Breaking

ST. CROIX — The road construction bill that was passed by the 31st Legislature on September 23, called the GARVEE bill, will add “hundreds of jobs” to this island’s struggling economy, according to Sen. Nereida Rivera-O’Reilly, the measure’s sponsor.

During passionate debate at a Committee on Finance hearing in early June, senators from this island sparred with those from St. Thomas over which island should receive the bulk of the money.

“As we were going through some of the testimony, I kept on hearing this reference back to how we’re going to split X,Y, and Z, and a lot of times the split was so unfair in the past. But now that there’s an attempt to equalize or receive some kind of parity, all of a sudden we need 50/50,” Sen. Kurt Vialet said, referring to suggestions from Sen. Clifford Graham and Sen. Tregenza Roach that the funds should he shared equally between the two island districts.

Sen. Terrence “Positive” Nelson said over the years he became accustomed to St. Thomas senators getting “up in arms” about distribution of resources between the two districts, a behavior he classified as “strange.” “But if we were to really do a proper assessment and you look at the frequently traveled roads that are in bad condition, you’ll find that St. Croix significantly outweighs St. Thomas.”

Nelson went on: “And I hear some of the St. Thomas senators complain about it, but there are not many frequently traveled roads that are in the condition that many of the main roads on St. Croix are. And at some point, we have to be fair in the distribution of resources throughout the territory. At some point we have see where is the fix. You all walk around and drive around on St. Croix; you all complain about the roads as well, so if we’re talking about one territory and we’re talking about enhancing the total product, why is there a fight? It should not be a fight.”

And Rivera-O’Reilly rolled back the curtain to 2001, when she said the first set of bonds were floated. The lawmaker recalled that 100 percent of the money was spent on St. Thomas and St. John. She also reminded the Senate of legislation passed in the 30th Legislature in 2014 that allocates $700,000 annually for 30 years, coming from the St. Croix rum cover-over funds, for the University of the Virgin Island’s medical school to be built on St. Thomas. “That’s $20 million dollars,” Rivera-O’Reilly said, exhaling a stressful sigh as she made those remarks. UVI President Dr. David Hall was recently making his case for an additional $300,000.

According to Rivera-O’Reilly’s press release, in its current version, the bill authorizes the issuance of up to $250,000,000 in bonds to complete Phase I and Phase II of the Melvin Evans Highway and the Veteran’s Drive Projects, as well as other authorized road projects on St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John. The measure includes language ensuring that no less than 55% of all bond issuances are dedicated to St. Croix.

“At a time when St. Croix desperately needs the economic stimulus, the renovation of roads would bring hundreds of new jobs and local spending, while restoring the confidence of investors to return to St. Croix,” Rivera-O’Reilly, one of only to female members of the 31st Legislature.

The Virgin Islands has used GARVEE bonds before, the release further stated. These bonds, sold in anticipation of receiving grants from the Federal Highway and Transportation Authority, allowed the administration to leverage the annual allocation and obtain the funds needed to complete the projects. Twenty million dollars of GARVEE bonds were used for the Enighed Pond Marine Facility in St. John, and the Red Hook Terminal in St. Thomas.

Governor Kenneth Mapp is expected to approve the measure.

Feature Image: Sen. Nereida Rivera-O’Reilly.

Image Credit: 31st Legislature.