[House Hearing, 110 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
H.R. 53, VIRGIN ISLANDS
NATIONAL PARK
SCHOOL LEASE ACT
=======================================================================
LEGISLATIVE FIELD HEARING
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON INSULAR AFFAIRS
of the
COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
ONE HUNDRED TENTH CONGRESS
FIRST SESSION
__________
Monday, July 9, 2007, in Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI
__________
Serial No. 110-34
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Natural Resources
Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/
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______
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COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES
NICK J. RAHALL II, West Virginia, Chairman
DON YOUNG, Alaska, Ranking Republican Member
Dale E. Kildee, Michigan Jim Saxton, New Jersey
Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, American Elton Gallegly, California
Samoa John J. Duncan, Jr., Tennessee
Neil Abercrombie, Hawaii Wayne T. Gilchrest, Maryland
Solomon P. Ortiz, Texas Chris Cannon, Utah
Frank Pallone, Jr., New Jersey Thomas G. Tancredo, Colorado
Donna M. Christensen, Virgin Jeff Flake, Arizona
Islands Stevan Pearce, New Mexico
Grace F. Napolitano, California Henry E. Brown, Jr., South
Rush D. Holt, New Jersey Carolina
Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona Luis G. Fortuno, Puerto Rico
Madeleine Z. Bordallo, Guam Cathy McMorris Rodgers, Washington
Jim Costa, California Bobby Jindal, Louisiana
Dan Boren, Oklahoma Louie Gohmert, Texas
John P. Sarbanes, Maryland Tom Cole, Oklahoma
George Miller, California Rob Bishop, Utah
Edward J. Markey, Massachusetts Bill Shuster, Pennsylvania
Peter A. DeFazio, Oregon Dean Heller, Nevada
Maurice D. Hinchey, New York Bill Sali, Idaho
Patrick J. Kennedy, Rhode Island Doug Lamborn, Colorado
Ron Kind, Wisconsin Mary Fallin, Oklahoma
Lois Capps, California Kevin McCarthy, California
Jay Inslee, Washington
Mark Udall, Colorado
Joe Baca, California
Hilda L. Solis, California
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, South
Dakota
Heath Shuler, North Carolina
James H. Zoia, Chief of Staff
Jeffrey P. Petrich, Chief Counsel
Lloyd Jones, Republican Staff Director
Lisa Pittman, Republican Chief Counsel
------
SUBCOMMITTEE ON INSULAR AFFAIRS
DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN, Virgin Islands, Chairwoman
LUIS G. FORTUNO, Puerto Rico, Ranking Republican Member
Eni F.H. Faleomavaega, American Elton Gallegly, California
Samoa Jeff Flake, Arizona
Raul M. Grijalva, Arizona Don Young, Alaska, ex officio
Madeleine Z. Bordallo, Guam
Nick J. Rahall II, West Virginia,
ex officio
------
CONTENTS
----------
Page
Hearing held on Monday, July 9, 2007............................. 1
Statement of Members:
Christensen, Hon. Donna M., a Delegate in Congress from the
Virgin Islands............................................. 1
Grijalva, Hon. Raul M., a Representative in Congress from the
State of Arizona........................................... 3
Statement of Witnesses:
Barshinger, Hon. Craig, Former At-Large-Senator.............. 30
Bogle, Martha, Acting Superintendent, Virgin Islands National
Park, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the
Interior................................................... 4
Prepared statement of.................................... 5
Cox, Kristen, One Campus Group............................... 22
Prepared statement of.................................... 23
Hassell-Forde, Lisa A., Insular Superintendent, Government of
the Virgin Islands......................................... 10
Prepared statement of.................................... 11
Jones, Ronnie, Unity Day Group............................... 20
Prepared statement of.................................... 22
Kessler, Joe, President, Friends of Virgin Islands National
Park....................................................... 25
Prepared statement of.................................... 27
Monsanto, Lorelei C., One Campus Group....................... 18
Prepared statement of.................................... 19
Smith, Hon. Leona, St. John Administrator, Government of the
U.S. Virgin Islands........................................ 8
Prepared statement of.................................... 9
Sprauve, Gaylord, Resident, U.S. Virgin Islands.............. 28
Prepared statement of.................................... 29
Wesselhoft, Hon. Carmen Miranda, Senator-at-Large,
28th Legislature of the U.S. Virgin Islands..... 11
Prepared statement of.................................... 13
Additional materials supplied:
List of individuals submitting information for the record.... 41
LEGISLATIVE FIELD HEARING ON H.R. 53, TO AUTHORIZE THE SECRETARY OF THE
INTERIOR TO ENTER INTO A LONG-TERM LEASE WITH THE GOVERNMENT OF THE
UNITED STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A SCHOOL, AND FOR
OTHER PURPOSES. ``VIRGIN ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK SCHOOL LEASE ACT''
----------
Monday, July 9, 2007
U.S. House of Representatives
Subcommittee on Insular Affairs
Committee on Natural Resources
Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI
----------
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 6:00 p.m.,in the
St. John Legislature Hearing Room, Cruz Bay, St. John, USVI,
Hon. Donna Christensen [Chairwoman of the Subcommittee]
presiding.
Present: Representatives Christensen and Grijalva.
STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE DONNA M. CHRISTENSEN, A DELEGATE IN
CONGRESS FROM THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
Mrs. Christensen. Good evening. Can everyone hear me? Good
evening. The legislative hearing by the Subcommittee on Insular
Affairs will come to order.
The Subcommittee is meeting today to hear testimony on H.R.
53, to authorize the Secretary of Interior to enter into a
long-term lease with the Government of the United States Virgin
Islands for the establishment of a school, and for other
purposes.
Under the Committee Rules, the Chairman and other members
may make an opening statement. I will begin with my opening
statement. I want to begin by welcoming my colleague, Mr. Raul
Grijalva, who is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on National
Parks, Forests and Public Lands of the Committee on Natural
Resources. He is also a member of the Committee on Education
and Labor. So, I think it's very fortuitous for us that Mr.
Grijalva is here wearing both hats. One, on the Education
Committee, and two, as Chair of the Subcommittee on Parks.
And this is a very important hearing as can be witnessed by
the number of people in attendance this evening, and I'm sure
some more will join us as we go on from here. I don't think
there is any more important issue before the people of St. John
right now than securing suitable land to construct a school.
I want to welcome everyone who came out this evening,
especially our witnesses, those who will give written testimony
and those who will give oral testimony as well.
We received written statements thus far from Mr. Alvis
Christian, Mr. Steve Black, Ms. Crystal Fortwangler and Ms.
Myrtle Barry. They will be included in the record of tonight's
hearing, and we welcome anyone else who wishes to submit a
statement as well. Anyone wishing to do so have up to ten
business days from today to send it in. I want to especially
welcome our Administrator and our Senator-at-Large who is just
joining us.
Let me just say before we get into the testimony, I
introduced the bill before us, H.R. 53, in an attempt to move
the issue of a school for St. John forward. For many years now
we've been bogged down, administration after administration, in
working to find suitable land to exchange with the Park
Service. And over the years both sides, the Park Service as
well as the Virgin Islands Government, has acted in good faith
in attempting to come up with an exchange of land without
success. And I'm sure there are many people in the room who are
glad that has been without success.
In the meantime, more than 30 years have passed and the
school age population in St. John has doubled. High school
students continue to make the trip by ferry over to St. Thomas
every day just to attend school. And I'm certain that all of us
remember little Javone Alfred, a second grader on his way home
from a Christmas party at Julius Sprauve School, who was struck
and killed by a delivery truck while crossing the street, in
full view of many other students who were also heading home.
And this tragedy clearly demonstrates that the crowded town of
Cruz Bay is not the place for an elementary school and the
urgency to get the school out of downtown.
Over the years, more and more of you have met me and
expressed your strong opposition to the people of St. John and
the Virgin Islands giving any more land to the National Park.
After researching other options through the Congressional
Research Service and committee staff, I introduced H.R. 53,
which calls for a long-term lease instead of the exchange of
land. And we all appreciate what the Park means to St. John and
the territory.
But I still know that many of you still believe that owning
more than two-thirds of the land of the island of St. John is
enough land for the National Park, and would like to see the
Park outright donate the land needed to build the school as a
gesture of good will to the people of St. John.
While the Park Service does not have the legal authority to
donate or lease land, we still have not ruled out the option of
a conveyance completely. And this hearing today is the first
step in deciding which is the best option and which is the most
feasible option for us to pursue. But the most important thing
is getting our children out of harm's way in a supportive and
nurturing educational environment as soon as possible.
And in closing, I want again to thank everyone who is
attending this evening. I want to recognize two Senators who
are with us, Senator Hill, excuse me, and Senator Ottley. Thank
you for the use of the Legislative Chamber. And also I want to
recognize our former Judge Moore. This morning we were at the
Federal Court in St. Thomas.
At this time I would like to recognize for such opening
statement as he may want to make, Congressman Raul Grijalva.
STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE RAUL M. GRIJALVA, A REPRESENTATIVE
IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF ARIZONA
Mr. Grijalva. Thank you, Madam Chair. Can you hear me?
Thank you, Madam Chair. I will just lean closer.
Good evening, and let me begin by once again thanking
Congresswoman Christensen for hosting these hearings here in
her district. The U.S. Virgin Islands are truly a special
place, and it's been an honor to be able to visit this
beautiful place with my distinguished colleagues, and other
colleagues that joined us earlier in the day. As I mentioned at
our hearing this morning in St. Thomas, Chairwoman Christensen
is the leader on the National Resources Committee. She is
active on a variety of issues, education, health care, homeland
security, and just to let her constituents know that you are
well represented by a strong advocate and with a great deal of
intelligence and discipline in Congress. And you should be
pleased by her representation.
As Chairman of the National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
Subcommittee, I am particularly pleased to have had the
opportunity to visit St. John and the Virgin Islands National
Park. This Park includes some of the most beautiful special
places and scenery in the entire National Park System. But
what's also significant is the historic and cultural resources
that are being preserved.
The topic today is the need for school facilities on St.
John. On the Education and Labor Committee we've had a variety
of hearings as we've gone through the process of reauthorizing
No Child Left Behind. And one of--with the intent of
reauthorizing No Child Left Behind and with a mission behind No
Child Left Behind, was to close out achievement gap and make
sure that every child had the opportunity equal to anybody
else's opportunity. And one of--besides all the other
complicated issues we need to go through, one of our hearings I
recall posing a question to a school superintendent, and I
asked him, the issue of school facilities, how important is
that to achievement, to the well-being, the quality of
education, the safety, the security of children and students.
And they said, well, that is sometimes not factored into the
issue of achievement and is a critical part of the issue of
achievement.
So, I'm looking forward to the witnesses today. I think it
is imperative that the students here on St. John have the
opportunity to have education on their island and it's
critical. The Federal government, National Park Service, and
the Government of the Virgin Islands must work together to
address this very, very critical issue. It is a pressing need
on behalf of the students of St. John.
So, I look forward again to hearing from our witnesses this
evening regarding the best solution for this problem, and the
next steps we can take to move toward a solution. I appreciate
the time and the effort of our witnesses and thank them for
joining us this evening. And with that, Madam Chairwoman, thank
you and I yield back.
Mrs. Christensen. Thank you, Mr. Grijalva. I will allow
some of the people joining us to take some seats. And when we
run out of seats we will start to use some of these up here.
But at this time I would like to recognize the witness for our
first panel. And as is customary, we begin with the
representative from the Federal government.
So our first panel will be Ms. Martha Bogle, the Acting
Superintendent of the Virgin Islands National Park. And if you
will join us here, I will recognize you for five minutes to
give testimony. We have a little light here to help guide you
on that, and welcome to the hearing.
STATEMENT OF MARTHA BOGLE, ACTING SUPERINTENDENT OF THE VIRGIN
ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK
Ms. Bogle. Thank you, Ms. Chairwoman. Thank you for the
opportunity to appear before your subcommittee at this field
hearing on H.R. 53, a bill to authorize the Secretary of
Interior to enter into a long-term lease with the Government of
the United States Virgin Islands to provide land for the
establishment of a school. Because we don't typically provide
positions on bills at field hearings, I will limit my comments
to the history of this proposal and information concerning the
National Park Service's existing administrative authorities to
exchange or lease land within the park. We plan to follow up
with a letter providing our position on the bill at a later
date.
As you know, Virgin Islands National Park was authorized by
Congress in 1956 and established largely by an initial land
donation from Laurance Rockefeller through the Jackson Hole
Preserve, Incorporated. Congress enlarged the park in 1962 and
additionally in 1978 when they added Hassel Island in St.
Thomas Harbor to the park.
H.R. 53 would authorize the Secretary to lease to the
Government of the United States Virgin Islands real property,
including any improvements, for the purposes of constructing a
school complex to serve grades K through 12. The piece of
property that has been tentatively identified for lease is a
10-acre plot that is part of Estate Catherineberg, a historic
sugar plantation located near the center of the island, close
to Centerline Road. The property in question was not part of
the Rockefeller donation, and is not encumbered by the
reversionary clause that restricts the use of the Rockefeller
properties to national park purposes. Though no formal survey
has been done, the property is believed to contain fewer
historic resources than other parts of the Estate. The property
is near a road and other developments.
During the past 14 years, the Government of the United
States Virgin Islands and Virgin Islands National Park have
discussed many proposals that would allow the Government of the
Virgin Islands to construct a school on land currently owned by
the National Park Service. These proposals have included an
administrative land exchange. Though the Secretary of the
Interior does have the authority to make minor boundary
revisions of a unit of the National Park Service through a land
exchange, the Land and Water Conservation Act stipulates
several conditions that must be met before the land is
exchanged and the boundary is revised.
The land gained in the exchange must be ``necessary for the
proper preservation, protection, interpretation, or management
of an area of the national park system.'' Second, the total
value of the land exchanged must be less than $750,000. Though
no formal determination has been made, a land exchange
involving the Catherineberg Estate property does not appear to
meet either of these criteria. The exchange does not appear
necessary for the protection of the park, and it appears that
the Estate land alone is likely to be worth more than $750,000.
During the 109th Congress, Delegate Christensen
introduced H.R. 272 to legislatively authorize a land exchange.
The Department of Interior did not take a position on H.R. 272.
The Secretary does not have any other authority to allow
the construction of a school on property owned and managed by
the National Park Service. The 1998 National Parks Omnibus Act
does give the Secretary the authority to lease buildings and
associated property as long as the lease does not ``result in
degradation of the purposes and values of the unit.'' While
public education is not in conflict with the purpose of the
Virgin Islands National Park, the construction of a complex of
buildings appears to be in conflict with the direction given by
the park's authorizing legislation.
The National Historic Preservation Act gives the Secretary
the authority to lease historic property, including historic
buildings and historic lands, but only if the lease will
adequately insure the preservation of historic property. New
construction of an education complex would not insure that the
historic character of the land in question is preserved.
Finally, the Land and Water Conservation Act authorizes the
Secretary of the Interior to convey to a freehold or leasehold
interest in lands within the national park system, but this
authority does not apply to property within national parks.
That concludes my prepared remarks and I would be pleased
to answer any questions that you or other members of the
Subcommittee may have.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Bogle follows:]
Statement of Martha Bogle, Acting Superintendent, Virgin Islands
National Park, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
Ms. Chairwoman, thank you for the opportunity to appear before your
subcommittee at this field hearing on H.R. 53, a bill to authorize the
Secretary of the Interior to enter into a long-term lease with the
Government of the United States Virgin Islands to provide land for the
establishment of a school. Because we do not typically provide
positions on bills at field hearings, I will limit my comments to the
history of this proposal and information concerning the National Park
Service's existing administrative authorities to exchange or lease land
within the park. We plan to send a followup letter providing our
position on this bill.
Virgin Islands National Park (park) was authorized by Congress in
1956 and established largely by an initial land donation from Laurance
Rockefeller through the Jackson Hole Preserve, Incorporated. Congress
enlarged the park in 1962 by adding 5,650 acres of submerged lands
along the north and south coasts of St. John. In 1978, Congress added
approximately 135 acres at Hassel Island in St. Thomas Harbor to the
park. The park protects Caribbean forests, coral gardens, beaches, and
historic ruins and currently owns 12,917 acres of land and water within
its 14,689-acre boundary.
H.R. 53 would authorize the Secretary to lease to the Government of
the United States Virgin Islands real property, including any
improvements, for the purposes of constructing a school complex to
serve grades K through 12. The piece of property that has been
tentatively identified for lease is a 10-acre plot that is part of
Estate Catherineberg, a historic sugar plantation located near the
center of the island, close to Centerline Road. The property in
question was not part of the Rockefeller donation, and is not
encumbered by the reversionary clause that restricts the use of the
Rockefeller properties to national park purposes. Though no formal
survey has been done, the property is believed to contain fewer
historic resources than other parts of the Estate. The property is near
a road and other developments.
During the past 14 years, the Government of the United States
Virgin Islands and Virgin Islands National Park have discussed many
proposals that would allow the Government of the Virgin Islands to
construct a school on land currently owned by the National Park
Service. These proposals have included an administrative land exchange.
Though the Secretary of the Interior does have the authority to make
minor boundary revisions of a unit of the National Park System through
a land exchange, the Land and Water Conservation Act stipulates several
conditions that must be met before the land is exchanged and the
boundary is revised.
The land gained in the exchange must be ``necessary for...the
proper preservation, protection, interpretation, or management of an
area of the national park system.'' Second, the total value of the land
exchanged--the combined value of both the land added and the land
deleted from the unit--must be less than $750,000. Though no formal
determination has been made, a land exchange involving the
Catherineberg Estate property does not appear to meet either of these
criteria. The exchange does not appear necessary for the protection of
the park, and it appears that the Estate land alone is likely to be
worth more than $750,000.
During the 109th Congress, Delegate Christensen
introduced H.R. 272 to legislatively authorize a land exchange. The
Department of the Interior did not take a position on H.R. 272.
The Secretary does not have any other authority to allow the
construction of a school on property owned and managed by the National
Park Service. The 1998 National Parks Omnibus Act does give the
Secretary the authority to lease buildings and associated property (16
U.S.C. 1a-k), as long as the lease does not ``result in degradation of
the purposes and values of the unit''. While public education is not in
conflict with the purpose of Virgin Islands National Park, the
construction of a complex of buildings appears to be in conflict with
the direction given by the park's authorizing legislation, which
states, ``The national park shall be administered and preserved by the
Secretary of the Interior in its natural state...'' (70 Stat. 940).
The National Historic Preservation Act gives the Secretary the
authority to lease historic property, including historic buildings and
historic lands, but only if the lease ``will adequately insure the
preservation of the historic property'' (16 U.S.C. 470h-3). New
construction of an education complex would not insure that the historic
character of the land in question is preserved.
Finally, the Land and Water Conservation Act authorizes the
Secretary of the Interior to convey to a freehold or leasehold interest
in lands within the national park system, but this authority does not
apply to ``property within national parks'' (16 U.S.C. 460l-22(a)).
That concludes my prepared remarks. I would be pleased to answer
any questions you or other members of the subcommittee may have.
______
Mrs. Christensen. Thank you, Acting Superintendent Bogle. I
will now recognize my colleague Congressman Grijalva for five
minutes.
Mr. Grijalva. Thank you, Madam Superintendent. I appreciate
your testimony, and I appreciated the tour today. Thank you
very much.
Ms. Bogle. It's my pleasure.
Mr. Grijalva. Let me, you mentioned in your testimony a
particular parcel in your written testimony. Let me ask you,
how is that particular parcel currently managed? What is it
used for? You mentioned a particular parcel in your testimony,
in your written testimony. So my questions are, how is that
parcel currently being managed?
Ms. Bogle. It's a--I'm sorry, excuse me.
Mr. Grijalva. Two parts. How is it being managed? What is
it used for? And are there any buildings or other facilities on
that particular parcel?
Ms. Bogle. Currently that property is in a natural state.
The only buildings would be ruins associated with the sugar
plantation. The area that we're talking about, the ten acre
track, seems to have had less of the historic property on it
than other parts of the larger track, and it's managed in a
natural state basically.
Mr. Grijalva. And that is based on an inventory about the
historical, cultural significance that is or isn't on that
particular----
Ms. Bogle. We haven't done a full inventory or a full
survey of the lands to determine just how many artifacts, just
how many historic structures are there. We haven't done a full
survey.
Mr. Grijalva. OK, is it removed from the National Park
itself?
Ms. Bogle. No, sir. It is part of national----
Mr. Grijalva. Geographically it is not----
Ms. Bogle. No, it is not geographically removed. It is
about the center of the island. That's why we thought that it
would potentially be a good place for a school when the park
was discussing the possibility of a land exchange.
Mr. Grijalva. And just finally, can you explain if there is
a significance to the fact that the parcel that we're talking
about is not covered by a reversionary clause that covers other
land in the park.
Ms. Bogle. The reversionary clause applies to the initial
lands that were basically established in 1956 when the park was
established. Laurance Rockefeller owned the land. And in that,
he put a reversionary clause that said that at any time any of
that land was used for anything but a park or for the public,
basically a National Park, that it would revert back to the
foundation.
Mr. Grijalva. And so this parcel is covered or not covered
by that clause?
Ms. Bogle. It is not covered by that clause. It was added
at a later date.
Mr. Grijalva. Thank you. I don't have any more questions.
Mrs. Christensen. Thank you, Mr. Grijalva. I just have a
few questions. You said in your statement that for a transfer
to be done administratively, the property shouldn't have a
value of not more than $750,000. Do you know what the value--is
there an estimated value of the property that you're talking
about?
Ms. Bogle. We haven't appraised it. I can tell you that
that's for a minor boundary adjustment. There are certainly
adjustments to boundaries all the time within national parks,
but those require legislative authority to adjust boundaries.
For a minor boundary adjustment, it has to be $750,000 or less.
We haven't done an appraisal on this property. My guess
with the acreage involved on St. John, my guess is it would
appraise for over $750,000.
Mrs. Christensen. I think that's a safe guess. Was any
other parcel of land, as you review the history and the
discussions that might have gone on between the Park Service
and the Government of the Virgin Islands, are you aware of any
other parcels of land that were a part of that discussion?
Ms. Bogle. No, I'm not. But hang on just one second, if you
will, let me confer. My technical expert, can you come up for a
moment?
Is that OK, Madam Chair?
Mrs. Christensen. Sure.
Ms. Bogle. He said that this piece of land was the only
land that was looked at mainly because it was the center part
of the island, relatively flat, would be fairly easy to
develop, we thought, as well as the fact that we believe that
the historic structures as part of the Catherineberg Estate,
are not on the ten acres that were identified. So the
archeological work would not be as stringent.
Mrs. Christensen. Can you go ahead and state your name and
position for the record?
Mr. Boulon. My name is Ralph Boulon, Jr.
Mrs. Christensen. My next question would be, also in your
review of the discussions between the Park Service and the
Government of the Virgin Islands, did the Government of the
Virgin Islands indicate that they accepted this as a parcel of
land that would be suitable for the school?
Ms. Bogle. In my review of the files, it appeared that the
Government of the Virgin Islands seemed to be willing to talk
about that again for the same reasons that I expressed before.
The concern with the exchange was again trying to find equal
value of land for that.
Mrs. Christensen. My last question, as you've stated in
your testimony, the Park Service generally doesn't take a
position on field hearings. But in your opinion, is there
anything about H.R. 53 that goes against established Park
Service policy that would likely lead the department and the
service to oppose H.R. 53? Is there anything about policy as
you read the bill that would likely lead to opposition?
Ms. Bogle. There is no doubt that there is a dire need for
a school on St. John. The only thing that I would see is that
this would very possibly set a precedent for things of this
sort happening, leases happening in the future elsewhere.
Mrs. Christensen. Is there no precedent for a long-term
lease of park property anywhere in the parks?
Ms. Bogle. Not anywhere. There are historic leases which
would be to maintain historic structures so that the Park
Service benefits, and the public benefits, because the historic
structures are maintained in the historic fashion. There are
agricultural leases. And for that, say for example, in the Blue
Ridge Parkway, we lease out land to keep for--we lease out land
for hay fields, instead of us mowing them to keep the rural
nature of the fields, people mow them for us. So, basically it
is for the good of the public and the good of the National Park
Service, but there is really not a precedent for a lease such
as this.
Mrs. Christensen. Well, wouldn't you consider this for the
good of the public, the school?
Ms. Bogle. The school is very good for the public, I agree.
Mrs. Christensen. Thank you.
Mr. Grijalva, did you have any other questions?
Mr. Grijalva. No, I don't, thank you.
Mrs. Christensen. Well, thank you, Acting Superintendent
Bogle. You're excused, and I will call up the next panel.
Ms. Bogle. Thank you.
Mrs. Christensen. OK, I would like to recognize the second
panel of witnesses and ask them to come up to the podium: The
Honorable Leona Smith, the St. John Administrator; The
Honorable Lisa Forde, the St. Thomas/St. John Superintendent of
Schools; and The Honorable Carmen Miranda Wesselhoft, Senator-
at-Large of the 28th Legislature.
The Chair now recognizes Administrator Smith to testify for
five minutes.
STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE LEONA SMITH, ST. JOHN ADMINISTRATOR,
GOVERNMENT OF THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS
Ms. Smith. Good evening, Honorable Donna Christensen, and
members of the House Subcommittee on Insular Affairs. Thank you
for the opportunity to appear before you in this setting to
convey the views of the DeJongh-Francis administration as it
regards H.R. 53. By the way of introduction, I am Leona Smith,
a resident of St. John, and the appointed Administrator of this
island.
The Delegate's bill, H.R. 53, authorizes the Interior
Secretary to enter into a long-term lease with the Virgin
Islands Government to provide land on this island for the
establishment of a school. As I am sure you will hear or have
heard from other witnesses who will testify at tonight's
hearing, the DeJongh-Francis administration wholly supports the
legislation as a long-term lease would represent the less
challenging option in securing the land that is necessary for
the construction of a school on St. John. The administration
looks forward to passage of the bill and subsequent
negotiations toward identifying the most suitable location for
the school's development. I cannot emphasize enough the need
for the process to get underway in earnest that will lead to
the construction of a new school on St. John.
The residents of this island have for years commuted very
early in the morning and very late at night to and from our
neighboring island of St. Thomas to facilitate their children's
attendance of high school, whether at private, parochial or at
public institutions of learning. The construction of a new
school would end this daily commute, one that is often
challenged by inclement weather, rough seas and transportation
snafus, for the many families who have made St. John their
home.
I will defer to the Acting Superintendent of Schools for
the St. Thomas-St. John district, Lisa Hassell-Forde, to
provide the panel with more details on the need to establish a
school on St. John.
I thank the Delegate and members of the House Subcommittee
on Insular Affairs for the opportunity to convey the
administration's position in full support of a long-term lease
with the Virgin Islands National Park on St. John for the
development of a school which will better serve the residents
of this island.
And Madam Chair, I will have Ms. Lisa Forde continue.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Smith follows:]
Statement of The Honorable Leona Smith, St. John Administrator,
Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands
Honorable Donna Christensen and members of the House Subcommittee
on Insular Affairs, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you
in this setting to convey the views of the De Jongh-Francis
administration as regards H.R. 53. By way of introduction, I am Leona
Smith, a resident of St. John and the appointed Administrator of this
island.
The Delegate's bill, H.R. 53, authorizes the Interior Secretary to
enter into a long-term lease with the Virgin Islands Government to
provide land on this island for the establishment of a school. As I am
sure you will hear or have heard from other witnesses who will testify
at tonight's hearing the DeJongh-Francis administration wholly supports
the securing of the land that is necessary for the construction of a
school on St. John. The administration looks forward to passage of the
bill and the subsequent negotiations towards identifying the most
suitable location for the school's development. I cannot emphasize
enough the need for the process to get underway in earnest that will
lead to the construction of a new school on St. John.
The residents of this island have for years commuted very early in
the morning and very late at night to and form our neighboring island
of St. Thomas to facilitate their children's attendance of high school
whether at private, parochial or at public institutions of learning.
The construction of a new school would end this daily commute, one that
is often challenged by inclement whether, rough seas and transportation
snafus, for many families who have made St. John their home.
I will defer to the Acting Superintendent of schools for the St.
Thomas-St. John district, Lisa Hassell-Forde to provide the panel with
more details on the need to establish a school on St. John. I thank
Delegate and members of the House Subcommittee on the Insular Affairs
for the opportunity to convey the administration's position in full
support of a long-term lease with V.I. National Park on St. John for
the development of a school which will better serve the residents of
this island.
______
Mrs. Christensen. Ms. Forde, we now recognize you.
STATEMENT OF LISA FORDE, ST. THOMAS/
ST. JOHN SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
Mrs. Forde. Good evening, Delegate Christensen, Committee
Member Grijalva, and audience. My name is Lisa Forde. I'm the
Insular Superintendent for the St. Thomas/St. John district.
I'm here this evening to testify on the proposed land lease
upon review of the proposed bill to authorize the Secretary of
the Interior to enter into a long-term lease with the
Government of the Virgin Islands and the island of St. John,
with the ultimate end being a lease of land for the
establishment of a school. The Office of the Insular
Superintendent has attempted to research the possibilities and
probabilities associated with this bill and the benefits which
can be reaped from such a long-term lease.
It is the opinion of the Office of the Insular
Superintendent that clearly a school educational facility is
needed that takes care of the needs of all of the students in
the St. John district.
Currently, there are two public school facilities, the
Julius E. Sprauve School, which houses K-9 students, and the
Guy Benjamin Elementary School which houses K-6.
Because of the vast land spread on the island, these two
public facilities currently educate 304 students, 240 in Cruz
Bay and 64 in the Coral Bay area. The students in Cruz Bay
receive services in regular education, gifted and talented,
special education, school to work and career and technical
education. In Coral Bay, students receive services in regular
education. And all students at both sites are identified as
individuals with varied needs and achievement goals.
Students requiring a senior high education must be
transported to St. Thomas to receive their education, as there
are currently no public educational facilities on St. John for
grades 10-12. This clearly places students at a disadvantage as
they are forced to travel inter-island twice daily to receive a
free and quality public education.
A school facility to provide full services to all K-12
students on the island of St. John is definitely needed.
Students must be able to avail themselves to special education,
vocational education, music education, scholarship
consideration, JROTC participation, participation in sports,
membership in competitive and travel clubs, as well as
intervention strategies to which they have no access while they
are on St. John.
The St. Thomas/St. John Office of the Insular
Superintendent is willing to partner with any entity and/or
organization that has the best interest of our public education
students in mind. My office looks forward to making the
necessary moves to ensure that all students in the St. Thomas/
St. John district receive quality educational experiences that
prepare them to be life-long learners and productive citizens
within out global society. Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mrs. Forde follows:]
Statement of Lisa A. Hassell-Forde, Government of the United States
Virgin Islands, Department of Education, Office of the Insular
Superintendent, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
Upon review of the proposed bill to authorize the Secretary of the
Interior to enter into a long-term lease with the Government of the
Virgin Islands on the island of St. John, with the ultimate end being a
lease of land for the establishment of a school, the Office of the
Insular Superintendent has attempted to research the possibilities and
probabilities associated with this bill and the benefits which can be
reaped from such a long-term lease.
It is the opinion of the Office of the Insular Superintendent that
clearly a school/educational facility is needed that takes care of the
needs of all of the students in the St. John District. Currently, there
are two public school facilities, the Julius E. Sprauve School, which
houses K-9 students and the Guy Benjamin Elementary School which houses
K-6 students. Because of the vast land spread on the island, these two
public facilities currently educate 300 students, 240 in Cruz Bay and
64 in the Coral Bay area. The students in Cruz Bay receive services in
Regular Education, Gifted and Talented, Special Education, School to
Work and the Career and Technical Education. In Coral Bay, students
receive services in regular education and all students at both sites
are identified as individuals with varied needs and achievement goals.
Students requiring a senior high education must be transported to
St. Thomas to receive their education as there are currently no public
educational facilities on St. John for grades 10-12. This clearly
places students at a disadvantage as they are forced to travel inter-
island twice daily to receive a free and quality public education. A
school facility to provide full services to all K-12 students on the
island of St. John is definitely needed. Students must be able to avail
themselves of Special Education, Vocational Education, Music Education,
Scholarship consideration, JROTC participation, participation in
sports, membership in competitive and travel clubs, as well as
intervention strategies to which they have no access while they are on
St. John.
The St. Thomas-St. John Office of the Insular Superintendent is
willing to partner with any entity and/or organization that has the
best interests of our public education students in mind. My office
looks forward to making the necessary moves to ensure that all students
in the St. Thomas-St. John District receive quality educational
experiences that prepare them to be life-long learners and productive
citizens within our global society.
______
Mrs. Christensen. Thank you. The Chair now recognizes the
Senator-at-Large, The Honorable Carmen Wesselhoft.
STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE CARMEN MIRANDA WESSELHOFT, SENATOR-
AT-LARGE, 28TH LEGISLATURE OF THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS
Ms. Wesselhoft. Thank you, and good evening Delegate
Christensen, members of the Subcommittee on Insular Affairs,
staff and all concerned St. Johnians gathered here for this
important hearing. I am Carmen Wesselhoft, the Senator-at-
Large, and I am a proud native-born St. Johnian, but I'm
especially concerned about St. John issues and the pressing
need for a new school.
I am very pleased that we are going forward on this issue
today or tonight, and we truly must all work together to see
the construction of this new school through. Thanks to Delegate
Christensen's Office and all those involved in organizing this
meeting.
The need to relocate Julius Sprauve School is clear to all
of us, as is the need for a high school here on St. John. The
school was once conveniently located at the center of town, but
now that the town of Cruz Bay has grown exponentially, it is no
longer an optimal location for students. It is noisy, there is
no room for expansion, little parking and there are danger
zones all around the campus.
Just this March a truck lost its brakes and rammed a car
into the school's crosswalk, ending up hanging over the
school's ball field. There is a great deal of traffic
surrounding the school on all sides. We have heavy drinking
taking place just across the street from morning until night.
It is not an environment that is especially conducive to
learning.
I would like to see a new school include both a high school
and some kind of vocational training program. We do have a high
school on St. John, but it is a private school and tuition is
out of reach for most residents. Students drop out every year,
I believe partly because of the frustration of traveling to St.
Thomas each day for their classes. Good students are motivated
to make the trip, but it doesn't take much to discourage those
young people already at-risk.
Construction of a new school would allow the Virgin Islands
Government to reassign the property at Sprauve School for other
purposes.
Our need for a fire station is well known as is the lack of
youth and senior centers. We are also in need of a centrally
located government complex. Land on St. John is certainly at a
premium and I will push for the campus to continue to be used
for the greater public good. I wholeheartedly support the good
intentions behind H.R. 53. One question I ask, though, why
can't this land be given outright to the people of St. John?
Construction of a new school has been stymied by the lack
of available and affordable land on St. John, but so has
construction of affordable housing, a nursing home, a fire
station and recreational facilities for our young people. The
skyrocketing cost of property on St. John, this has put home
ownership out of reach of many, if not most, St. Johnians.
Some change is inevitable and there is certainly a new
culture being developed here on St. John, but it is time we
took some significant steps toward making homeownership more
feasible. The most significant step we could take and the only
real remedy at this point is for the Virgin Islands National
Park to transfer some land back to the people of this
Territory.
I love the park. It has been a tremendous blessing in terms
of keeping our island serene and beautiful. I cannot imagine
St. John without the park and the significant land it protects.
It has been a tremendous tourist attraction and has created
many jobs and opportunities for Virgin Islanders. St. John is
the gem of the Caribbean largely because of the National Park.
But when Rockefeller created what is known as the National
Park, he said that it was never to bring hardship to the people
of St. John. Well, today it has created a hardship in terms of
lack of land for a school, for a new basketball court, for a
fire station, for a senior center, for housing, for
homeownership, and for local families. The National Park owns
two-thirds of St. John or approximately 9,000 acres. If even
just 200 of these acres, if even just 200 of these acres were
returned to the people of St. John, we could greatly relieve
this hardship for decades to come.
Just a couple hundred acres out of 9,000 could make all the
difference in the world to young St. Johnians and those older
St. Johnians who would like to return home but cannot. I am
confident we could do this without jeopardizing the beauty or
ecology of the Virgin Islands National Park.
If we do not take steps to make land available for
infrastructural improvements and homeownership now and work
toward building and stabilizing a shrinking middle class, I
truly fear for the future of St. John. We must make our voices
heard in Washington. If we all unite, I am confident we can
find creative ways to resolve the lack of developable land
without further disenfranchising St. Johnians.
I truly hope that you will take my words under
consideration. I know that untold numbers share my sentiments
and I hope we can move forward in giving back a small portion
of land to St. Johnians.
I ask for the Committee members' support for any efforts to
assist in the construction of a new school on St. John, and I
stand ready to offer any local legislation that may be
necessary to facilitate this process. I thank you.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Wesselhoft follows:]
Statement of Carmen Wesselhoft, Virgin Islands Senator-At-Large
Good Evening to Delegate Christensen, the members of the
Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, staff and all the concerned St.
Johnians gathered here for this important hearing.
My name is Carmen Wesselhoft and I am the Virgin Islands Senator-
At-Large. This is my first term in office and I was sworn in on January
8 of this year. Although I represent constituents throughout the
Territory, I am a proud native born St. Johnian and I am especially
concerned about St. John issues and the pressing need for a new school.
I am very pleased that we are going forward on this issue today as
we truly must all work together to see the construction of this new
school through. Thanks to Delegate Christensen's Office and all those
involved in organizing this meeting.
The need to relocate Julius Sprauve School is clear to all of us.
As is the need for a high school here on St. John. The school was once
conveniently located at the center of town, but now that the town of
Cruz Bay has grown exponentially it is no longer an optimal location
for students. It is noisy, there is no room for expansion, little
parking and there are danger zones all around campus. Just this March a
truck lost it breaks and rammed a car into the school's crosswalk,
ending up hanging over the school's ballfield. There is a great deal of
traffic surrounding the school on all sides. We have heavy drinking
taking place just across the street from morning until night. It is not
an environment that is especially conducive to learning.
I would like to see a new school include both a high school and
some kind of vocational training program. We do have a high school on
St. John, but it is a private school and tuition is out of the reach
for most residents. Students drop out every year partly because of the
frustration of traveling to St. Thomas each day for their classes. Good
students are motivated to make the trip, but it doesn't take much to
discourage those young people already at risk.
Construction of a new school would allow the Virgin Islands
Government to reassign the property at Sprauve School for other
purposes. Our need for a fire station is well known, as is the lack of
youth and senior centers. We are also in needed of a centrally located
Government complex. Land on St. John is certainly at a premium and I
will push for the campus to continue to be used for the greater public
good.
I wholeheartedly support the good intentions behind H.R. 53, but I
do have some concerns.
The information I was provided with did not provide specific
information as to the plot size and location of the land in question
and I am hoping this will be addressed in the course of this hearing.
The question that many St. Johnians are asking is whether or not
there is some legal reason why we must lease this land from the Federal
Government? Why can't this land be given outright to the people of the
St. John? What purpose does a 90 year lease serve?
Construction of a new school has been stymied by the lack of
available and affordable land on St. John, but so has construction of
affordable housing, a nursing home, a fire station and recreational
facilities for our young people. The skyrocketing cost of property on
St. John and this has put home ownership out of the reach of many, if
not most, young St. Johnians.
No matter how flexible the terms or low the interest rate may be,
no one making $33,000 a year--and that is about what the average Virgin
Islander earns--can afford a mortgage on a million dollar home. Prices
do go up and property values will increase, but local salaries have not
risen to match the rise in prices of homes and land on St. John. Prices
have primarily been driven up by outside investors who have made their
money elsewhere. There is a growing gap between the haves and the have
nots here on St. John and, at this point, the Federal Government is the
only entity with the power and the land to ameliorate some of these
concerns.
We as a community have attempted to respond by creating affordable
housing opportunities at Bellevue and soon at Calabash Boom. This is
not enough. And I do not think our people should be relegated to solely
living in ``affordable housing communities''. They should have the
opportunity to purchase land at a reasonable price and to build a home
of their own preference and style.
There are those newcomers among us who have been heard to say that
if St. Johnians cannot afford to live on St. John, they should move to
St. Croix or St. Thomas. This is insulting and unacceptable. Our
families are being broken apart. Our culture and our traditions lost.
Some change is inevitable and there is certainly a new ``culture''
being developed here on St. John, but it is time we took some
significant steps towards making homeownership more feasible. The most
significant step we could take and, the only real remedy at this point,
is for the Virgin Islands National Park to transfer some land back to
the people of this Territory.
I love the park, it has been a tremendous blessing in terms of
keeping our island serene and beautiful. I cannot imagine St. John
without the park and the significant land it protects. It has been a
tremendous tourist attraction and has created many jobs and
opportunities for Virgin Islanders. St. John is the gem of the
Caribbean, largely because of the National Park.
But there is always a flipside. All those people coming from
outside that fell in love with the beauty of the park have driven up
real estate prices. All the land held by the park has made little
available for growth. All those tourists have altered our way and
quality of life.
When Rockefeller created what is now known as the Virgin Islands
National Park he said that it was never to create a hardship for the
people of St. John. Well today it has created a hardship in terms of
lack of land for a school, for a new basketball court, for a fire
station, for a senior center, for housing and for homeownership for
local families.
The National Park owns 2/3s of St. John or approximately 9,000
acres. If even just two hundred of these acres were returned to the
people of St. John, we could greatly relieve this hardship for decades
to come.
I know that some may find this idea controversial, but what is the
alternative? I propose that this Committee undertake a feasibility
study in this regard. The park is bringing in hundreds of thousands of
visitors, yet there is not adequate land available to host the services
and employees needed to serve these guests. A detailed plan would have
to be crafted whereby established families would have first opportunity
to purchase this land and be required to hold on to it for a specified
number of years. It wouldn't be easy, but it can be done.
When the National Park was created, Virgin Islanders did not have a
strong voice in national affairs and there was certainly a different
standard in terms of racial relations and politics back in 1956. Things
have changed in the world, things have changed on St. John and it is
time that we demand that changes are made to better accommodate our
people.
Just a couple of hundred acres out of over 9,000 could make all the
difference in the world to young St. Johnians and those older St.
Johnians who would like to return home, but cannot. I am confident we
could do this without jeopardizing the beauty or ecology of the Virgin
Islands National Park.
If we do not take steps to make land available for infrastructural
improvements and homeownership now and work towards building and
stabilizing our shrinking middle class, I truly fear for the future of
St. John. No one is immune from the social and economic crisis being
created here.
We must make our voices heard in Washington. If we all unite I am
confident we can find creative ways to resolve the lack of developable
land, without further disenfranchising St. Johnians.
I truly hope that you will take my words under consideration. I
know that untold numbers share my sentiments and I hope we can move
forward in giving back a small portion of land to St. Johnians.
I ask that Committee members support any efforts to assist in the
construction of a new school on St. John and I stand ready to offer any
local legislation that many be necessary to facilitate this process.
Thank you.
______
Mrs. Christensen. Thank you, Senator. And the applauds were
restrained at least two points in your testimony and I know
what you said definitely reflects the sentiment of many in the
audience.
I will now recognize Mr. Grijalva for such questions as he
may have.
Mr. Grijalva. Thank you, Madam Chair. If I may, Madam
Senator, a couple of questions just for my background. The trip
that students must take to St. Thomas for high school, how long
is that?
Ms. Wesselhoft. Well, if you take into consideration, sir,
you have some students that live on the eastern end of the
island, they must get up probably about 4:30 in the morning to
catch the school bus, take the 6:00 o'clock ferry to Red Hood.
The ferry ride is about 20 minutes. Most of them attend school
on the eastern end of St. Thomas. So, it could take anywhere
just in travel an hour, two hours just to get across the ocean
one-way. And then travel back late in the evening to get back.
You have homework. You have other things to do at home.
Mr. Grijalva. Thank you. And you mentioned in your
testimony tuition to private school. How high is that tuition?
Ms. Wesselhoft. We have a private school on St. John, and
the tuition, if you don't get a scholarship, could range
anywhere from $350 and even higher, $550, and even higher.
Mr. Grijalva. Per month.
Ms. Wesselhoft. Per month.
Mr. Grijalva. I would assume that price takes a lot of
people out of that opportunity.
Ms. Wesselhoft. Definitely.
Mr. Grijalva. If a suitable parcel was to be leased, direct
transfer, whatever, as that process moves along, do you know
what the estimated cost, Senator, is for the construction of
those facilities and the funding available if it is available?
Ms. Smith. Probably over $3 million to construct a school.
Ms. Wesselhoft. It's probably more than $3 million and up.
Because I don't know if you realize but St. John, the cost of
living is very high. To build on St. John is very, very costly.
So it could range anywhere, I believe, double $3 million and
up. Anywhere from $10 million and up it could cost.
Mrs. Forde. Those are conservative estimates considering
that if we were to build a facility on St. John, we wouldn't
want a half done facility. We want to make sure that it had an
auditorium that could take care of public use, as well as
school use. You would want a gymnasium facility so that the
children have all sports advantages that other schools have
been afforded in other islands in the territory.
Mr. Grijalva. You would want a comprehensive high school.
Mrs. Forde. Yes. And not just a high school. Recognize that
we're talking a K-12 education.
Mr. Grijalva. Thank you. And if I may, Superintendent, you
mentioned in your testimony, and I appreciate that comment,
keeping the public education students in mind as we go through
this process, and you mentioned a partnership with entities
that sub. Elaborate how you see that partnership, and
Administrator Smith as well.
Mrs. Forde. I think it's important for us to understand
that education cannot exist on its own. We know that for
education to be successful, we have to partner with the
Legislature. We have to partner with private entities,
businesses. There are corporations. There are community groups.
If we are to be successful, we have to pull all entities in.
And we're willing to do that. We don't intend to be an insular
education. We intend to make use of all partners who are
willing to provide service, goods, expertise, so that we can
build quality education in the Virgin Islands again.
Ms. Smith. I concur with Ms. Forde.
Mr. Grijalva. Thank you. Madam Chair, I don't have any
further questions. Thank you.
Mrs. Christensen. Thank you, Mr. Grijalva. I would like to
get a couple of things on the record. Administrator Smith,
thank you for your support of the bill and the intention on the
lease. Would you know if the administration supports the
position, and Senator Wesselhoft, have you had that discussion
with them that a reference to a lease, they would prefer a
conveyance or an outright conveyance of land?
Ms. Smith. I really don't have that knowledge at this
moment.
Mrs. Christensen. OK. And this is not the end of the
discussion. So we can follow-up with you and the administration
on that issue.
Ms. Forde, in your testimony you talked about the number of
students attending school on St. John, and in other testimony
the estimates have been 700 students traveling to 1,000
students traveling from St. John to attend school in St.
Thomas. Do you have a number on the number of students that
leave St. John every day?
Mrs. Forde. No, but recognize that these are the students
that attend school in St. John. We know that to attend Eudora
Kean High School between eleventh and twelfth grade we've got
conservatively 60 to 70 students traveling daily. We also have
students from the St. John community that attend private
schools in St. Thomas, and that number I don't have available.
But we do know that it's enough that if you attend school
in the St. John district, if you live in the St. John district,
you should be able to attend school in the St. John district
comfortably. And if you make the choice to attend school in St.
Thomas, that's a choice. It shouldn't be that it has to be a
travel for these children every day.
Mrs. Christensen. I totally agree with you on that, the
need for a school, period. But just for the record, I wanted to
know if we had an accurate number of the students that travel.
But certainly it does present a hardship as described by the
Senator, getting up that early in the morning and having to
travel across the island and then the ferry and so forth and so
on. It's difficult enough just as if they were attending school
here.
The other question I would have for you, Ms. Forde, is the
10 acres suitable, in your estimation and the estimation of the
department, do you have any idea what the acreage is of the
larger school that we have in the St. Thomas/St. John district?
Mrs. Forde. No, I don't have that information. Ten acres
would be conservative in my guess. If we're going to put a full
service facility, 10 acres is conservative. If you're going to
put something here, you're going to want a state-of-the-art
gymnasium; you're going to want a track and field that the
children can run on, that they can practice on and prepare for
competitive meets stateside; you're going to want classrooms
where we can put comfortably 30 children in a classroom and
they are not hitting elbows against each other; that we've got
computer drops in the classrooms for these children; that there
are cafeterias where the children can eat and we don't have to
jam them into lunch hours.
What we want is a vision for education. Ten acres can do
it. We can make do with that, but certainly I think we would
want to double that number if we wanted to put a full fledge
facility in St. John.
Mrs. Christensen. For example, Eudora Kean, do you have any
idea what the acreage is?
Mrs. Forde. No, I have no idea. But we also recognize that
with Eudora Kean, we're sharing land with Housing, Parks, and
Rec. So----
Mrs. Christensen. Right, I understand that.
And Senator Wesselhoft, are there any current measures in
the 27th Legislature addressing any school related
issues on St. John?
Ms. Wesselhoft. Not that I know of, Delegate Christensen.
And if I may, just for the record, just to clarify what you
said, I'm not against the land lease.
Mrs. Christensen. I understand.
Ms. Wesselhoft. I'm hoping that one day that the National
Park will recognize our needs and start giving us something as
opposed to us having to enter into a lease. And even if we do a
lease, it will be lease to own eventually. So, I'm in full
support of it.
Mrs. Christensen. I understand. But for the record, because
this is the official record of the Congress, we just want to
make sure that we're clear on all of the opinions that are
being voiced here. And I'm clear that you support the lease,
but that you also would support an outright conveyance.
I don't have any other questions. Do you have any other
questions, Mr. Grijalva? Is there anything else that was left
unasked that you would like to add before we dismiss you?
Ms. Smith. Madam Chair, I would like to see this come to
fruition. We've been speaking about the school situation for
the last 30 years.
Mrs. Christensen. Yes.
Ms. Smith. So, we would really like to see it come to
fruition.
Mrs. Christensen. I think that's the bottom line and as
quickly as possible.
So, thank you for your testimony, and I would now like to
call up the last panel which is a relatively large panel of
witnesses.
Mrs. Christensen. OK, the next panel consists of Ms.
Lorelei Monsanto--as they are coming up, if there is room on
the bench in which you're sitting, if you would just move over
a little it would allow our individuals who are still standing
to have a place to sit.
So, Ms. Monsanto, Mr. Ronnie Jones of Unity Day Group, Ms.
Kristen Cox of the One Campus Group, Mr. Gaylord Sprauve, Mr.
Joe Kessler, President of Friends of the Virgin Islands
National Park, and former Senator-at-Large, Craig Barshinger.
OK, thank you. We will begin this panel by recognizing Ms.
Monsanto for five minutes. Ms. Monsanto of the One Campus
Group.
STATEMENT OF LORELEI C. MONSANTO, ONE CAMPUS GROUP
Ms. Monsanto. Good evening, distinguished guests, Members
of Congress and our Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen and
other guests and the audience. I am Lorelei Monsanto, a St.
John resident and member of One Campus Group. I would like to
thank you in advance for the opportunity to give my
presentation to the Committee on Natural Resources on H.R. 53,
also known as the Virgin Islands National Park School Lease
Act.
St. John has no doubt been changed by the existence of the
National Park Service. I do believe the various agencies that
support the park and its growth will support this initiative to
acquire lands to demonstrate a team effort to educate the local
populous of students that reside on St. John.
I would like to give a brief history. Number one, the
overall population of students on St. John in both the private
and public sector is approximately 700 students and growing
with a rash of development on the island.
Two, the current educational complexes on the island of St.
John are crumpling, dark, located in congested areas and have
outgrown their overall usefulness.
Three, due to lack of land space on St. John and overall
planning for the future, we are at a point where our partner,
Jackson Hole Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, Friends of
the National Park, students, parents and all concerned groups
on the island of St. John, have recognized that we must become
team players in this venture.
Four, the private sector has established a school on St.
John that clearly states a need for K-12 on the island. Their
location is quite hilly and provides some difficulties in
expansion and diversification.
However, we're talking about the public school sector here.
My group, the One Campus Group, have done several studies and
investigations. One, we found that Laurance Rockefeller donated
lands with a special stipulation that lands be held to enhance
the local population on the island of St. John. Our Delegate to
Congress was advised by a Mr. Clayton Frye, Jr. On November 10,
2006 that Jackson Hole Preserve retains no property that might
be suitable for such a purpose, and finds that they didn't own
any land on the island. Investigation reveals that they
liquidated a good portion of that property and disregarded Mr.
Rockefeller's wishes.
Two, discussion of swapping local Virgin Islands' land and/
or cays with the National Park Service in 2006 raised a high
public outcry against such an action.
Three, Ms. Ethel Bishop died March 2006. She conveyed a
deed to the United States National Park in 1968. That parcel is
known as No. 6 Estate Catherineberg, and it consists of 55
acres of land, more or less, and it is not subject to any
reversionary clause. The National Park Service noted that this
is just one of several land parcels managed by the National
Park Service that has this condition. However, based on the
location, this parcel seems to be the best location for the
project that we are now considering, and we did send to you a
copy of her death certificate and a deed of conveyance.
Four, the opportunity will provide the most educational
venture the National Park System, Virgin Islands and Congress
has ever seen. St. John's needs are truly unique, and this
joint venture will enable the National Park Service and the
Department of Education to construct a school complex that adds
a Marine Biology, Botany, National Park Service Mid-island
Visitor's Center and Educational Complex, all under one
environmental friendly environment.
It is my belief that this request for a lease will enhance
the overall position on the National Park Service and the
Virgin Islands. With the goal of incorporation of National Park
Service programs and the educational programs, the
possibilities are limitless. An investigation on leasing
National Park lands now exist in the Park system.
Preservation of the Bishop home, educating the students
with National Park Service programs, advising the visitors of
how St. John and this co-adoption enhances the knowledge power
of kids' learning both inside and outside the classroom will be
mind-boggling.
The bill, H.R. 53, is an excellent solution to the
educational goals. I do have a few suggestions, however, that
might enhance the bill. I would request the Secretary of
Interior request that a volunteer school board be set up to
work with the National Park Service on this plan.
Also, I would like the school to be designed by a certified
school design group with an environmentally friendly design so
that we can co-exist with the National Park's mandate and our
own. I would clearly like to request the entire 55 acres of the
Bishop land.
And four, intent with the formation of the National Park
Service, to be designated for such a purpose.
In conclusion, I know that this bill will become a reality.
We will forge ahead to make this a reality. We will lobby, we
will call you, we will harass you, we will do whatever it takes
to make this happen. Thank you again for hearing this
testimony. Respectfully yours, Lorelei Monsanto.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Monsanto follows:]
Statement of Lorelei Monsanto, One Campus
Good Evening distinguished Members of Congress and our Delegate to
Congress Donna Christensen and other distinguished guests and audience.
I am Lorelei Monsanto, a St. John resident and member of the One
Campus group. I Would like to thank you in advance for the opportunity
to give my presentation to the Committee on Natural Resources on H.R.
53, also known as the ``Virgin Islands National Park School Lease
Act''.
St. John has no doubt been changed by the existence of the National
Park Service. I do believe the various agencies that support the park
and its growth will support this Initiative to acquire lands to
demonstrate a team effort to educate the local populous of students
that reside on St. John.
Brief History:
1. The overall population of students on St. John in both the
private and public sector is proximately seven hundred students and
growing with the rash of development on the island.
2. The current educational complexes on the island of St. John are
crumpling, dark, located in congested areas and have out grown their
overall usefulness. (see Photos)
3. Due to lack of land space on St. John and overall planning for
the future we are at a point where our partners, Jackson Hole
Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Friends of the National Park,
Students, Parents and all concerned groups on the island of St. John
have recognized that we must become team players in this venture.
4. Private sector has established a school on St. John that
clearly states for a need for a K-12 on the island. Their location is
quite hilly and provides some difficulties in expansion and
diverication.
Investigation:
1. Laurance Rockefeller donated lands with a special stipulation
that lands be held to enhance the local population on the island of St.
John. Our Delegate to Congress was advised be a Mr. Clayton Frye Jr. on
November 10, 2006 that Jackson Hole Preserve retains no properties that
might be suitable for such a purpose, and find that we do not at this
time own any land on the island. Investigation reveals lands were
liquidated with an apparent disregard for Mr. Rockefeller's wishes.
(See attachment)
2. Discussion of swapping local Virgin Island land and or cays
with the National Park Service in 2006 raised a HUGE PUBLIC OUTCRY
against such an action.
3. Mrs. Ethel May Bishop died March 2006. She conveyed a deed to
the United States National Park in 1968. That parcel, known at Number 6
Estate Catherineberg, consists of fifty-five (55) acres of land more or
less and is not subject to any reversionary clause. The NPS noted that
this is just one of several land parcels managed be the National Park
Service that has this condition. However based on location this parcel
seems to be the best location for the project we are now considering.
(Death certificate and deed of conveyance attachment)
4. This opportunity will provide to me the most educational
venture in the NPS and Virgin Islands and Congress. St. John needs are
truly unique and this joint venture will enable the National Park
Service and the department of Education to construct a school complex
that adds marine biology, botany, National Park Service Mid-island
Visitor's Center and educational complex all under one environmental
friendly environment.
Overview:
It is my belief that this request for a lease will enhance the
overall position on the National Park Service and The Virgin Islands.
With the goal of incorporation NPS programs with the Educational
programs the possibilities are limitless. And investigations on leasing
NPS land now exist in the Park system.
Preservation of the Bishop home, educating the student with NPS
programs, advising the visitors to St. John how this co-adoption
enhances the knowledge power of kids learning both inside and outside
of the classroom
The bill, H.R. 53, is an excellent solution to the educational
goals. I have a few suggestions that might enhance the bill: 1. that
the Secretary Interior request that a volunteer school board be set up
to work along with the NPS on this plan. 2. Design of the school is
done by a certified school design group with environmental friendly
design. 3. Clear request of 55 acres of the land. 4. It was the intent
with the formation of the NPS that an area be designated for such a
purpose.
In conclusion, I know that this bill will become a reality. We are
ready to forge ahead to make this a reality.
Thanking you again for having this hearing respectfully yours
Lorelei Monsanto
______
Mrs. Christensen. Thank you, Ms. Monsanto. The Chair now
recognizes Mr. Jones for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF RONNIE JONES, UNITY DAY GROUP
Mr. Jones. Good evening. My name is Ronnie Jones. I am
honored to be here today. Thank you, Congresswoman Donna
Christensen, and all the Committee members and everyone else
that's here with us today listening. Again, I am honored to be
a witness in regard to H.R. 53.
I was born on the island of St. John and I've seen many
changes take place. Most of these changes have been positive,
mainly because they relate to population growth.
I come from a very large family. My grandfather was Halvor
Richards, born on April 15, 1896, on the island of St. John. He
had 18 children. My grandfather had brothers and sisters, but
the most prominent was Julius E. Sprauve.
Halvor was a foreman with the Civilian Conservation Corps
in 1938 on St. John. The CCC Program or Civilian Conservation
Corps Program, employed many St. Johnians and helped to
maintain the structure of the island, especially our roads. He
eventually purchased Estate Susannaberg in 1945 and ended his
time on this earth on St. John in 1970 as a successful farmer.
Julius C. Sprauve was an advocate for the people of St.
John. He was a Councilman and eventually the first Senator of
St. John. Julius helped St. Johnians get their first bank,
better roads and much needed employment opportunities in the
1930's. Julius left the legacy of community service, but his
most, far-reaching accomplishment was helping Laurance
Rockefeller convince the Department of Interior that the
National Park was a good thing for everyone involved.
This collaboration happened before I was born, and the
results are evident today as over 5,000 acres is still
preserved for our future. The 3,000 acres that was left for the
families and friends of Julius, and the friendly inhabitants
encountered by Mr. Rockefeller and Mr. Stit (phon.) has greatly
diminished in the past 71 years.
Families have continued to grow and many visitors have
decided to stay. I attended Julius C. Sprauve School 43 years
ago, and today our island has outgrown it.
The acquisition of the National Park in 1936 has reduced
the exploitation of St. John. The families connected to that
era are pleased, but the children of this era have little
options in regard to land space. We need a secured and safe
area for which conducive learning could be produced and provide
opportunities for vocational and athletic programs.
Julius C. Sprauve convinced the Department of Interior and
the local people to present their lands for preservation in
1936. We, today in 2007, have our Delegate to Congress, Donna
Christensen, and her constituents trying to convince the
Department of Interior that to allow the Virgin Islands to
lease land for a school would be in the best interest of the
entire island and its inhabitants.
In 1936, the people and the Department of Interior even
after some opposition, did what was right for the future good
of the Virgin Islands and the people that come here.
We are asking the Department of Interior to consider the
needs of our children, and just as in 1936, there will be
opposition, but be aware that the people of St. John will be
following this bill and with deep conviction of the right and
wrong, Bill H.R. 53 works for our children. Thank you for your
consideration.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Jones follows:]
Statement of Ronnie Jones, Unity Day Group
I am honored to be a witness in regard to bill H.R.53. I was born
on the Island of St. John and I have seen many changes take place. Most
of these changes have been positive, mainly because they relate to
population growth. I come from a very large family. My grandfather was
Halvor Neptune Richards, born on April 15, 1896 and he had 18 children.
My grandfather had brothers and sisters but the most prominent was
Julius E. Sprauve. Halvor was a foreman with the Civilian Conservation
Corps. in 1938 on St. John. The C.C.C. program employed many St.
Johnians and helped to maintain the structure of the Island especially
our roads. He eventually purchased, Estate of Susannaberg in 1945 and
ended his time on earth in 1978 as a successful farmer.
Julius E. Sprauve was an advocate for the people of St. John. He
was a Councilman and eventually the first Senator of St. John. Julius
help St. Johnian's get their first bank, better roads and much needed
employment opportunities in the 1930's. Julius E. Sprauve left a legacy
of Community Service but his most far reaching accomplishment was
helping Laurence Rockefeller and Frank Stick convince the Department of
Interior that a National Park was a good thing for everyone evolved.
This collaboration happened four years before I was born in 1936,
and the results are evident today as over 5000 acres is still preserved
for our future. The 3000 acres that was left for the family and friends
of Julius, and the friendly inhabitants in countered by Mr. Rockefeller
and Mr. Stick, has greatly diminished in the past 71 years. (1936-2007
Families have continued to grow and many visitors have decided to stay.
I attended Julius E. Sprauve School 48 years ago and today our island
has out grown it.
The acquisition of the National Park in 1936 has reduced the
exploitation of St. John. The families connected to that era are
pleased, but the children of this era have little options in regards to
land space. We need to secure a safe area of which would be conducive
to learning and provide opportunities for vocational and athletic
programs.
Julius E. Sprauve convinced the Department of Interior and the
local people to present their land for preservation in 1936, we today
in 2007, have our Delegate to Congress Donna Christensen and her
constituents trying to convince the department of Interior, that to
allow Virgin Islanders to lease land for a school would be in the best
interest for the entire island and its inhabitants. In 1936 the people
and the Department of Interior (even after some opposition), did what
was right for the future good of the Virgin Islands and the people that
come here.
We are asking the Department of Interior to consider the needs of
our children and just as in 1936 there will be opposition, but be aware
that the people of St. John will be following this bill with deep
conviction of right and wrong. Bill H.R.53 works for our children.
Thank you for your consideration.
______
Mrs. Christensen. Thank you, Mr. Jones. And the Chair now
recognizes Ms. Cox for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF KRISTEN COX, ONE CAMPUS GROUP
Ms. Cox. Good evening to the House of Representatives'
Committee on Natural Resources, Delegate to Congress Donna
Christensen, and members of the panel. I am Kristen Cox, Co-
Chairperson of the One Campus Group on St. John.
The 14 years that I have been residing on St. John, I have
watched the schools become deplorable. I have heard, read and
been told about our local government being involved in ongoing
negotiations to work on finding, locating, and obtaining land
to build a new public school for the community of St. John.
The conditions that our children are being taught and the
intrusive environment of that of our teaching staff, have
surrendered to noise pollution, and the dilapidating, unsafe
conditions of the building is simply just unjust. We have made
do with the situation because we have not had any choice in the
matter, and it's time that we make a safe, comfortable
environment for our children, staff and the community in our
schools.
I am asking the panel to bring the bill, H.R. 53, forth in
the House of Representatives on behalf of the Virgin Islands
with the Virgin Islands National Park's signing a lease with
the Virgin Islands Government to obtain and be part of a team
network, building a new state-of-the-art K-12 school, with a
vocational center that will be utilized by the children of St.
John, community organizations, and offer opportunities for any
persons wanting to further education is very important.
We want to assist and provide, through this complex, and
incorporate the National Park Service, in educating and
mentoring the children of St. John, the community and tourists
from abroad.
We live in the 21st Century and our children need to be
technologically competitive in this growing world we live in.
Unless all of our children are all born naturally A-plus
students and excel in every subject while attending grades K-
12, the rate we are going, we are falling behind in the
competitive world and we do not want to revert to functional
illiteracy in the Virgin Islands. Our children are being left
behind and are continuing to regress and the community is now
becoming filled with criminals and are not being educated in a
competitive level as the Iowa test results demonstrate each
year, as does our drop-out rate at 40 percent this year.
The island of St. John resident children are about 1,000
students plus or minus, divided between public, private schools
and home school students from grades K-12. Our drop-out rate is
increasing yearly, as our crime rate and our homicide rate
between the ages of 16 and 25, obtained through the Daily News.
My vision for St. John's future school is three separate
buildings, elementary, middle and high school, computers in
each classroom, one central library, an athletic park with ball
field, track and field, soccer, footfall, swimming pool,
basketball court, tennis court, gymnasium with gymnastics,
exercise gym equipment, a vocational learning center that
combines existing facilities elsewhere with the United States,
and the skills of teachers, researchers, the National Park
Service, to educate, share information on marine biology,
ecology, farming, science, communications, business management,
auto mechanic, EMT, FEMA, Red Cross, Public Works. There is a
long list where we can go with this.
I now want to work together and be as successful as a team
and Leave No Child Behind, all the sentiments that we've
expressed, the deed, conveyance, death certificates, what the
National Park has given us as reasons why this land in
Catherineberg will work for a school, we are asking for 55
acres. We need 55 acres to be competitive in today's world for
a state-of-the-art complex.
I hope that you will push this bill through the House of
Representatives so this lease can be procured, and remember, we
Leave No Children Left Behind.
I thank all of you for hearing our testimony this evening.
[The prepared statement of Ms. Cox follows:]
Statement of Kristen Cox, Co-Chair, One Campus Group
Good Evening:
To The U.S. House of Representatives on the Committee on Natural
Resources, Delegate to Congress Donna M. Christensen, and Members of
the panel.
I am, Kristen Cox, Co-Chair person of the One Campus Group on St
John, I am a mother, an aunt, a cousin, a friend, and I am someone who
cares about our children and the future of our community and
opportunity for the local residents of St John.
I am here before you today to testify why St John needs a new K
through 12 School on St John.
The Fourteen years that I have been residing on St John I have
watched the schools become deplorable. I have also heard, read and have
been told that our local Government has been involved in ongoing
negotiations to work on finding a location and obtaining land to build
a new public school for the community of St John.
The conditions our children are being taught and the intrusive
environment that our teaching staff has surrendered to noise pollution
and dilapidating unsafe conditions of our buildings is simply unjust.
We have made due with what we have because we have not had a choice in
the matter. It is time the Virgin Islands Department of Education is
held accountable for the lack of follow through and responsibility to
our local Government to make sure our schools are safe and comfortable
for our children, staff and the community.
I am asking for your panel to bring this bill forth in the House of
Representatives. The Virgin Islands National Park signing a lease with
the Virgin Islands Government to obtain and be part of a Team network,
building a new state of the art K through 12 school with a vocational
center that will be utilized by the children of St John, Community
organizations and offer opportunities for any persons wanting to
further their education.
We want to assist and/or provide through this complex and
incorporate the National Park Service in Educating and mentoring the St
John children, our community and tourists from abroad.
We live in the 21st Century and our children need to be
technologically competitive in this growing world we live in. Unless
ALL of our children are born naturally A+ students that excel in every
subject, while attending grades K through 12, the rate we are going the
U.S. Virgin Islands will revert to adult functional Illiteracy. Our
children are being left behind and are continuing to regress and the
community is now becoming filled with delinquents and criminals because
they are not being educated at a competitive level as the Iowa test
results demonstrate each year as does our drop our rate.
The island of St. John resident children are about 1,000 students
+/- divided up between public and private schools in grades K through
12. Our drop out rate is increasing yearly as is our crime rate and our
homicide rate of ages 16 through 25. The poverty and low income level
residents and our population is growing. We need change and the
foundation for any change begins with education.
We have an opportunity to change history and make the difference we
have been waiting for. The One Campus Group wants to work together to
accomplish a common goal of well educated students for a positive
future, join hands with those who have, will and want to make a
difference in the future of; the National Park Service of the U.S.
Virgin Islands, Friends of the National Park of the Virgin Islands, The
Rockefeller Foundation, The Jackson Hole Preserve, the Government of
the Virgin Islands, the Department of Education of the Virgin Islands
and incorporate the following in a State of the Art Education Complex
far superior to any other in the Virgin Islands and the Caribbean
abroad.
My Vision of what St John's future School needs are as follows:
1. 3 Separate buildings on One Campus for Elementary, Middle and
High school.
*Computers in each class room (1 for each student) OR each
building be equipped with a Computer Lab.
2. One central Library
3. Athletic Park with Ball field (base ball, Track & Field,
Soccer, Football, etc), Swimming pool, Basket ball court, Tennis court,
Gymnastics, Gym with exercise equipment, etc.
4. A Vocational Learning Center that combines existing facilities
elsewhere in the United States with the skills of teachers, researchers
and the National Park Service to educate and share information on:
marine biology, ecology, farming, science, communications, business
management, wood working, auto mechanics and restoration, port
authority, coast guard, EMT, FEMA, Red Cross, public works, etc.
I know we can work together and will be successful as a team and No
Child will be Left Behind. Refer to: Exhibit A, Exhibit B, Exhibit C,
Exhibit D, Exhibit E and Exhibit F why we can start building our new
future together today.
I hope that you will push this bill through the House of
Representatives so this Lease can be procured and remember we leave No
Child Behind.
Thank you for your time.
[NOTE: The exhibits submitted for the record have been retained in
the Committee's official files.]
______
Mrs. Christensen. Thank you, Ms. Cox, and I will now
recognize Mr. Kessler for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF JOE KESSLER, PRESIDENT,
FRIENDS OF VI NATIONAL PARK
Mr. Kessler. Thank you. The Friends of Virgin Islands
National Park welcome the esteemed members of the Subcommittee
to St. John. You honor our island and our park by your
presence. We are pleased that you are holding these field
hearings here so that you have the opportunity to hear from the
entire community on the proposed legislation. We hope these
hearings and ensuing discussions will move resolution of this
important issue forward.
The Friends is a non-profit membership based organization
that is dedicated to the preservation and protection of the
natural and cultural resources of Virgin Islands National Park
and promotes the responsible enjoyment of this national
treasure.
Concerning the proposed Virgin Islands National Park School
Lease Act, H.R. 53, the Friends, along with nearly everyone
else as you've heard today, recognize the absolute need to
relocate the current schools from their cramped, inappropriate
and dangerous locations, and to expand the facilities to
include 10-12 so that the island's children do not have to
leave St. John to attend public high school.
The need for new educational facilities is not in question.
It is real, it is urgent, and it must be made a high priority
for the territorial government and this community. However,
where to locate the new facility, what it should realistically
include, how to build it, how to finance it, how to maintain
it, and how to staff it are the real questions. These hearings
address the key issue of the first question: How the required
land for the new facility is to be acquired. We trust that the
other issues will be dealt with in due course.
Prior to the introduction of H.R. 53, three alternatives to
acquire land for a new facility were being considered: The V.I.
Government would either allocate land that it already owned;
purchase sufficient land; or swap land with the National Park
Services.
However, as the territorial government does not own
sufficient land on St. John and large parcels are generally
difficult to find and prohibitively expensive if they were to
be located, discussion centered on a land swap between the
territorial government and the National Park Service.
The Friends has strongly supported the concept of the swap
and believe that we have played a key role in urging the
National Park Service to be open and flexible in considering
this possibility. This contributed to the NPS in February 2003,
providing the V.I. Government with a list of properties which
is comprised of land on St. John, small uninhabited offshore
islands and even submerged lands that in some combination can
be considered in exchange for land for a school within Virgin
Islands National Park. The list was not exclusive and was meant
to initiate concrete discussions on the issue. The proposal has
languished since then.
While we support swapping land, we have fundamental
concerns and misgivings about providing V.I. National Park land
to some sort of long-term lease arrangement as proposed by this
legislation.
Let's be frank. Depending on the terms and conditions of
the lease, the arrangement is the de facto sale or gift of the
property to the V.I. Government. It will result in the net loss
of National Park property and resources. Clearly, this land
will never revert to being park land.
The National Park Service is in the forever business. It is
legally mandated to preserve unimpaired the natural and
cultural resources and value of the National Park System. In
this case, Virgin Islands National Park is for the enjoyment,
education and inspiration of this and future generations.
Without question, this legislation would diminish, and
therefore impair the natural and cultural resources of the
Virgin Islands National Park.
Furthermore, and perhaps more troubling, it will set a
precedent that would in turn threaten national parks throughout
the country. We wouldn't dream of selling off or giving away
parts of Yosemite or Grand Canyon National Parks, nor should we
sell or give away a part of Virgin Islands National Park,
especially since it's a viable and preferable alternative.
An exchange or swap of land remains, in our view, the most
viable alternative. And in addition, an exchange could happen
in a relatively short time if there is the institutional and
political will to make it a reality.
We appreciate and understand the concerns of some members
of the community toward what is perceived as giving up
additional lands to the National Park Service. Land is always
an emotional issue, and passion about land does not run any
deeper than it does here in the Virgin Islands. However, the
underlying principle of a land exchange, or a swap, is that
there is a give and there is a get. When two pieces or parcels
of equally valued land are exchanged, both parties give up
something and both parties get an equal share back in return.
While the National Park Service is willing to exchange land
for the benefit of St. John's children, we must be clear, it is
not a win-win situation. Aside from perhaps garnering some
community goodwill and the satisfaction accrued from helping
solve a community problem, the NPS has nothing whatsoever to
gain from a land swap. The only beneficiaries of the land
exchange that will provide for a new school are the children of
St. John.
In conclusion, we reiterate our position that H.R. 53 is
not in the best interest of the people of St. John, the
American public in general, nor the National Park Service. H.R.
53 will diminish, and therefore impair the natural and cultural
resources of this beautiful National Park. And because of the
precedent it sets, H.R. 53 threatens all national parks and
Americans enjoyment of these natural, cultural and historic
treasures.
Further, we ask this subcommittee, and particularly it's
Chairwoman, to use your influence to encourage the V.I.
Territorial Government and the National Park Service, to enter
into serious deliberations to exchange land for a school. The
children of St. John deserve an immediate and concerted effort
to resolve this impasse.
Thank you for affording me the opportunity to offer this
testimony.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Kessler follows:]
Statement of Joe Kessler, President,
Friends of Virgin Islands National Park
The Friends of Virgin Islands National Park (Friends) welcomes
these field hearings on the proposed Virgin Islands National Park
School Lease Act (H.R. 53) and we are pleased that you are here to hear
from this community on the proposed legislation. We hope that these
hearings and the ensuing discussions will help move resolution of this
important issue forward.
As President of the Friends I testify before you representing the
3,612 members of this organization. About 20% of our members are from
the Virgin Islands and we are also proud to have members hailing from
all 50 states, as well as twelve foreign countries. Members of the
Friends are bound together by our love for Virgin Islands National
Park, our commitment to the preservation and protection of the natural
and cultural resources of the Park, and our appreciation of what the
Park means for St. John and all of the Virgin Islands.
Our appreciation is based on the conviction that because of VI
National Park St. John is a world class tourist destination, a unique
and safe place to live, and it enjoys considerable prosperity. St. John
is a prosperous little island. Prosperous in the context of the Virgin
Islands and prosperous in the context of the Caribbean:
St. John has one of the highest per capita incomes in the
Caribbean;
St. John has the highest rate of private home ownership
in the Caribbean; and,
Just about anyone on St. John who wants a job can find
one--particularly in the hospitality industry, with retail businesses,
or in the building trades. Just witness the hundreds of people who
arrive every morning from St. Thomas to work here.
We really have the Park to thank for this. In addition to the
people of St. John--it is the Park that makes this island so special!
Furthermore, the Park is what drives the prosperity of this island; a
2004 study demonstrated that VI National Park generated more than $127
million in annual sales and 2,500 jobs in the Virgin Islands.
Concerning the proposed Virgin Islands National Park School Lease
Act (H.R. 53):
The Friends, along with nearly everyone on St. John, recognizes the
absolute need to relocate the current schools from their current
cramped, inappropriate and dangerous locations; and expand the
facilities to include grades 10-12 so that the island's children do not
have to leave St. John to attend public high school.
The need for new educational facilities is not in question--it is
real, it is urgent, and must be made a high priority for the
territorial government and this community. However, where to locate the
new facility, what it should realistically include, how to build it,
how to maintain it, and how to staff it are the real questions. These
hearings address the key issue of the first question: how the required
land for a new facility is to be acquired. We trust that the other
issues will be dealt with in due course.
Prior to the introduction of H.R. 53, three alternatives to acquire
land for a new educational facility were being considered:
The VI Territorial Government would allocate land that it
already owned;
The VI Territorial Government would purchase sufficient
land; and/or,
The VI Territorial Government would swap land with the
National Park Service.
However, as the territorial government does not own sufficient land
on St. John and large parcels are generally difficult to find and
prohibitively expensive if they were to be located, discussion centered
on a land swap between the territorial government and the National Park
Service.
The Friends has strongly supported the concept of the swap and we
have played a key role in urging the National Park Service to be open
and flexible in considering this possibility. This contributed to the
NPS, in February 2003, providing the VI Government a list of properties
(comprised of land on St. John, small uninhabited offshore islands and
submerged lands) that in some combination could be considered in an
exchange for land for a school within VI National Park. This list was
not exclusive and was meant to initiate concrete discussions on the
issue. This proposal has languished since then.
While we support swapping land we have fundamental concerns and
misgivings about providing VI National Park land through some sort of
long-term lease arrangement as proposed by this legislation.
Let's be frank; depending on the terms and conditions of a long-
term lease, the arrangement is the de facto sale or gift of this
property to the VI government and will result in the net loss of
National Park property and resources. Clearly, this land will never
revert to being parkland.
The National Park Service is in the ``forever business''. It is
legally mandated to: ``preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural
resources and values of the national park system [in this case, Virgin
Islands National Park] for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of
this and future generations'. Without question, this legislation would
diminish, and therefore impair, the natural and cultural resources of
VI National Park.
Furthermore, it will set a precedent that would in turn threaten
national parks throughout the country. We wouldn't dream of selling off
or giving away parts of Yosemite or Grand Canyon national parks, nor
should we sell or give away a part of VI National Park. This should not
be given serious consideration, since there is a viable and preferable
alternative.
An exchange, or swap, of land remains the most viable option as it
is allowable under existing NPS policy and does not require any new
authorizing legislation, and there are properties that the NPS would
accept in such an exchange. In addition, an exchange could happen in a
relatively short time, if there is the institutional and political will
to make it a reality.
We appreciate and understand the concerns of some members of the
community towards what is perceived as giving up additional lands to
the NPS. Land is always an emotional issue and passion about land does
not run any deeper than here in the Virgin Islands. However, the
underlying principle of a land exchange, or swap, is that there is a
``give'' and a ``get''--two pieces (or combination of pieces) of
equally valued land are exchanged. Both parties give up something and
both get an equal share back in return.
However, we must be clear: this is not a ``win-win'' situation.
Aside from perhaps garnering some community goodwill and the
satisfaction accrued from helping solve a community problem, the NPS
has nothing to gain from a land swap--yet they are willing to go ahead
with it. The only beneficiaries of a land exchange that will provide
for a new school are the children of St. John. I suggest that we all
look at the bigger picture and envision this island's children growing
up, learning, and playing in a modern educational facility located in a
peaceful environment conducive to learning.
In conclusion, we reiterate our position that H.R. 53 is not in the
best interests of the people of St. John, the American public in
general, nor the National Park Service. H.R. 53 will diminish, and
therefore impair, the natural and cultural resources of this beautiful
national park; and, because of the precedent it sets, H.R. 53 threatens
all national parks and Americans' enjoyment of these natural, cultural
and historic treasures.
Further we ask this subcommittee, and particularly it's Chairwoman,
to use your influence to encourage the VI Territorial Government and
the National Park Service to enter into serious deliberations to
exchange land for a school. The children of St. John deserve immediate
and concerted efforts to resolve this impasse.
Thank you for affording me the opportunity to offer this testimony.
______
Mrs. Christensen. Thank you, Mr. Kessler. The Chair now
recognizes Mr. Sprauve for his testimony.
STATEMENT OF GAYLORD SPRAUVE
Mr. Sprauve. First of all, good evening. I am Gaylord A.
Sprauve. I'm a resident of the U.S. Virgin Islands with long
established family relationships on the island of St. John.
As a youngster and later as a teenager, I was privileged to
be in the company of my siblings and other relatives as we
roamed across the landscape hunting and collecting bait for
fishing around the islands and cays that surround the main
island of St. John. We enjoyed the land and we enjoyed the sea
that was all around us. We did this before there was ever a
National Park in our midst and we enjoyed our experiences
without restrictions other than those that were self-imposed.
Though not schooled in the science or art of conservation
or preservation, we employed our own sense of what amounted to
appropriate behavior in the treatment and care of our ecology.
We did so keeping in mind that others will follow in our
footsteps who would want to enjoy the same precious experiences
that were ours. Those happy, joyful, pleasant memories remain
in my consciousness today.
It was in the mid-1950's when we realized a National Park
would come to St. John. With limited or no experience with such
an endeavor, many of us witnessed, while standing silently on
the sideline, as our cultural upbringing dictated, while senior
heads of our families sold off their lands for the purpose of
what would become the Virgin Islands National Park. Little did
senior heads of our families, and even those of us coming of
age realize that we knew very little about what was entailed in
having a National Park on St. John and what it meant for the
future of the homeland. As the park developed, St. John was
rediscovered, and over time was transformed forever into what
it is today, with the scarcity of affordable land for the
resident population, to build individual homes or adequate land
reserved by the government for important public programs and
services. H.R. 53, as proposed by Delegate Christensen, is an
acknowledgement of the contention that our leaders failed to
plan adequately for the future needs of our school-aged
population and the larger St. John community. H.R. 53 attempts
to address the most vexing problem of acquiring a site upon
which to construct an educational, cultural and recreational
complex that would satisfy not only the immediate need of
moving the school or schools, but also the future needs of St.
John as envisioned by the people of St. John, in consultation
with their government leaders.
Conceptually, I support this major step by the Delegate.
The land lease that H.R. 53 proposes is the third option of
those that I suggested in an August 7, 2006 guest opinion in
our local Daily News, following a public announcement that the
then, Governor Charles Turnbull, was proposing a land swap with
the Virgin Islands National Park that included several of St.
John cays.
In my rebuttal to the Governor's proposed land swap, I
called his announcement premature and suggested that we seek
congressional assistance with our plight in the form of an
outright grant of the acreage required to accomplish the
desired public purposes of such a grant. Alternatively, I
suggested a use permit for a number of years and possibly into
perpetuity. The lease option, the subject of H.R. 53 was my
third option. I hope that whichever option is approved by
Congress will be one that is negotiated for no more than a
nominal fee and, therefore, economically feasible for the local
government.
Once again, I take this opportunity to commend Delegate
Christensen for her leadership and vision in this matter. I
hope that she is successful in having this legislation adopted.
Thank you.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Sprauve follows:]
Statement of Gaylord A. Sprauve,
Resident of the U.S. Virgin Islands
I am Gaylord A Sprauve. I am a resident of the U.S. Virgin Islands
with long established family relationships on the island of St. John.
As a youngster and later as a teenager, I was privileged to be in the
company of my siblings and other relatives as we roamed across the
landscape hunting and collecting bait for fishing around the islands
and cays that surround the main island of St. John. We enjoyed the land
and we enjoyed the sea. We did this before there was ever a National
Park in our midst and we enjoyed our experiences without restrictions
other than those that were self-imposed. Though not schooled in the
science or art of conservation or preservation, we employed our own
sense of what amounted to appropriate behavior in the treatment and
care, of our ecology. We did so keeping in mind that others would
follow in our footsteps who would want to enjoy the same precious
experiences that were ours. Those happy, joyful, pleasant memories
remain in my consciousness today!
In the mid-1950s, we realized that a National Park would come to
St. John. With limited or no experience with the introduction of such
an endeavor, many of us witnessed, while standing silently on the
sideline as our cultural upbringing dictated, as senior heads of our
families sold off their lands for the purpose of what would become the
Virgin Islands National Park. Little did the senior heads of our
families and even those of us coming of age realized what the creation
of a National Park on St. John entailed and what it meant for the
future of the homeland. St. John was soon rediscovered and over time
was transformed forever into what it is today-with a scarcity of
affordable land for the resident population to build individual homes
or adequate land reserves by the government for important public
programs and services.
H.R. 53 as proposed by Delegate Christensen is an acknowledgement
of the contention that our leaders failed to plan adequately for the
future needs of our school-aged population and the larger St. John
community. H.R. 53 attempts to address the most vexing problem of
acquiring a site upon which to construct an educational and cultural
complex that would satisfy not only the immediate need of moving the
school or schools, but also, the future needs of St. John as envisioned
by the people of St. John, in consultation with their government
leaders.
Conceptually, I support this major step by the Delegate. The land
lease that H.R. 53 proposes is the third option of those that I
suggested in an August 7, 2006 Guest Opinion in our local Daily News,
following a public announcement that the then, Governor Charles
Turnbull was proposing a land swap with the Virgin Islands National
Park that included several of St. John cays.
In my rebuttal to the Governor's proposed land swap, I called his
announcement premature and suggested that we seek congressional
assistance with our plight in the form of an outright grant of the
acreage required to accomplish the desired purposes of such a grant.
Secondarily, I suggested a use permit for a number of years and
possibly on into perpetuity. The lease option, the subject of H.R. 53
was my third option. I hope that the option approved by Congress will
be one for no more than a nominal fee and therefore, economically
practical for the local government.
Once again, I take this opportunity to commend Delegate Christensen
for her leadership and vision on this matter.
______
Mrs. Christensen. Thank you, Mr. Sprauve for that very
moving testimony.
Our last person to testify on this panel is former Senator
Craig Barshinger. And we recognize you for five minutes.
STATEMENT OF CRAIG BARSHINGER, FORMER SENATOR
Mr. Barshinger. Thank you, Delegate Christensen. Welcome to
the members of the Committee, all those who are here to
support, and the many St. Johnians of our beloved and
beautiful, diverse St. Thomas community.
Delegate, you asked a little while ago about legislation.
Senator Hill has in place a bill that provides for the Virgin
Islands Government to interface with this. Anticipating this, I
introduced legislation in the 26th Legislature for
drafting, and turned it over to Senator Hill when I left on
January 8th. It's all there. We were hoping that the
previous administration would work on it and it seems that it's
now in this administration under your leadership that we're
really going to go forward.
I would like to tell the Committee something about St.
John. St. John and the Virgin Islands National Park is, indeed,
a beautiful place. But when you think of St. John, you have to
realize it's not the blue waters and green hills that make it
valuable. It's the people who live here, and the history, the
story that goes with it.
From back in the 1700's we have a rich history and a
culture. There is nothing you can do as stewards of the
National Park that is a greater investment than to partner with
us in educating our youths.
By our very success as the National Park, our community is
beleaguered. You have heard that you cannot really buy land on
St. John. Let me put that into perspective. A young man or
woman growing up on St. John today cannot reasonably hope to
purchase a home. It's about $1 million for the home. We are in
trouble and we need some help from the National Park Service,
Department of the Interior, and ultimately the Congress.
So, although I'm a businessman at heart and believe in a
quid pro quo, if we are to have a lease, and that lease was to
be for $1.00 a year for 15 acres or 100 acres, it would be a
good deal for the people of the United States, because in
return, they would get an opportunity to strengthen the culture
of St. John, which, as I said, is what makes this such a
valuable park.
It's not just the land, but it's the way we use the land,
the way we interact, the way we sail, the way we go fishing for
yellow-tail. All the things that we do in this park, the
history. And if we don't have a good educational system, we are
not able to offer that vital communication to those people who
visit this park.
As far as exchanging, I'm a little dismayed that there has
been some talk about an even exchange of land. While I cannot
say that it's not appropriate to exchange things of equal
value, I have to ask you, what is the comparison between some
generally featureless land, as the Acting Superintendent Martha
Bogle has pointed out, and maybe an exchange of stewardship for
something on Congo Cay where the park could get petroglyphs.
Isn't it true that just one small highly important historical
site might be worth many acres of flat land where we could
build a school? Think about that in your negotiations. Don't
allow yourself to miss the opportunity to partner with St. John
in our educational quest by insisting on unreasonable
exchanges.
We have so much to offer in terms of our people, our
culture, and also certain sites where perhaps you would like to
be in the business of being stewards for them. But certainly we
cannot find 55 or 100 acres, but we can find intensely valuable
sites that if you would be willing to be custodians, that
certainly would be something that is reasonable to discuss, but
please don't be unreasonable. We don't want to be back here
five years from now, ten years. We want to invite you five
years from now for the big party as we cut the ribbon on our
new educational complex.
My time is coming to an end, so I'll just tell you that
students sense how serious we, as adults are, about their
education and future.
Right now, I hope you have a chance to tour what we have on
St. John. It's insufficient. Many of our social problems will
be healed if we can show the students that we are fighting for
them as we are beleaguered by the 1.2-plus million visitors to
our shores every years.
We need your help in making sure that St. John can deal
with the changes. And the way you can help us best is to help
us by giving us the land we need in order to make a school
complex which is state-of-the-art. Not 10 acres, not 20 acres,
but enough in the range of 50 acres will allow us to do it
right. Architecturally we can make it something you will be
very proud of, but we need your help, and I ask the Delegate
and all from the committee to assist us. Thank you very much.
Mrs. Christensen. I want to thank all of the panelists for
their testimony. And now, I would like to recognize Mr.
Grijalva for such questions that he might have.
Mr. Grijalva. Thank you, Madam Chair, and I will be brief.
Let me begin with Ms. Monsanto. Can you just for background
again, can you give me a breakdown of the 700 students roughly
from John, roughly grade level? I'm also interested in how that
separates, as you mentioned it, between public students and
private students.
Ms. Monsanto. What I did is I incorporated public and
private school students who live on St. John and traverse back
and forth and also attend school on St. John. So you're not
only looking at students who go to the public school right now.
You have to look at those high school students who go to St.
Thomas. You have to look at the private sector who also goes to
St. Thomas for school for educational benefits. So, we
encompassed that number. That's the number we came up with
roughly.
Mr. Grijalva. Do you then see this campus that we're
talking about to serve both populations?
Ms. Monsanto. Yes, because ultimately the population on the
east end of St. Thomas is also saturated. That school is full
to capacity.
Mr. Grijalva. The assumption being that the private school
students would then come back to a public school.
Ms. Monsanto. Hopefully, yes.
Mr. Grijalva. Because it would be a public facility.
Ms. Monsanto. Correct.
Mr. Grijalva. And Mr. Kessler, you mentioned--Mr. Jones, if
I may. Mr. Jones, if I may, thank you for the historical
context in which--the background that you gave us.
When Mr. Rockefeller made the decision the two-thirds of
the land on St. John will be given as a National Park, but
correspondently as you mentioned, there was also a commitment
to the people of St. John as part of that process. And to
answer some of the issues of precedence, which I think is a
question that needs to be dealt with, is there any, in that
historical record or in that historical contents, educational
opportunities for children of St. John? Was that part of the
consideration in that transfer?
Mr. Jones. Sir, the specifics of it, we have here in front
of us from a letter to Senator Anderson from L.S. Rockefeller,
September 13, 1962, which speaks specifically to the Jackson
Hope, consideration and acreage that were laid out. We have
Estate Bellevue, 101 acres; Estate Beverthouberg, 265.6 acres.
These are the properties that were spoken about to be used for
the betterment of the island, for the people. But as Ms.
Monsanto discussed earlier, when she went back to Jackson Hope
Preserve, they said that that land was no longer in existence.
So, more specific as to what Mr. Rockefeller meant when he
said for the betterment of the community, frankly, I personally
never envisioned the need for condemnation from the earliest
days of acquiring the land of the Virgin Islands, as well as
throughout the discussions leading to the Park in 1956. I have
felt and I have said I was not in favor of condemnation. I
don't have the specifics as to what he meant broadly, but I
understand that when the Senator, which is Mr. Julius C.
Sprauve, my great uncle, when he looked at the island, he was
looking at the island at that time as what would be a good deal
for--as his relative, another cousin of mine on the table
stated, that we didn't have the bigger vision.
When I was 18 years old, I always said that one day as we
continue to grow, without not understanding how the National
Park worked, I always said, one day the National Park would
have to give us pieces and pieces of its land, because as our
people grew and our population grew, what do we do? Do we just
pack up and leave and then say only tourists can come and look
at an island that people used to inhabit? So, at some point I
always figured that it would be a reasonable thing as
population grew. And these were the people who are from here,
that you would make room for us to grow and to live on the same
island.
And to add to that, when people come here, people come here
to talk to the people. They come to talk to us. They want to
hear me say, ``Hey mon, fry fish and johnny cake today.'' They
don't come to see some deers running around in some bush. They
come to see that, plus hear me speak or hear my family speak.
Other than that, they tell us all the time, if I want to get an
American experience, I stay in America. They come here for us.
Mr. Grijalva. And your point is well-taken, because the
tradition where I come from is that there is a deep and abiding
historical and cultural bond between the land and the people,
and the originators of that land. So, yes, I couldn't agree
with you more.
Mr. Kessler, you mentioned the issue of the swap and the
precedence, which I think, as we go through this process, that
needs to be dealt with. But given the parcel that we talked
about, that is being talked about today, is there specific
concerns that the Friends have related to that parcel and the
leasing of that parcel? How would that impact the Park?
And maybe, if I could for the record, Madam Chair, we've
been dealing with a 10-acre discussion here, but also
repeatedly from the witnesses, we are dealing with a 55 acre
discussion, and we could reconcile that by information as to
why the Park Service is dealing with 10, when consistently
we've heard of 55. Maybe we can get that from the Park Service,
OK?
Mr. Kessler. OK. To your first question, Friends has no
problem at all with the land that's been proposed for a swap,
the land that's been proposed as being suitable for some sort
of interaction to provide for an educational facility.
If I could on the issue of the 10 versus 55 or whatever,
and this is more of a personal observation, there hasn't been
any sort of consensus as to what this facility would actually
include, what the land would actually be used for other than a
school. And certainly, as part of the process of determining,
one, how much land is really required, is the process of
planning out whatever this facility will be, and whatever other
ancillary services or structures or activities that would
happen on there, and also what's feasible, we have to look,
one, how much land is potentially available; how much it will
cost to develop that into some sort of facility; how much money
is going to be available to do it. And then we have to also
deal with all of the other problems that the current education
services in the Virgin Islands has to face, which is how do you
maintain it? How do you staff the facility?
Mr. Grijalva. Thank you.
Mr. Kessler. Those issues need to be dealt with, and I have
every confidence they will be dealt with within the community,
with extra assistance. Those things need to be determined. You
just can't pull out a figure and say, well, we need 55 acres or
even we need 10 acres.
And again, the Friends has been supportive of the swap, and
think that the land that has been identified is appropriate in
terms of a location.
Mr. Grijalva. The issue to you is the mechanism.
Mr. Kessler. The issue to us is the lease. The lease is a
de facto sale or gift to the property, a precedent that was set
for National Parks throughout the country.
Mr. Grijalva. And let me just follow up with a
hypothetical. I don't know how to phrase this question, but I
was asking Mr. Jones and the One Campus representatives about
the history of the Rockefeller, the context, the historical
context. And as I understand from them, from their testimony
and from answering the question, there was an intent on the
part of Rockefeller to, as part of the process, there would be
a net public benefit for the people of St. John and your point
regarding the precedence of a lease and what effect that could
have across the National Park Service system nationally in the
territory.
So, is that an either/or proposition, giving the intent and
giving the issue of the precedence.
Mr. Kessler. Well, the intent was also--the Jackson Hall
Preserve owned lots of land on St. John, in addition to the
land that was donated to the Department of the Interior for the
creation of Virgin Islands National Park, and over time, they
sold off that property.
I have no further information than what was provided by the
other testifiers, and I'm certainly happy to accept their
understanding of it, but we do have Virgin Islands National
Park created initially from the 5,000 acres donated by Jackson
Hall Preserve. Another 2,800 acres have been acquired and added
in the last 50 years. So, we have some--or 1,800 acres.
Mr. Grijalva. I appreciate it, Mr. Kessler. Thank you for
responding to my question. Sir, you wanted to respond, Mr
Jones.
Mr. Jones. In relation to helping you get the perspective
on the 10 acres, the administration before under Governor
Turnbull, we had an administrator by the name of Julien Harley,
and he had gathered a group of people together when the first
options were coming up of the swap and so forth. And at the
time, given the size of the island and the population, they
came up with--and they weren't looking at a full complex. They
were looking at a basic school. And they came up--that's why 10
acres came up and that's what the National Park had started
moving with.
But as we look at the school now, the potential for a
school now, and as the school administrator spoke a minute ago,
and she talked about a full campus, that's not throwing
something out of the hat. You can look at any school in the
United States and know what a full campus is. And a full campus
is more than 10 acres. And we have groups here now who have
already started the process of identifying the cost, the exact
size. They are not throwing out 55 acres like throwing it out
of a hat. It's just that our organization on St. John hasn't
all yet come together to get the consensus, but we know the
average of a full campus with a gymnasium and all the other
avenues, and we're also asking the National Park to
participate, because they have programs that can help our
culture in educating people that come here, that they can use
that facility to benefit the community also. But still, we
haven't all come together on what we're trying to do. That's
why we're honoring the Delegate on what she's doing, because
the first thing we have to do is get the land.
Mr. Grijalva. Madam Chair, I have no further questions,
thank you. I yield back.
Mrs. Christensen. Thank you, Mr. Grijalva. And if you do
have a question as we go along, I will yield to you again.
Thank you.
Let me begin with--I'll ask Ms. Monsanto, because you first
raised the issue of the 55 acres. Can you speak to the
typography of those 55 acres? I assumed that 10 were singled
out because the land is suitable. It is flat. It is more
easily--it could more easily accommodate the school and all of
the other parts of the complex that have been mentioned, but
could you speak to the typography of the 55 acres?
Ms. Monsanto. In reference to the 55 acres, we submitted
information to your office before testimony. We gave a map the
National Park gave us of the property. The property is
basically flat. No, we have not had a surveyor to go out there.
We do know there are a lot of guts and stuff like that that
will have to be worked on. However, we do want to build an
environmental friendly environment there. So, these are things
that we can work together to make this campus an excellent
campus for everyone to be happy with.
Mrs. Christensen. I'm glad you raised up the map, because I
was going to ask Mr. Jones if he would like to submit the
document you were reading from for the record.
Ms. Monsanto. I submitted that already.
Mrs. Christensen. That's part of the testimony and your map
is part of the testimony too, OK.
Ms. Monsanto. Yes.
Mrs. Christensen. OK. And I know Ms. Monsanto, too, that
you, Ms. Cox and others have done extensive research on
properties. For the record, have you identified alternative
properties or any local government property on St. John?
Ms. Monsanto. The local government does not have enough
property to match the school that we're speaking of.
I do want to make a very important comment.
Mrs. Christensen. Yes.
Ms. Monsanto. The children of this community, and I have a
child that's being raised in this community, they are diamonds.
And they are pure diamonds. They have to be polished. So, they
need this school. And they are not going to be put on the
sideline to protect lands. Because some of this land--some of
the lands that the National Park has is not theirs. So, if you
really want to talk about history, we could go have a history
class tonight, but we don't have the time, OK.
So, the National Park, I have asked for years, show me your
survey, show me your bounds. You own land that is not yours. We
are asking for 55 acres to educate the diamonds of this
environment and it's a problem. The National Park is acquiring
land in Mahoe Bay Estate. They are amassing more lands from
family members. How much more blood must we give them? How much
more should we cry?
Mrs. Christensen. I think you--well, let me just say for
the record to that, I asked the question to have on the record
that there is no other available----
Ms. Monsanto. There is no other available land. It's
important to the record, OK, there is no other available land.
Our founding fathers, like Gaylord Sprauve eluded to, we live a
simple life. Their vision was not the vision of today. Times
have changed. We have new visionaries in our environment. Here
we are at the table. Here we are all around here. We have
youngsters sitting in this audience today who are going to be
running this government and doing things that we never dreamed
of. So, we have to make sure that they are educated correctly
in the right environment, that they have everything everybody
else is afforded.
Mrs. Christensen. That's true. We don't disagree, but we
want to make sure that the record shows that really that there
is no alternatives.
Ms. Monsanto. There is no alternative.
Mrs. Christensen. And Mr. Jones, we talked about the 55
acres verses 10. Is there a minimum acreage that the group,
that--because I even think that I remember Mr. Harley talking
about more than 10 acres at one point also. Was there a minimum
that was identified, acreage that was identified? And if you
can't answer, if anyone else can answer.
Ms. Cox. Our group did a study. We researched it on the
internet, and elementary schools are starting anywhere between
10 and 12 acres. Middle schools start at 15 to 20. High schools
start at 25 and up.
So, we're talking about a condensed location with what our
needs and what our vision is for St. John, and 55 acres would
probably just do it for us.
Mrs. Christensen. Thank you. Thank you, for the research.
Did you want to respond to, Mr. Sprauve?
Mr. Sprauve. I want to say something.
Mrs. Christensen. Yes, go right ahead, sir.
Mr. Sprauve. I think we've heard two speakers here this
evening speak about the precedent that would be set with
National Parks nationally. I'm am not a lawyer, so I am not
speaking on any legal basis. The issue might be a legal one. We
are an unincorporated territory of the United States. As such,
the Congress of the United States determines what we get, what
we don't get, how we get it. And it has nothing to do with
national issues. It is we are property of the United States,
and the Congress has the right to do what it wishes with us,
including disposing of us. They can also do all needful rules
and regulations to govern us, and I don't see why we keep
raising this issue. If Congress determined that that 55 acres
that is not now caught up with the reversionary clause, even
though I would raise the question about that, has anyone
approached, anyone in authority approached the Rockefeller
Foundation on easing that provision so that we can do what we
need to do here on St. John?
That's the kind of comments that I have here. I want to
know Congress' role, since it is a congressional hearing,
Congress' role in governing these territories. And if Congress
feels that this is what they need to do, notwithstanding any
other argument about the national concerns, it seems to me the
lawyers in the audience should be the ones to be talking this
talk. They should be the ones to be helping us clarify this.
But I think this is an important consideration.
Mrs. Christensen. Thank you. And it applies in other areas
as well. So, thank you for that comment.
Ms. Cox, you mentioned the different types of students we
have, including home school. Do you believe that if we had the
school that we are envisioning here this evening, that some of
those home school children--some of the parents would stop home
school and send them to a preferred school in a better
educational environment and a safe environment?
Ms. Cox. Absolutely, without a doubt.
Mrs. Christensen. Mr. Jones, you wanted to answer.
Mr. Jones. I am one of those home schooling parents. As I
came home with my children and I started at the Julius C.
Sprauve School, I was teaching there for one year. The school
was deplorable. It's way too old. It's out-sized. There were
too many things that created a hostile environment for the
teachers, a hostile environment for the children, and the need
for a new school was there. Then I decided to go to the private
school. The private school, even with scholarships I pay $8,000
per child per year. They told me this last school year you
would have to pay $9,000 per child. So, I'm now home schooling.
And I know from many of the parents, because I was one of
the PTA persons at both schools, the private school and the
public, many of those parents who are making those payments
right now, they might be Caucasians but they are not wealthy.
And they would love for us to get one great school that they
feel that their kids would be safe in and the education would
be top notch, and we would have a beautiful school, just like
St. John has always been the melting pot of all races of people
and all cultures. So, it will be the ideal thing. And many
parents would take their kids out and put them in there.
And also to add a little touch to that, many of the parents
are hoping that we could put all the schools together, but it
wouldn't be under a public only status. It would be under a
public/private status, which is something we have going on now
in the states----
Mrs. Christensen. The charter schools.
Mr. Jones. The charter schools. A lot of parents have said,
yes, I will bring my kids over if we could have that
combination. Now, we have a lot to do in learning how that
works and if it would benefit the Virgin Islands. But yes, many
parents in private school would bring their kids to the public
school if they felt it was safe and it produced an excellent
learning environment.
Mrs. Christensen. Thank you. Mr. Kessler, the parcel of
land that's in question here was not a part of the original
park, and the park existed up until '68 without this particular
parcel. So, could you then explain to me why you think that
leasing a portion or all of that particular parcel would
diminish the park since it was not part of the original land
set aside for the park.
Mr. Kessler. Well, since that time, it has been a part of
the park. It is currently a part of the park. And by taking
that out of the park, it would diminish both the natural and
cultural resources that contributes to the overall inventory of
the Virgin Islands National Park.
Mrs. Christensen. OK. And if I recall correctly from
looking and hearing the testimony of the Acting Superintendent,
the reason that this particular parcel was chosen was that
there is not any historical or cultural resources or very
limited cultural and historical resources on this particular
parcel of land.
Mr. Kessler. I believe she said there hasn't been an
inventory of the cultural resources there. If you look
elsewhere in that area of Catherineberg, I mean you have the
windmill, you have the historic buildings, you have the
historic walls. I think it will be fairly safe to assume that
within neighboring properties, you have some similar historic
structures. I mean, with the Virgin Islands National Park,
there is some 500 to 600 historically significant structures in
various states of repair and disrepair. And so it's safe to say
that you would find resources there.
Again, apparently the park has never inventoried that area.
But I think it would be safe to say so.
Mrs. Christensen. Well, in any case, I would just imagine
that based on the testimony and the criteria that is used, that
the park would not have ventured to offer a particular parcel
of land if it had significant value to the park. And so that's
why I raised that question.
Mr. Kessler. No, I understand that. And I think, at least
from my understanding, obviously I don't speak for the park, my
understanding from conversations is one of the reasons or part
of the reasons why the park offer that was, one, it was a
convenient location to put a school. It was between Cruz Bay
and Coral Bay. It was on the main road to ease transportation.
It was a relatively flat area, which is obviously a premium on
St. John. It also abuts developed areas. So, you're not like
carving something out in the middle of park land. But on the
edge of the park, there is also a ridge to the north that would
then shield the campus from view from the north shore or from
sea so as not to impair the visual aspect of the park. And
those are just some of the reasons that they chose that area.
Also, obviously, as has been discussed by many of the
panel, it wasn't included within--it was a later acquisition
and, therefore, not included within the reversionary
conditions.
Mrs. Christensen. Right. But it just seems to me that it
could be exchanged, that it met certain criteria that would
also apply to the lease.
Go ahead, you wanted to add a response?
Mr. Sprauve. Thank you, Delegate Christensen. I just wanted
to comment on your question, because I see it a little
differently than Mr. Kessler does. The land which is presently
within the boundaries of the National Park are not part of the
National Park. And I asked the Committee to look at St. John
because there is something very unique that gives you a broad
brush to create something new that wouldn't apply to other
parks, and that is that we are one of the only parks that does
not have the right of condemnation.
People from the Virgin Islands went to Washington in the
50's, and we rode on donkey backs in Washington protesting the
concept that they might have right of condemnation. And for
those in the audience who don't know, that means that almost
all of the other units of the National Park Service have the
ability to condemn the land and pay fair market value, and put
that land into the park.
We do not. There is a reason for it. We're special and we
ask you to use that special dispensation to give us land. Make
it available to us to create an educational campus.
Mrs. Christensen. Thank you. Thank you for adding that
piece of information. And Mr. Sprauve, I know your first,
second and third alternatives in order of preference, but there
has also been some talk on exchanging land maybe from St. Croix
for the land for the school in St. John. And if that was
possible--of course we would have to discuss it with others--I
will let you answer also after Mr. Sprauve answers.
I want to just point out that the reason for this hearing
is to get as much information on the record so that when we go
back to Washington, we would have that information with which
to continue our deliberations and make our decisions. So, I'm
trying to get as much as possible on the record because that
discussion has been taking place.
Would you consider such an exchange as being--where would
you consider that exchange in terms of your first, second and
third?
Mr. Sprauve. I'm happy to respond. I think everything that
I have said over the past couple of years is that any available
public lands that is government owned, you can't do this with a
private individual. A private individual wishes to sell his
land, he can do that. But I do not believe that we should
enlarge the park with any more Virgin Islands' public lands,
period.
Mrs. Christensen. OK, got it. That's not something that I
was proposing, but it has been proposed and brought to my
attention that there are some discussions. So, that response is
very helpful.
Do you still want to respond or do you think that took care
of it, Ms. Monsanto?
Ms. Monsanto. Since we're putting things on the record, I
also want to confer that I am in total agreement. Why should we
swap precious land on St. Croix for land on St. John? We have
to be fair. And I think if we're going to speak partnerships, I
think--the major problem that has always been on St. John, we
have always said, and I'm going to say it so this could be on
the record, Friends of the Park, enemy of the state.
So, place that on the record. We have to work together to
make sure that we are tangible partners in the management of
everything that goes on in this park. The National Park was set
up for the people of St. John. When the Park was set up, they
thought the Park was being here for all of their generations to
enjoy. We no longer enjoy the Park.
How many people in this room pay $4.00 to go to Trunk Bay?
When do we enjoy the Park? People who live here, we do not
enjoy this Park. It is a constant fight every day with this
Park. And we're saying, we're putting out the olive branch now
and we're saying, yes, the Delegate has brought something to
the table. It is a feasible thing. We all can understand the
lease. Let's work together. We don't want to be adversarial. We
want to work together. The olive branch has been extended, but
we, too, want everyone to respect us, and we don't want to take
anything from anybody else. Our sister islands, they also have
things that they need, and it would be unjust and unfair. Thank
you.
Mrs. Christensen. Thank you. Mr. Grijalva, did you have any
further questions?
Mr. Grijalva. Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair, and let me thank
all the witnesses today. I appreciate it very much. And if I
may say, Madam Chair, I think one of the important points here,
and I appreciate all the testimony, one of the important points
here is the community of St. John and their needs for the
future. And I appreciated all the testimony today about that,
particularly education.
The concept of the land that was donated to the Federal
government, there was--we need to be consistent with that
donation. And yes, part of the donation was for the
preservation and the conservation of valuable, beautiful land
on St. John. But also, as I understand the testimony and the
record, also part of that consistency of that donation was the
derived benefit and public use for the people of St. John, and
with that, Madam Chair, I think, as we work through this
legislation. And thank you very much for bringing this to all
of us. It's keeping that consistency and what the purpose of
the donation was to preserve and keep a special place for
everybody else to enjoy, but at the same time, to derive some
benefit for the people of St. John. Thank you.
Mrs. Christensen. And I really want to just again before we
close, to thank you for taking the time. I know it was not
easy, to come here and be a part of this hearing as Chair of
the Subcommittee on National Parks, as well as a valuable
committee member on the Committee on Education and Labor.
As I said in my opening statement, we have gone through
this over the last ten years moving from one point to the
other. We started out with working toward an administrative
exchange of lands between the V.I. Government and the Park. We
went from there to try to legislate such an exchange. But in
listening to the people of St. John, all of the people of St.
John, we have really left the exchange issue behind at this
point.
And that's why in this Congress, we really looked at what
was the most feasible thing that we could introduce. And as we
began, as we ended the last Congress and began this one, and
discussed it with Mr. Frederick, the past Superintendent, we
thought that perhaps this lease was the most feasible way to
move forward.
I would say that we have not totally written out the
possibility of a conveyance, and we are continuing to research
that. We understand that that is the preference for the people
of St. John and we want to be responsive not just to one group,
but to the other group. But we want to be responsive in a way
that is to the benefit of all of the people on St. John and
most especially our children, because the issue here is
providing a safe and nurturing and supportive educational
environment for our children. And obviously the schools that we
have now and the locations that they are in now are not
providing that kind of an environment for our children.
So, we need to find a way to move this as quickly as
possible. Thirty years is too long, and I think we've gone
through the exchange issue. So, we are not going to deal with
that.
The testimony that has been given here from all of our
panels has been very, very helpful, as well as those that have
been submitted in writing.
Again, I would want to invite anyone who continues to want
to provide written testimony, that for the next ten business
days, the Committee's record is open, and we would welcome any
written testimony that would come forward.
I want to thank our panelists, but I also want to thank the
community for the strong showing. Not having heard testimony
from all of you, your presence here, though, is a very loud and
very significant testimony in itself, and we thank you all for
being here.
The Committee now stands adjourned.
[Whereupon, the Subcommittee was adjourned.]
NOTE: Although the following individuals were unable to
personally testify, their statements submitted for the record
have been retained in the Committee's official files.
Steve Black
Theodore Chouiniere
Alvis Christian
Elsa Emily Hall
Crystal Fortwangler, Ph.D.
Richard P. Decker
Owen Sewer, Sr., Virgin Islands Board of
Education
Christophena Todman
Donald J. Willey