news of st. john

A month or so begin schedule, the $336,000 renovation of the park in 'downtown' Cruz Bay, is open for business.

Well, not all business.  Vendors who occasionally set up under tents, or brought tables on which to show-and-sell their jewelry, hot sauces, or wood carvings are no longer welcome to set up shop.

Besides being less hospitable to merchants, the park is also less welcoming.  The St. John Tradewinds claims benches in the new park are purposefully uncomfortable to discourage homeless people from checking in for the night.  They are individual seats.

The St.John Source also said some landscaping remains to be completed.  There are planters that need to be installed.

The almost-six months-long project  created a few problems.  St. John Festival found it had less room for Cruz Bay activities, and merchants around the park – including J.J.'s Texas Coast Cafe may have found business down in proportion to their lack of visibility because of construction fencing.

There's a deal for the long-closed Voyages de St. Jan restaurant building in Coral Bay.  

Lynn Giovanna at Islandia Real Estate said the property, also marketed as a 4 bedroom, 3 bath residence with water view, has been on the MLS since September, 2004.

It was originally listed at a price of about $3 million.

The story goes that the property was built by a couple of folks who made their fortunes during the Internet bubble, and cashed out with the idea of opening a very upscale restaurant in under-developed-Coral Bay.  

In its last year of operation Voyages made changes in hopes of boosting its popularity. Instead of fine dining, it was billed as a seaside bistro and wine bar, offering what some might call "classy bar food", cocktails, and wine.

As promised, the Virgin islands Division of Property has mailed its second tax bill this year.

The bills for 2008 taxes, using the old assessed valuations, are due Aug. 20.  Owners who pay before that date will receive a five percent discount, according to the Office of the Lt. Governor, as reported by the St. John Source.

Delinquent penalty fees may be assessed if the taxes are not paid by Jan. 20, 2012.

The annual Rotary Club fund raiser, Flavors of St. John, has been scheduled for Oct. 28th.

The "adult Halloween event' will again be held in the Westin Resort's meeting rooms and  ballroom.  Rotary club president Briuce Munro announced the date while encouraging club members to volunteer for committees and planning.

"This is our largest fundraiser and is used for  providing all scholarships," he wrote in the group's weekly e-mail, adding "Everyone's participation is expected."

Flavors bills itself as "An evening on the beach with music, dancing and St John's best food." Dozens of local restaurants and bars prepare samples of their best fare while attendees vote for their favorites.

Tickets will be available at several retail locations on island as well as online, if it all goes this year as last year.  Everyone is welcome – local or visitor.  Attending is a great way to sample a smorgasbord of St. John's best food and drink, as well as a great way to get to know a few of the people who call the island home and are active in supporting good works and activities.

It's the first question people ask when they decide on visiting St. John: What's a good restaurant?

A popular source of answers is TripAdvisor where hundreds of reviews have been posted by folks who have already tasted the island's offerings.  At the moment, 28 restaurants are ranked.  However, there are some 60-70 restaurants on the island, so the site's reviews are not the last word on where's a good place to eat.  So, if there's a place you like, and it's not on the list, do yourself and the restaurant a favor by posting a review.

Here are the spots currently ranked in the Top 5, with a snippet of reviews posted this month.

La Plancha del Mar (at Mongoose Junction)

"Friday Saturday night is 'movie night' where they have a set menu of rather fancy 4 course meal for $40 each person."

(A sample of La Plancha's menu.)

Ocean Grill (at Mongoose)

"Everyone found their meal to be excellent! Everyone tasted the Mahi and said it was the best fish they ever had! The service was superb!"

Morgan's Mango (between Nature's and Mongoose)

"Morgan's Mango is very busy, but the food and the service remain consistently excellent."

The Beach Bar (at Wharfside)100% recommend

"Very good bar & very fun place to be. Food is ok. Drinks are good. Service is good. Good happy hour. Great spot for watching boats & people."

Spyglass (at Wharfside)

“Beautiful locale with decent food! We enjoyed a beautiful bay side table at sunset. The margarita was refreshing. The snapper was impressively presented! The Mahi Mahi served with red beans and rice was delicious.

Almost 30% of the cats and dogs who found homes through efforts of the Animal Care Center ended up in the states.  ACC president B.J. Harris reported the group helped facilitate adoptions for 19 cats and 25 dogs during the past year.  Other efforts of the group included distributing four tons of food as part of the feed-trap-neuter-and-release cat program.

At the end of last year, the ACC had come upon challenging times – financially and organizationally.  Wrenching changes were made in management and the Board of Directors was made smaller and its members more accountable.

Furthermore, the ACC's outreach efforts for support have become more professional.  There's a good Web site and an excellent new publication produced by Laurie and Greg Damron.  You can see it on-line here.

The decision by the National Park Service to add 21st century-looking lifeguard stands to Trunk Bay hasstirred controversy on and off island.

(Photo courtesy of Cindy in Pa., on the VIOL Web site.)

"Of course, blowing them up is a little strong, but I wouldn't mind if they blew away," said Capn Dan and Ruby on the Virgin Islands On-line Web site.  While Iowaguy agreed, Xislandgirl took a more calm view, saying "We can dislike them all we want but if the Lifeguards, that are there to ensure the public's safety, are happy with them, then I am happy with them."

TropicAtHeart said, the new white stands "completely ruin the natural look of Trunk that many have enjoyed for decades."

Mark Hardgrove, superintendent of the Park, said the stands will be painted to make them blend in with the scenery, the St. John Source reported.   Camouflage netting will also go over the stands.  He told the Source the new stands give the lifeguards greater protection from the sun and they also store rescue equipment.

Bob Schlesinger of Tropical Focus provided this photo.

Read comments about the new lifeguard stands here.

Friends of the Virgin Islands National Park have been aggressive in encouraging visitors to beware of the voracious and poisonous Lionfish in the waters and off the reefs of St. John and the VIs.

There have been public meetings about the threat.  Volunteer divers have sought out the fish, capturing and killing them.

Now the VI government hopes to motivate VI fishermen to catch Lionfish by encouraging local restaurants to put the fish on their menus.  The Fish and Wildlife division of DPNR hopes If there's demand from eateries, then the fisherman may create the supply.

This video clip is from TV2, highlighting Villa Morales which has put Lionfish on the menu.  Frommers calls it "the premier Puerto Rican restaurant on St. Croix."

A favorite part of the report is when the TV2 news person says, "Of course there are concerns that lionfish may not be safe to eat but DPNR say there's nothing to worry about."