You will be able to swim with the fishes in Cruz Bay - and the ferry boats -- if the department of Planning and Natural Resources has its way.
An officer of the Department told the St. John Source an effort is underway to make the beach swimmer-friendly. Robert Tapia said there are plans to widen the channel near the dock to ease turnarounds for ferry boats and to install swim buoys, to mark the area for swimmers' safety.
A recent effort to clear the beach of old boats was part of the swim project. And the Department also moved out boats that didn't have mooring permits. One side effect, Tapio agreed, is that without those water-borne residents, water quality should improve.
Read the Source's full story here: http://www.onepaper.com/stjohnvi/?v=d&i=&s=News:Local&p=1201844338
News of the effort to make the Cruz Bay Beach swim-worthy caught some businesses off guard, especially beach side operations like Low Key Water Sports, which likes the ideas because it wants to offer scuba instruction right on the beach.
However, the swim project seems like another one-off project for downtown Cruz Bay, despite the Governor's promise more than a year ago to appoint a Planner for Cruz Bay. Since then, every candidate for the post has been turned down, according to a spokesman for the Governor. Meanwhile, the incredible asset that the waterfront is, and the Creek area could be, are just laying there - undeveloped, unkempt and, arguably, unsafe.