ST. CROIX — The Virgin Islands Port Authority will be constructing a new 12,000 square feet fire station, replacing its old station at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix, a press release VIPA issued on Thursday has made known. On Wednesday, the government agency revealed that it had accepted a bid from St. Thomas-based firm AT Construction Solutions, LLC to construct the facility.
The existing fire station has been in deplorable condition for several years, which the fire fighters have had to endure, said VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe. VIPA received a Federal Aviation Grant in the amount of $6,870,128, of which $2,575,084 is discretionary funds. The total cost of the project is $7,182,801, and the remainder will be funded by the Port Authority, according to the release.
The FAA had stopped discretionary funding for the Rohlsen Airport since 2002. This grant marks the third year in a row that HERA has received discretionary funding – a remarkable accomplishment by the Port Authority’s employees and the Waste Management Authority, Dowe said.
Dowe thanked the VIPA employees – in particular the engineering department- and the agency’s consultants that were instrumental in the Authority receiving this grant.
“This is an important project for St. Croix. The Rohlsen Airport will receive a significant improvement, and the project will employ residents on St. Croix during the construction phase,” he said.
Tags: fire station, Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, st. croix port authority