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A plan for Coral Bay’s other marina

An attorney says a group known as T-Rex St. John LLC (nice
image, isn’t that?) plans to build a marina, condominium and commercial
development on Moravian Church property in Coral Bay, according to the St. John Source.  David Bornn
was quoted saying while plans are preliminary, "We just finished
documentation with the church."   Bornn added, "It’s a
community-oriented project and will benefit Coral Bay." The
church-owned land is a waterfront strip that runs behind Guy Benjamin
School, the fire house, and Skinny Legs, the Source reported.

Get to the airport early

If you were traveling from Cyril King airport on St. Thomas with the Governor of the territory, get a head start.  He issued a statement in the wake of last wek’s terror alert suggesting travlers give themlseves 2 1/2 hours to get through the increased security procedures.  The Governor issued a statement also asking travelers for "patience and cooperation".  New rules at the airport include no curbside parking, and that all liquor and perfume purchases be in checked luggage.  That’s going to require some extra effort for lots of people, from visitors to merchants.  Sara Tieben of A.H. Riise said her company’s stores will be including more cardboard in packaging to protect the bottles in airplanes’ cargo bays.

New air service from Detroit

Northwest Airlines will  begin a non-stop Saturday flight from Detroit to Str. Thomas January 6.  "The timing couldn’t be better, said Pamela Richards, the Tourism Commissioner, according to the St. John Source.  "It’s coupled with projections for another robust winter season."  Northwest’s Web site, nwa.com, prices the flight at $414.50.  Other airlines flying to St. Thomas include American, USAir, United, Delta, and Spirit.

Real estate update 8/13/06

There appears to be some pricing weakness in homes.  The average price of a home listed for sale has dropped 16% since July 4th, from $1.9 million to $1.6 million.  Now it could be that just one high-priced property was taken off the market, but the numbers are the numbers.  The median price of a listed home barely slipped, from $2.2 million to$2.16 million.

Who realized there are 17 condo projects on island?  Holiday Homes has developed a map that shows them.  It’s on the Web  at http://www.holidayhomesvi.com/condos_location.php

Here’s the latest from the Multiple Listing Service.

  • Houses:  109 (down 4 from 7/20)
  • Commercial:  23 (unchanged from 7/20)
  • Condos:  40 (unchanged from 7/20)
  • Land lots:  259 (up 11 from 7/20)

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Galleria del Mar is among the businesses listed for sale.  The seven-year-old art gallery at Wharfside is priced at $160,000

 

Storm tracker in VI’s

Ez
Jim Cantore, storm tracker for the Weather Channel, has been on St. Thomas but not because there is a hurricane on its way.  He was there to sign autographs and help open a friend’s new business franchise.  EZ Ice, owned by Jim Larson, installed a 200-squiare foot automatic "ice house" in Lindbergh Bay, according to the Virgin Islands Daily News. 

Cantore told the News that after a major natural, disaster," a bag of ice quickly turns to gold." The self-service machine operates 24/7, Larson said, and can dispense 1,000 pounds of ice a day.

Texan likes restaurant lottery

Sherry Wash of Ft. Worth said it was a wonderful
coincidence.  She’s been looking for a way to open a cafe on St. John
then she read on the Internet about the proposed lottery/sale of the island’s best known Italian restaurant.
"To say that this would be a dream come true for a single 42 year old
mother with two sons is an understatement. Upon showing the site and
listening to the theme music at Cafe Roma’s website, my 15 & 19 year old sons as well as myself were covered with goose bumps!," she wrote in a letter to the St. John Source.
"I definitely will be an entrant in this contest and look forward to
the possibility of living a dream in paradise," Wash said.

Hiking trails get attention

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The Student Conservation Association and the Friends of the VI National Park
teamed to work with 10 young people who spent a month on island paying
attention to some overgrown trails in the Park.  Brush was cleared,
water bars installed, trails rebuilt in parts of Cinnamon Bay, Reef
Bay, Ram Head and Caneel Hill.  Jeffrey Glenn, a co-leader of the crew, told the St. John Source
there was a lot of needed work.  "We did everything from re-vegetation
to repair eroded areas to construction of stone stairs," he said.  A
St. Thomas resident was part of the group.  She was Henrietta Alexander.
The 17-year-old high school student explained to the Source, "I just
like helping the environment because I want to study environmental
science."

Real estate update 7/20/06

The Sirenusa upscale condo development appears to be moving along, despite an earlier stop work order from the government.  The Multiple Listing Service has three condos at the project, each priced above $2 million.

  • Houses:  113 (up 2 from 7/04)
  • Commercial:  23 (down 2 from 7/04)
  • Condos:  40 (up 1  from 7/04)
  • Land lots:  248 (down 1 from 7/04)

Help wanted: Four classifieds in a recent issue of the Tradewinds … all were placed by island real estate firms.  Three were seeking sales people. The fourth wanted a broker assistant.