news of st. john

The main runway is being resurfaced.

Photos via the VI Port Authority newsletter

 The $8.9 million  project began in February. The work may continue through March, 2014. It's being done betwen 11 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. so as not to disrupt airport operations.

The first three phases will consist of replacing apron and taxiway asphalt pavement with a 12-inch reinforced concrete pavement including under drain, marking, lighting and other associated work. The FAA will pay 90 percent of the cost. The remaining 10 percent will be funded by the Port Authority.

In addition, the road leading to the airport has recently been resurfaced by the Dept. of Public Works.

The Port Authority also spent about $52,000 to acquire a passenger boarding ramp to accommodate passengers with boarding or deplaning needs.  The BAR 35 machine provides mechanical stairs and a lift for travelers, specifically those needing wheelchair access. Airlines have to request use of the ramp for which they will be charged $100, according to the Authority’s newsletter.

You don't have to weait until Tuesday to hear all 10 tracks from Kenny Chesney's new CD.  The iTunes stiore is streaming the full album free. One of the tracks, "Lindy", can also be played off the store's site.

Highlights of the album look to be "Coconut Tree," a duet with Willie Nelson, the track "Lindy", in memory of an island character who inhabited the Cruz Bay streets and alleys, amd the title track, "Life on a Rock." 

The 20th album from Kenny Chesney is set for release Tuesday, the 30th — and it's going to benefit St. John!  The 45-year-old star will donate a portion of the sure-to-be-blockbuster sales to the Virgin Islands National Park.

It was 15 years ago that Chesney 'discovered' the island. He's been a regular visitor and homeowner ever since.

"As the world becomes more developed, protecting these wild places is going to become harder – and the cost of maintaining them needs to be covered," Chesney explains. "It's easy to forget, or not understand when it's a line item on a piece of paper. But if you've ever seen the trees, the oceans from a ridge, the way it all tangles together, you realize how important making sure lands like this exist for the people who come after us is.

"For me, Life on a Rock comes from this place, so I want to give something back, so it's there for others. Let them find the peace and the awe that I did for so many years. And I like that the music can be connected with protecting something so important.

The first track released from the CD, Life  a Rock, is Pirate Flag.  You can see it here. The video sure looks like it's got shots of St. John, Florida, too.  There's also an old blue chair on a beach. 🙂

The Inquiring Iguana senses that Chesney's making a head-on run at the audience of the original pirate, the aging Jimmy Buffett.

Two new ferry boats, costing nearly $8 million, are expected to go into service between Red Hook and Cruz bay by the end of the year.  

Darryl Smalls, commissioner of Public Works, said the cost of the craft is being borne by the federal government through a grant from the Tranportation department and federal stimulus funds.

"Those vessels, the first in the country that are being constructed under new U.S. Coast Guard regulations for passenger vessels, should be delivered by the third quarter of this fiscal year and go into operation soon after," Smalls said. "The territory's two franchise ferry companies will lease and operate the ferries, which will improve the speed, service, reliability and capacity of the ferry service that so many Virgin Islanders and tourists rely on every day."

The 85-foot aluminum catamarans are being built by Midship Marine Inc., a Louisiana company.  Each can carry 250 passengers.

• Web site of Midship Marine

• New Buses and Ferries Will Improve Territory's Public Transit System 

This is National Parks Week which means there will be no admission fee at Trunk Bay or the Christiansted Histioric Site now through Friday.  The usual $4 toll comes back Sunday at Trunk Bay.

Dropping the fee, despite the Sequester and budget issues in Washington, is meant to encourage people to stop and smell the roses, or at least feel the sand between their toes.  Mike Anderson, deputy supt. at the VI National Park, told Lynda Lohr of the St. John Source, "You can pause and think about what's important."

Trunk Bay access will also be free Saturday.  The Friends of the V I National Park will be observing Reef Fest as part of this week's Earth Day observances.

The Friends announced Earth Day Fair will be held April 19th at the National Park ball field in Cruz Bay from 9 am to 1 pm and have more than 20 educational exhibits and learning activities.  The fair will kick off with a "litter stomp" parade from Julius E. Sprauve school to the fair grounds. 

Then on Saturday, April 20th there will be a fee-free day at Trunk Bay from 12 to 5 pm with various exhibits and interactive activities all centered around reef preservation and conservation.  There will be a free shuttle service from the Friends Store in Cruz Bay.  Call 779-4940 for more details.

According to a press release, "When Kenny Chesney decided it was time to find the rum he’d always wanted to drink, he didn’t approach the various distillers who’d offered him lucrative deals to lend his name and likeness to a brand created for him.

"No, the man who oversees every aspect of giant stadium productions and listens to myriad songs beyond what he writes for his albums, decided he wanted to do it himself.

“Everybody’s always expected this from me,” said Chesney. “There have been people who’ve approached us, stories that have gone around over the years. But rum is what I drink, and I always told myself, if I was going to do this, I wanted to create something I could be really proud of … make the rum I truly wanted to drink."

Chesney's brand will offer a Coconut flavored rum, Coconut Spiced, and a premium White Rum.

Blue Chair Bay Rum won’t be available until May.

The 45-year-old country singer owns a house on St. John, currently listed for just under $8 million.

Anyone who's ever tried to make a call from the beach at Maho will appreciate this: AT&T said St. Thomas and St. Croix will be included in the company's introduction of it higher-speed LTE technology by "the end of the summer."

But not St. John? (Read the corporate news release here.)  

It doesn't seem possible that other two islands would have the improved technology access but St. John wouldn't.  Maybe AT&T doesn't know St. John is here. or perhaps the towers that cover St. John will not be upgraded.  The Inquiring Iguana has always been happy with his AT&T connectivity in the past – we'll just have to wait and see.

The company said the LTE service provides  a stronger connection to wireless service, and faster upload and download speeds. Smartphones like the iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy are capable of using the 4G LTE network.

Sprint is reported planning to add LTE cell towers in the VI, including one on St. John.