rebuild its financial standing, he said.

The FY16 budget anticipates operating expenses,

excluding depreciation, of $43.5 million, debt

service cost of $5.7 million, and capital

expenditures of 33.2 million—for a total outlay of

$82.4 million. These outlays are funded by $54.6

million from current revenues derived from

operating fees and charges, $2.9 million from

passenger facility charges, $2.2 million from

restricted cash on hand, $7.2 million from capital

grants, and $15.7 million from bond proceeds.

Major developments planned for FY 16 include:

The expansion of the Crown Bay Cruise Ship

Pier in Crown Bay, St. Thomas.

A double–level parking garage and a new US

Customs Facility at the Urman Fredericks

Marine Terminal in Red Hook.

Dredging the Schooner Bay Channel and

improving the Gallows Bay Facility to

accommodate small cruise ships.

Relocation of the King Airport’s

maintenance building in order to expand the

general aviation area for private jet parking.

Construction of a new fire fighting facility at

the Rohlsen Airport.

Developing a paid parking facility in Cruz

Bay and a paved cargo area at the Moorehead

Marine Facility at Enighed Pond, St. John.

Page 4 VIPA Portfolio Fall 2015

The Port Authority has hired Rumina Construction to build a new cargo apron at the Theovald

Moorehead Marine Facility at Enighed Pond, St. John. The construction of the paved storage area

was part of the original plans when the facility was built in 2006. However, VIPA did not have

enough funds at the time. In the meantime, shipping companies have been temporarily storing

containerized cargo on a sandy lot near the dock, said VIPA Senior Engineer Byron Todman. The

paved lot will be safer and more sanitary. Todman said he expects the $1.2 million project to be

completed by April 2016.

Moorehead Marine Facility Cargo Apron Under Construction

Paved Parking Lot at Enighed

VIPA has awarded a contract to The deJongh Group in the amount of $70,260 for engineering services

to design a paved parking lot at the Theovald Moorehead Marine Facility at Enighed Pond, St. John.

The existing gravel-covered lot near the Moorehead Facility will be paved and a paid parking system

will be installed. The project is funded by bonds secured by the Port Authority in 2014. VIPA

anticipates about $525,000 per year in new revenue once the parking lot has been completed. The

design for the new lot should be ready by February 2016.

VIPA is upgrading the

existing parking lot

near the Moorehead

Marine Facility. The

gravel lot will be paved

and a paid parking

system will be installed.

VIPA Portfolio Fall 2015 Page 5

CEKA’s New Fire Truck

The Virgin Islands Port Authority has added a new

Global Striker 4x4 aircraft rescue and firefighting

(ARFF) apparatus to its fleet at the Cyril E. King

Airport on St. Thomas.

The apparatus includes a 1,500-gallon water and a 200-gallon aqueous film-forming foam fire

suppression system, which is essential for extinguishing fuel fires. Features exclusive to this new truck

include a digital, computerized operating system that can be operated by one fire fighter, and a

penetrating “snozzle” that can pierce the walls of a plane and extinguish fires in a concentrated area of

the aircraft.

The new truck replaces Oshkosh Engine 5 at the King Airport which is about 15 years old and in

poor condition. CEKA now has three firefighting apparatuses and meets the Federal Aviation

Administration’s requirements regarding adequate capacity to transport fire extinguishing agents (water,

foam and dry chemicals). All 18 of CEKA’s firefighting crew are currently being trained to operate the

new truck by a certified technician from Oshkosh Corporation, the company that built the truck.

The ARFF apparatus cost $923,421 and was paid for by an FAA Airport Improvement Program

(AIP) grant. VIPA paid 10 percent of the total cost, as per the grant requirements. Oshkosh

Corporation was the successful bidder on a request for proposal to provide a commercially-produced

diesel engine apparatus for CEKA, which is classified as an Index C airport by the FAA.

Private taxi and rental car services that provide service from the Cyril E. King Airport

and the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport will be required to pay fees to help maintain and improve

both airports.

Off-airport taxi service providers are required to pay $10 each day they pick up

passengers at CEKA. VIPA has provided 10 designated parking spaces for private taxis

pick up passengers with pre-arrangements. There is also a $25 fee to pick up passengers at

the general aviation area where private planes are parked. The fee will cover escort and

security services needed to access that area. Off-airport rental car companies are

required to pay $1 per contract for all customers picked up at the airport.

The off-airport taxi fees went into effect on Oct. 1, and the off-airport rental car fee went

into effect on Nov. 1 on St. Thomas. On St. Croix, both fees will go into effect on Dec. 1.

New Aviation Fees to Fund Airport Improvements

Page 6 VIPA Portfolio Fall 2015

Effective October 1, 2015, VIPA employees will pay a .33% increase for medical insurance under its

CIGNA health plan. CIGNA has also made changes to the insurance plan and will mail these changes

to all insured employees. VIPA employees with questions or concerns are encouraged to contact the

Human Resources office at (340) 774-1629.

Employee Medical Insurance Rate Increases

Medical Premium CIGNA

Monthly Premium

VIPA Semi-Monthly

Cost (85%)

Employee Semi-Monthly

Cost (15%)

Employee Medical $735.99 $312.80 $55.20

Employee & Family Medical $1,286.93 $546,95 $96.52

Dental Premium CIGNA

Monthly Premium

VIPA Semi-Monthly

Cost (85%)

Employee Semi-Monthly

Cost (15%)

Employee Medical $17.54 $4.39 $4.39

Employee & Family Medical $44.75 $11.19 $11.19

VIPA Portfolio Fall 2015 Page 7

Current and former VIPA Board members and members of the Authority’s executive staff

hosted a dinner to bid former VIPA Board Chairman Robert O’Connor Jr. farewell on his

retirement from the board. O’Connor served on the board as a private citizen representing

St. John from June 27, 1991 through February 13, 2015. He served as chairman, vice chair

and secretary of the board over his 24 years of service.

Board & Staff Bid Former Chairman O’Connor Farewell

Robert O’Connor Jr. VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe and Robert O’Connor Jr.

Ajani Price Corneiro dreamt of becoming an engineer as

a young boy while building elaborate masterpieces with his

Lego® blocks. In 2007, he worked as a summer intern in

the Virgin Islands Port Authority’s engineering office and

assisted engineers with major projects such as the

construction of the marine facilities at Red Hook and

Crown Bay on St. Thomas and Enighed Pond, St. John.

The 2008 graduate of All Saints High School now has a

degree in civil engineering from the University of New

Haven in Connecticut, and is employed as an engineer for

the US Department of Transportation. A typical day on

the job for Corneiro involves designing engineering plans

for major roads, highways and all the accompanying

infrastructure such as sidewalks and culverts. At just 24

years old, he has already worked on projects valued

upwards of $20 million. However, Cornerio said his

biggest and most exciting project to date was working on

the team that designed a bridge in Connecticut, referred to

as Route 2 Westbound Over I-84. “It’s really exciting to

see three dimensional plans that I did on a computer

become a reality. Working on projects of that magnitude is

what my legacy will be,” he said.

Corneiro’s interests are also multi-dimensional. In

addition to playing the steel pan for recreation, he is an

entrepreneur with plans to start his own biking excursion

on St. Thomas offering self-guided tours of downtown

Charlotte Amalie using mapped guides to historical and

cultural landmarks.

A VIPA Summer Student Success Story

October 29

STT-STJ Chamber of Commerce

Business After Hours

Crown Bay Center, St. Thomas

5:30 p.m. — 7:30 p.m.

November 28

Virgin Islands Nice

Peace Concert

Crown Bay Center, St. Thomas

Time to be Announced

December 1

Holiday Fest & Tree Lighting

Crown Bay Center, St. Thomas

10 a.m. — 12 a.m.

December 5

Holiday Tree Lighting

Ann E. Abramson Pier, St. Croix

Time to be Announced

December 20

Holiday Youth Chorale

Crown Bay Center, St. Thomas

12 p.m. — 4 p.m.

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