Proposed St. John land swap open for public comment
By SUZANNE CARLSON Daily News Staff
The V.I. National Park has opened public comment on a proposed land swap that could finally pave the way for a K-12 public school on St. John.
The swap involves an 11-acre parcel in Estate Catherineberg on St. John within the V.I. National Park, and Whistling Cay, an 18-acre island north of St. John that is currently owned by the V.I. government.
The exchange would allow local officials to begin development of a K-12 public school so St. John high school students would not have to make the daily commute to St. Thomas to attend classes.
Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. offered Whistling Cay for consideration in the swap in November 2019, and the Department of the Interior and the V.I. government signed a preliminary, non-binding agreement in October 2020.
On Monday, the National Park announced there would be a 30-day public comment period on the proposal, which ends on April 27.
“For nearly three decades, the GVI and the U.S. government have discussed approaches to expanding education on St. John. Steps taken between 2012-2014 identified the 11-acre park parcel within the Catherineberg Estate as a possible location to support the island’s education needs,” according to a statement from the National Park.
Bryan’s offer of Whistling Cay reenergized negotiations in 2019, “this potential exchange provides the opportunity for local officials to achieve their long-standing effort to construct the first K-12 public school on the island of St. John. Education is a component of the NPS mission and therefore, this request from the GVI aligns with NPS goals,” according to the statement.
National Park Superintendent Nigel Fields could not be reached for comment by Daily News press time on Tuesday, but park staff responded to several comments and questions from residents on the National Park Facebook page.
In response to a comment that the local government should not have to swap land in exchange for space for a school, the National Park said that: “The only way it would be possible for the land to be donated to the V.I. government without a land exchange would be through an act of Congress, which is not out of the question. If you feel this would be the best solution, I would suggest writing to your representatives in Congress with your concerns.”
V.I. Delegate to Congress Stacey Plaskett and V.I. At-large Sen. Steven Payne also could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
For more information, and to comment on the proposed land swap, visit https://tinyurl.com/NPSLandSwap
— Contact Suzanne Carlson at 340-714-9122 or email scarlson@dailynews.vi.
