US Virgin Islands News

Heavy weather on the way

A late season Tropical Depression 15 is on track to blow across St. John on Wednesday.  Forecasters expect it to strengthen and have Tropical Storm winds between 39 and 73 miles an hour and turn into a hurricane Thursday as it moves across the water.

The storm's path is an odd one, now well south of Puerto Rico, its projected track is north and east. Usually the storms move east to west.

Track it: http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/tracking/at200815_5day.html#a_topad

Property Tax bills to be reissued

A federal Appeals Court decision has cleared the way for the Virgin Islands government to reissue 2006 tax bills.  Earlier this year, a Federal District Court judge ruled the VI's was in contempt of court for issue the bills because it had not approved the Territory's recent property revaluation.  But an appeal of the decision was struck down last week by the federal Third Circuit Court of Appeals.

In a statement, Gov. John de Jongh called the Appeals Court's stay of the contempt finding, "A significant step toward the successful collection of much needed tax revenues that will allow the Government of the Virgin Islands to provide the infrastructure and services necessary for residents of the territory to maintain a standard quality of living.”

He added that Attorney General Vincent Frazer will meet early next week with Tax Assessor Roy Martin, Lieutenant Governor Gregory Francis, himself, and to determine when the 2006 Property Tax Bills will be re-issued and the method by which those revenues will be collected.

Update on real estate

The inventory of homes for sale on the island is steady at about 120 units, down from the some 140 we had a few months ago.  But there does seem to be some softness.

The average asking price is now $2.01 million, which is down 10% from July's $2.2 million.  The median price of $1.4 million is the same as it was three months ago.

Checking the Multiple Listing Service, there have been relatively few new houses put on the market in the past several weeks.  Steady as she goes, I guess is the path right now. We'll be looking for the third quarter's summary of real estate activity on the island.

Update: Help has arrived. A little bit.

This morning, Thursday, the Tourism Department's list of news releases works. 

It's really odd, tho ... instead of clicking links to see the story, you have to click either the "Word" or the "PDF" button to get the text in those formats.  No other web site I've seen does this.

Wonder what the Department doesn't like about Web pages.  Could it be that this way, converting it to two formats, takes more time and makes more work?

Yesterday's post:

The government could do better promoting tourism in the Virgin Islands.  Perhaps that's the reason the Commissioner of Tourism, Beverley Nicholson-Doty will make an appearance at a lunch meeting of the Territory's top advertising people.

An e-mail from the American Advertising Federation of the U.S. Virgin Islands (formerly known more simply as the 'Ad Club') says Doty will offer a look behind-the-scenes at the work she and JWT, the island's advertising agency, are doing.

"It seems the stateside image of the U.S. Virgin Islands needs to be changed," the advertising group said. "Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty of the Department of Tourism will show us what people’s perceptions really are and how our advertising needs to be repositioned."

From my surfing on the Web, it appears JWT is a new player this year.  The Tourism Dept.'s Web site says M. Booth and Asssociates of New York are the PR contacts for the Territory.  In the past, however, JWT has worked for the Tourism Department, as long ago as 2001.  There was a change for 2008 and JWT is back, and now has some research and opinion polling which will help inform its promotional efforts for what appears to be a new campaign for the islands.

Lord knows, efforts have been pretty minimal recently - despite declining tourism and cutbacks in airline service.  The "official" tourism Web site still sucks: no fresh content, nothing posted daily to keep people interested in what's happening on the islands, God-awful slow to load pages and the Department's "Press Room" hasn't had a new release in months, offering media nothing new to write.  Even the Events Calendar is blank!  ("Nothing to see there folks, move along.")

But, the #3 press release on the page touts an award to Commissioner Nicholson-Doty, in June, naming her an "Outstanding Woman in Travel." Here's a link to that story: http://www.onepaper.com/stcroixvi/?v=d&i=&s=Business:St.+Croix&p=1212899165.  Ironically, you can't read the Department's own release about that honor - because none of the links on the Press Room page work, at least on my Mac and its two browser.

Don't get me wrong.  I want the Commissioner and JWT to do well at the lunch.  And I want them to do well in promoting the islands over the next year.  And I REALLY want them to do much better than they have.

Do something different on vacation

Think about buying a ticket to the Rotary Club dinner set for Oct. 25.  The event at Mongoose Junction's Ocean Grill will honor three St. Johnians who have given an awful lot to the island so many visitors love.  They are  the Myrah Keating Clinic's Dr. Elizabeth Barot, St. John Rescue's Bob Malacarne, and Skinny Leg's owner Moe Chabuz.

Supporting the dinner is a way to say thanks as well as find yourself in the company of locals who do their best to support the community every day.  I've often thought that there needs to be more interaction between locals and visitors and I've crossed the bridge many times, attending benefits for Sprauve and the Animal care Center.  Think about it.  You can learn more and buy tickets, at $50, by calling Bill Willigerod at 340-776-0883.

New business ideas for St. John

Here are the responses to last week's question asking what kind of business would you open on the island.  Got a better idea?  Submit it here.

• Suzanne: I'd love to relocate to St. John and open a fine wine shop. Not sure if it would fly or even be remotely successful, but that would be heaven for me.
• Christine: I would love to open a midwifery service/birth center for the families of St John to be able to give birth on their island.. either in their homes or the birth center.
• Gone Hungry: McDonalds!!!!
• Peter: A Tax Collection Agency, thats about the only business that would be able to survive in St. John's due to the unrealistic Property Taxes. Oh Wait I probably could not afford the taxes charged to afford to stay open.
• Mark: Not having seen the place, or knowing what size. I'd do a sports bar serving lunch and dinner. Karaoke during the week and maybe local live music on weekends.
• William: An old-fashioned diner, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• RickG: I'd do a provisioning service like Bobbi's on Tortola and add cooked entrees and sides. Beer and liquor of course!

Donkey Diner for sale

One of Coral Bay's favorite spots for breakfast, free WiFi, and a good time is on the market. 

The owners, Doug and Clare, say they're offering the Donkey Diner "due to need to spend time with our elderly parents." 

In a posting on Craigs List,  it says that $125,000 buys the new owner the "business, equipment, inventory, and vehicle.  No real estate. Training available."  Besides the "gourmet breakfast restaurant", Donkey Diner is also a pizzeria, an Internet cafe and a gift shop.  Rent is $2,000 a month, but, "There is no lease," Doug explained in the post. "I pay month to month."

"We offer the opportunity t serious entrepreneurs with financial assets for a fast and easy sale," Doug said. "Please don't waste my time if you are a dreamer."

This is the third business listing I've recently seen on CraigsList.  Others have included an Internet cafe in Cruz Bay and a charter sailing business.  Neither, to my knowledge, have sold.  But it's interesting that all three went to the Internet rather than through the island's real estate brokers.  Each uses the Net extensively for bookings, orders, or promotion - perhaps more attuned to the net's possibilities than more traditional businesses like bars and jewelry stores.

The CraigsListing is here: http://caribbean.craigslist.org/bfs/867616805.html

Snack shop opens at Salt Pond

U P D A T E D and corrected

Longtime St. Johnian Cheryl Geller has opened a snack shop at Salt Pond, on the east end of the island.  Actually, it's Larry Grenier - who'd been a bartender at Sklinny's years and then moved down the road to Aqua Bistro for two years.  Now, he's on his own!

The Tourist Trap is what he calls her "old style island eatery," offering nachos, hot dogs, submarines and sandwiches.  "Everything is homemade," according to promotional materials, although there are exceptions for items like bread, tortilla chips and cheese. 

The colorful shed-on-a-trailer sits near the entrance to Salt Pond Bay.  (Google Maps link here.)

As for Salt Pond, frankly, I've never understood its charm, as a beach.  It has little shade to offer, so on a hot day, it's hot!  The water is shallow, again meaning if it's a hot day you're not going to get cooled by a dip in the ocean.  And the beach is a rocky, downhill trek. That means UPhill coming back.  Carrying chairs and towels and bags makes the trip a little much.  And, as I said, the payoff ... the beach ... is nothing to write home about.The envrionmentalist crowde seems to like it but, give me Francis Bay anytime.

Bookings are off at the Westin

It sounds like the 'W' mattress isn't the only thing that's soft at the Westin St. John Resort and Villas. 

The Wall Street Journal reports the director of sales and marketing saying the resort is 80% booked for the year-end holidays.  Usually, it would be sold out, Bill Thompson told the newspaper.

During the summer, he noticed Westin guests were cutting back on the extras.  They came to the pool with juice boxes and snacks for the kids.  Adult guests were "having one drink at the bar and (then) going back to their rooms and opening up their own bottle of wine."

The Westin's response: "Santa Savings".  Room rates start at $435 a night, which Thompson says is 30% below last year.

Pond Bay Update

Matt, at St. John Talk, posted his weekly update photo of the construction project.