{"id":45077,"date":"2016-10-04T10:07:02","date_gmt":"2016-10-04T10:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/viconsortium.com\/?p=45077"},"modified":"2016-10-06T22:05:26","modified_gmt":"2016-10-06T22:05:26","slug":"mapp-displeased-with-condition-of-vi-roads-shakes-up-public-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wp.viconsortium.com\/?p=45077","title":{"rendered":"Mapp, Displeased With Condition Of VI Roads, Shakes Up Public Works"},"content":{"rendered":"

GOVERNMENT HO– USE, ST. CROIX — At a press conference here on Monday, Governor Kenneth Mapp, expressing dissatisfaction with the condition of the territory’s roads, announced major changes at the Department of Public Works, firing some people that he had hired at the onset of his administration, while hiring others and admonishing Public Works Commissioner Gustav James, along with his new assistants, to work feverishly at repairing the roads.<\/p>\n

“As I drive around the territory, I’m not happy,” Mr. Mapp said. “The bushes are overgrowing in the roads, around the garbage bins there’s plastic bags rolled up in the trees, the lights — and I’m paying for streetlights; WAPA can attest, I believe it’s over $14 million this fiscal year — are off. The roads are not striped, the towns are filthy coming from the airport, and I’m jut not pleased.” The governor said he had been texting Mr. James asking about the conditions of the roads and what was holding up progress.<\/p>\n

“I have more than $150 million sitting in the banks and I don’t understand why we’re not paving roads and building roads in the territory for the citizens. I don’t want to hold any money on any campaign year; this administration has a lot that it’s going to be doing, so we don’t need to hold no project. We don’t need to hold a single project trying to get reelected,” Mr. Mapp said.<\/p>\n

He expressed confidence in Mr. James and announced “a good shakeup,”\u00a0had taken place at D.P.W. in an effort to get projects moving.<\/p>\n