Former Sen. Celestino White started the V.I. Port Authority’s Board of Governors meeting Monday, wanting to know about infractions the Federal Aviation Administration found at the Cyril E. King Airport and about the safety of the runways.
White, a board member, asked about a civil penalty letter dated Aug. 15, 2023, assessing the authority for a penalty of $477,000 for infractions at the airport. The amount was negotiated down to $382,000 in October of last year. A poll vote was taken last month and ratified Monday, authorizing Executive Director Carlton Dowe to pay the lower amount.
VIPA Director of Engineering Preston Beyer said the infractions were found during airport inspections in 2019. However, a letter from Dowe to board members last month stated that the infractions were discovered during the inspections in March, December 2021, and May 2022.
White added that the frequent closing of the airport’s main runway raised concerns about how safe the runway was. Beyer said the authority inspected the runway daily and erred on the safety side when ordering any shutdown. Beyer said the authority was working on a long-term solution to alleviate the “soft spots” sometimes appearing on the runway but added when a soft spot was found, the St. Thomas airport, unlike major airports in the states, did not have a backup runway for the major airlines to use. Dowe said the airport now had 30 landings a day and, in high season, might have as many as 90 landings in a day. Beyer said the long-range plans for runway improvement were now on hold because federal funds were unavailable.
In another poll vote ratification, the board raised employee CIGNA Medical Insurance Rate Plan rates. Effective this month, the employee portion for a single went from $144 to $156, and family coverage went from $253 to $273. The employer portion also increased.
In another personnel matter, the authority will request annual information from GERS to ascertain the status of employees’ retirement accounts. Employees also will be encouraged to review personnel data to ensure accuracy. In the past, government employees ready to retire have found that their accounts at GERS have not been kept up to date.
The board approved renewing a lease agreement between the authority and Jaqueline Warner dba Island Ambrosia for a kiosk in Crown Bay Center. The agreement is for a one-year term at a rental rate of $1,389 per month with a one-year option to renew.
White also wanted to know the number and prices of Crown Bay’s leases. The staff said they would get those figures for him.
Dowe reported that the engineering department is working on nine construction projects in the St. Croix district. Forty-five million dollars have been obligated for these projects, and $65 million for eight projects in the St. Thomas/St. John district.
Finally, White questioned why nothing was happening concerning demolishing the damaged and now vacant Beachcomber Hotel on St. Thomas. The demolition contract was awarded in August. Beyer said the contractor was having difficulty getting the required insurance.
Board members attending, besides White, were Willard John, Derek Gabriel, Kevin Rodriquez, Joseph Boschulte, and Leona Smith. Gordon Rhea was absent.
