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St. Thomas airport air conditioning broken

Plane_at_airport
It’s been so hot inside the Cyril E. King airport’s waiting room that the candy bars are melting. 

The federal baggage scanners are talking about walking out because it’s so hot.

At least one airline is asking the VI Port Authority for a rent rebate because the facility is so uncomfortable. 

The airport’s a. c. has been out of order for several days, with the Virgin Islands Daily News quoting a Port Authority spokesperson saying he is unsure when it will be repaired.  "The staff and management … apologized for the inconvenience," the Authority said in a statement, the News added.  Read the Daily News story here.

Now, try and find that news release on the Authority’s Web site, http://www.viport.com/.  Not there.  In fact, no news announcements have been posted this year!  And when you click on a link to the Authority’s "Newsletter," it takes you to a September, 2005 document – apparently the first and only newsletter.  (Wanna guess whether the Port Authority’s budget has an allocation for ‘Newsletter’?  Wanna guess what’s happened to the money?) 

Are these people on the ball?  Think they’ll be in a rush to fix the air conditioning in a public building dedicated to the island’s only industry, tourism?

Meanwhile, back at the airport, it’s still hot, hot, hot.  On the first floor, with its open air ticket counters, inside in the Customs clearance area, and even more so back in the holding pens (where travelers wait – and where it’s usually so cold you wish you’d put your long pants on). 

The airport staffers are blaming the Water and Power Authority for power surges which caused the a.c. chillers to shut down; WAPA says, "Uh, uh, it wasn’t us."

The Daily News says the Authority estimates it could be eight weeks before the air conditioning is working again.

Westin names Director of Fun

There’s a new Iguana wrangler at the Westin. Toya Frazer-Ellis, a native St. Thomian and University of Florida graduate, has been promoted to
be the new Director of Fun at the Westin Resort. Her job, according to a news release, is to
"ensure that kids of all ages have an enjoyable stay." That means she manages the daily Iguana feedings
and Hermit Crab Races, organizes Bobbing for Sodas and Beer by the pool, and
sets up Dive-In Movies, too.

Frazer-Ellis has worked at the Westin for two
years.  Her previous title was Director
of Romance. She helped plan guests’
weddings.

Possible Wi-Fi woes in Cruz Bay

Will Culver is a bit worried for some people buying condos in Cruz Bay and hoping to get Internet access.  Despite guarantees by developers at Sirenusa and Grande Bay, Culver says Innovative Communications, the islands’ phone company, can take years to install phone lines, never mind DSL technology. 

"Pulling wires is expensive which is why I like fixed wireless, Culver said.  That’s technology through which a small dish picks up a broadband signal from a tower.  There is a tower on St. Thomas and if you have a view of St. T, you can get Culver’s wireless service.

In the second part of an interview with Culver, the owner of Surf da Web, says he sees visitors to St. John using their laptops to do e-mail and make phone calls via Skype. Click the play button below.

You can also download or hear the conversation by clicking here.

Subscribe to News of St. John’s weekly podcast at the Apple iTunes Store and search for "news of st. john,"
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a problem, e-mail: [email protected].

St. John festival this week

The beat goes on Thursday evening when Festival Village opens in the Cruz Bay parking lot. The bad news is this
reduces parking availability downtown; the good news is that crafts and food
and music are on display for all to enjoy.  The Village is being called "Parisville", in respect to the Village’s honoree, Camille "JuJu" Paris.

Speaking of parking, they’ve begun to pave an the ground across
from the old barge dock, next to Nature’s Nook. The plan is to use it as a sort of staging area for taxicabs/safari buses – perhaps reducing the number of taxis taking up parking spots along the waterfront.

Roundabout plans – worse before it gets better

Robert O’Connor, owner of the Texaco gas station in Cruz Bay, said there’s going to be a "mess" while the VI government builds a roundabout to move traffic through the intersection where his Texaco station has been for decades.

At a public information meeting last Thursday, the St. John Source reported officials said a contractor for the job may be selected this fall.  The roadwork is expected to begin next February.  It will last two years. How about that, sports fans?

Now get this … the reason for doing the job has changed. More than a year ago, Public Works said it wanted the roundabout to alleviate traffic problems which would be caused by the opening of the Enighed Commercial Port. Trucks using the barges would have a difficult time using the road past the Fire Department or Centerline or South Shore road.

Not so, now, says the government. Wystan Benjamin, the federal-aid program manager at Public Works, said traffic from the Port is not causing major problems.  It’s just that the four/five way intersection is a bad one, he said. Surprising comment, eh?  Two years of pain to fix something they say isn’t broke.

Here’s something Public Works had better think of now, too.  The south shore road up Gifft Hill is a disaster.  Potholes galore need to be fixed.  If Gifft Hill is not repaired, folks at the Westin, Great Cruz Bay, Chocolate Hole, Rendezvous, Fish Bay and so on are in trouble if they find gridlock  getting into town by the south route.  Their only option is to go up Gifft Hill … and that’s treacherous, even on dry roads.  Hope Public Works has got some money for asphalt!

Charlotte Amalie ferry back in service

Ferry
The island’s two ferry companies say they are resuming trips to Charlotte Amalie from Cruz Bay. Varlack Ventures and Transportation Services told the Virgin Islands Daily News its boats stopped making the run recently because they had to be inspected and needed "unforeseen repairs." (Read the story.)

Meanwhile the ferry companies have told the Public Services Commission they need a subsidy from the government to purchase new boats.  The ferry companies plead that they are losing money. 

Exactly how much, nobody knows for sure.  Because the ferry companies have failed to produce financial reports for the PSC to review.  Keeping records and accounting for fares collected is not the ferries’ strong suit.  Sometimes you get a receipt, sometimes you don’t.  Who knows what gets reported?

St. John for less $

The St. John Sun Times has begun a new feature, "St. John on a Budget."  Given that the cost of living, and vacationing, is high, these tips are worth remembering.  The feature is certainly a reason to pick up a copy of the paper, too.   It published every other Wednesday.

Recent tips:

  • Shrimp Night at the Lime Inn:  Wednesdays, $21.95 all the peel-and-eat shrimp you want.  Get there early.
  • Appetizer happy hour at Paradiso:  Chef Paul Trujillo’s tasty starters are half price, from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
  • Movie Night at the Tap Room:  This has just started, and let’s see how long the MPAA lets it go on.  The show goes on Wednesday nights at 7 p.m.
  • Free golf:  The island’s miniature golf course, Compass Rose, offers freebies for kids Monday nights and  for groups of lady duffers Wednesday.  Locals also play free before 7 p.m. on Saturday.
  • Senorita Pizza: MiIller Draft and Lights, $1 all day.

Governor grabs for Cruz Bay parking money

Gov. John deJongh wants to take away about 60% of the money earmarked for a new parking garage to be built near the Enighed commercial port. 

The Governor asked the VI Senate this week to "reprogram" the money for "critical needs" such as paying for gasoline for government vehicles and the costs to host the 2007 Volleyball Conference on St. Thomas next month.

I don’t really know how these things work in the VI Senate – my impression is most things don’t – but if this money goes away, who knows when it might be replaced?  Former Senator At Large Craig Barshinger, a St. Johnian, fought hard for that appropriation, getting support from community organizations who also opposed the previous Governor’s dumb idea to build a parking garage on land near Nature’s Nook is.

I can’t believe that the Governor did not contact the current Senator At Large, Carmen Wesselhoft, also a St. John resident, to tell her what he was planning.  Either she didn’t get the call, suggesting deJongh doesn’t think much of her clout, or she did get the call and failed to effectively argue against the move.  Either way, it looks like St. John’s link to the VI Senate is pretty weak.

Jet Blue eyes the islands

Logo_jblu
More than two years ago, Jet Blue was asking customers where they thought the airline should add service.  News of St. John quickly began campaigning for the Virgin Islands and so did readers.  The issue is back on the front burner.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, the airline’s new CEO says adding dozens of new smaller jets (100 passengers) gives Jet Blue a reason to consider new markets. 

Dave Barger says he sees lots of expansion possibilities with the new plans.  ""Let’s look at Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean," he said.

If you’re a Jet Blue fan, click here to send an e-mail to tell them what you’d like.

New food market for south shore road

Palmplaza
Once upon a time there was a great gourmet deli and food store in Palm Plaza, a small shopping strip near the Westin Resort. 

The Simple Feast had great salads, sandwiches, cold beer, snacks, and even some produce.  Then the owner turned over the keys to a new operator, and it kind of went down hill.  Since then, if you needed some munchies or dinner makins’, it was a drive into Cruz Bay. 

That’s going to change, according to a blog post on the Islandia Real Estate Web site. Amy DuPont writes that Dolphin Market will open a second location in the new Greenleaf Commons building, a commercial development being built across the road from Palm Plaza, where Simple Feast is. 

"They will have a good selection of meats, fish, a deli and a coffee bar," she reported.  The owners of Dolphin hope to be open in time for high season, in December.  Dolphin’s original location is across from O’Connor’s Texaco and next to Boulon Center in Cruz Bay.,