St. John residents got a chance to view upgraded preliminary plans for the Enighed Pond Community Park when V.I. Port Authority staff and advisers hosted a town-hall meeting Tuesday night at the St. John Legislative Annex in Cruz Bay.
Carlton Dowe, executive director of VIPA, gave an overview of the master plan for the event space, which has been under development since 2022.
The park is planned for a 3.69-acre site formed from the material dredged from Enighed Pond when the Theodore E. Moorehead Marine Terminal was built. It will include a performance venue, a playground and green space for public use, accommodations for retailers, and a staging area for disaster response.
Dowe began the meeting by stating the plan is still a work in progress and thanked community members for their input over the past two years. He introduced the planning team, which includes engineers and designers from VIPA, Moffatt & Nichol, and Springline Architects. St. John architect Kurt Marsh has also been consulting on the project.
Preston Beyer, VIPA director of engineering, gave an overview of the geotechnical investigations that have been underway in the last two years. The site is located next to the barge terminal and is vulnerable to coastal flooding, so flood maps will need to be updated to take into account present considerations, he said.
Because the site is comprised of fill from dredging Enighed Pond, it will have to be compacted and drained of water. Soil tests show traces of arsenic, so the surface will have to be capped and graded. Soil will be brought in to achieve an elevation of more than eight feet for the entry plaza and first-floor level of the buildings.
The plan now calls for an entry plaza with a playground and two structures — one for ticketing, security and infrastructure and another for retail and meeting spaces. A stairway and ramp between them will lead up to the performance venue which includes a slightly graded green space and a stage flanked by vendor spaces. Public restrooms will be available on both levels.
Ground-level parking lots on two sides of the facility will accommodate up to 90 cars under the present plan. However, residents are concerned that construction of the project will remove space for 200 cars at what is now known as the gravel lot.
In spite of their qualms, the Port Authority will not construct additional parking levels for two reasons. Dowe said the costs of construction take too long to recover, and Marsh said members of the public have protested the loss of views that would result from increasing the height. Asked whether the parking would be free, Dowe responded, “We ain reach there yet, but ‘free’ dead a long time.”
Dowe hesitated when asked about the cost of the project. “World events are changing constantly …. We can’t believe that we are exempt from what is going on nationally. We may wake up and the price of steel may have doubled,” he said.
Angel Bolques Jr., senator-at-large, said the V.I. Legislature has already appropriated $10 million under Act 8920 for the project. Looking at officials, he added, “I’m sure you’ll be coming back.”
Dowe emphasized that planners were aiming to build a world-class facility that would serve the needs of residents as well as tourists.
Beyer said the design team was having “passionate discussions” about issues including fencing, solar energy, and whether to use natural or manmade material for the green space in front of the stage.
Gilbert Laban of Springline Architects said the designers wanted to go beyond simple square structures for the buildings and were looking at images of moko jumbies and timbrel vaults to create an undulating roof and a more fluid design. However, the designs shown on the renderings presented at the meeting are “not the end product, by any means,” he said.
Planners intend to spend the next year coordinating with permitting agencies, including Coastal Zone Management, working with the Public Works Department to address flooding on Fish Fry Road and mapping out the materials, colors, finishes, landscaping, hardscaping, and playgrounds. They expect to present a final design a year from now, along with details about the funding and construction.
“We value your input,” said Mark Pirrello, the leading manager from Moffatt & Nichol, who is consulting with VIPA on this project. “Please email us with your ideas at enighedpark@viport.com.”
Click here to see the entire slide presentation shown at the meeting.
