US Virgin Islands News

Villa inventory climbs, prices hold

After a two-week decline in available homes on the Multiple Listing Service, the number of villas for sale is again headed into record territory.

In late March, the MLS showed 141 properties available, a decrease from the 150 mark reached earlier in the month.  In the last three weeks, the number of listings has risen higher to 148.

But despite the growing inventory, there are few signs of fire sales.  The average asking price for a home is $2.2 million, compared with $2.16 million in January.  If you remove a Peter Bay property that's been on the market for six months or more, priced at $32 million, the average drops to $2 million.

The median price of homes for sale now is $1.5 million, compared to $1.375 million in January.

New VI park for Coral Bay

Ernest Marsh once owned all of Estate Carolina, i.e. most of Coral Bay.

The National Park Service explains, "Established in 1717, Estate Carolina was the first and wealthiest sugar estate on St. John Island." A Bay Rum factory in the plantation is pictured here.

On his death, Marsh's five children inherited the land.  The family Trust has now proposed the Virgin Islands turn 170 acres of it, near the water, into a Territorial park, according to a story in the St. John Source.

Word of the offer came at this week's groundbreaking for a watershed project in Coral Bay.

Sen. Craig Barshinger said the Legislature will be asked to contribute 25 percent of the cost of designing the park and acquiring the land.  The balance of the money, hopefully, will be raised through private contributions made to the Conservation Fund, the Source reported. (Read the Source!  Excellent source of info about all three islands.)

The proposed park is near where the Marsh family heirs plan a mixed residential/commercial development.

The Inquiring Iguana did a bit of rooting around on Google and found a link to a story about an Ernest Marsh, a painter of St. John.  Might be the same patriarch.

• Read the Source story at http://bit.ly/ckAPgX
• The Conservation Fund's Web site is www.conservationfund.org/
• Learn about Estate Carolina at http://bit.ly/dwKpQX

Free fun at the Park

It'll be "No Fee" Saturday at Trunk Bay this weekend.  Dropping the $4 charge for a day is part of the Virgin Islands National Park celebration of National Park Week.

Park Superintendent Mark Hardgrove spoke to the St. John Rotary, updating the members about activities at the Park.  He said North Shore Road repaving is progressing nicely; as far as Trunk Bay now.  He also said Caneel Bay Resort is in negotiations to renew its lease to operate facilities at some of the Park's beaches for another 40 years, according to Rotary's Bob Schlesinger.

Hardgrove said revenue from things like Trunk Bay's regular beach access fee charge are helping finance almost $2.3 million worth of work including repairing masonry at crumbling ruins.

The Westin's new restaurant

When the St. John Sun Times reviews a restaurant, you can trust it.  No eatery gets reviewed until it's been tested three times. That policy was in force for the Westin Resort's new Cruz Bay Prime restaurant. The newspaper's Kelly O'Brien pronounced the eatery a winner.

Where the pretentiously named Chloe & Bernard's used to be, O'Brien said the space now has "has a comfortably chic, Art Deco air that’s hard to resist."  An "attentive but not intrusive' (wait staff) ... will take good care of you."

During her three visits, one of the evening's beef entrees was overcooked and over seasoned.  But during two other visits the kitchen was on its 'A' game, as were "the immensely satisfying macaroni and cheese side, loaded with smoked gouda, parmesan, and mascarpone. "

Her Conclusion: "Chances are good that a meal at Prime isn’t going to stretch your culinary boundaries much, but if you have an appreciation for a fine cut of beef and a killer creamed spinach, then you’re in for a treat."

• Read the St. John Sun Times review at http://bit.ly/amcoTV
• NewsofStJohn's review of Cruz Bay Prime by Karin and Bob Schlesinger

Pine Peace wins again

"The little food market that could" has the cheapest grocery prices in town.  The latest market basket survey by the Virgin Islands Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs said a sample of 28 items at Pine Peace, at the foot of Jacob's Ladder, was priced at $131.16.

Dolphin Market, in Cruz Bay, was second cheapest at $132.21.  Starfish Market, at the Marketplace Shopping Center, had a total cost of $135.20 which is only two percent higher than Pine Peace.

In fact, there wasn't much difference in food prices among three of the island's best know grocery stores.

More Caribbean hurricanes likely this year

Colorado State University weather forecasters have issued a revised and worrisome outlook for the 2010 hurricane season.

Philip J. Klotzbach and William M. Gray attributed their concerns to an unusually warming of the Atlantic Ocean's sea surface and a confident view that El Nino will weaken.

The researchers estimate that 2010 will have eight hurricanes, above the the average of 5.9 between 1950 and 2000. 

The probability of at least one major storm (category 3,4 or 5) tracking into the Caribbean is 58%, compared to an average of 42%.  There is a three-out-of-four chance the Caribbean will experience a Category 1 or 2 storm.

Gray and Klotzbach anticipated comments from people blaming global warming or climate change.  Such speculation is not valid, they said. "It has been tempting for many who do not have a strong background in hurricane knowledge to jump on this recent 15-year increase in major hurricane activity as strong evidence of a human influence on hurricanes," they wrote. There was a similar level of storm activity between 1950 and 1964. "These conditions occurred even though atmospheric CO2 amounts were lower in the earlier period," the researchers said.

The six month hurricane season begins June 1.

• Read the Extended range Forecast of Hurricane Activity at http://hurricane.atmos.colostate.edu/Forecasts/2010/april2010/apr2010.pdf

Coral Bay shopping center gets OK

The owners of about five acres in Coral Bay, just behind the Domino gas station, have won approval from the Coastal Zone Management Committee to build a new shopping center.

The Virgin Islands Daily News reported the project will $2.9 million and include, "A new home for an expanded Love City Mini-Mart, five residential units, vendor kiosks, commercial space, tennis court, basketball court, outdoor theater, toddler play area, two windmills, three freshwater wells and 70 parking spaces."

Never mind that Coral Bay's Cocoloba shopping mall was completed just two years ago and has been for sale for months.  Or that two other shopping centers (Greenleaf Commons and Palm Plaza) are also for sale.

Just seems strange to build another project when there's so much available, already done.  Maybe it's the 'residential units' and 'outdoor theater' that will make this venture successful.  Seems to me there's already more retail space supply than the market wants.

• Read the full Virgin islands Daily News story.
• The St. John Source covered it too.

New parking lot gets approval

Bids to build 150 parking spaces at the Enighed Pond commercial port/dock will be solicited within two weeks, according to Kenn Hobson, director of the Virgin Islands Port Authority.

He showed architectural plans for the parking lot at a hearing of the St. John Coastal Zone Management Committee. The St. John Source reported on the meeting. Read the full story.

Hobson said the parking lot will be free.  Hopes are for it to be ready for next winter's tourists.

Hobson said that while the PA would like to offer a shuttle service to help people who may not want to make the 10-minute walk into downtown Cruz Bay, "We can't afford that."

Chunk of St. Thomas airport runway blown away

The project to repair the 20-year-old runways at the St. Thomas airport has again resulted in a shutdown of a runway and prevented large planes from landing for several hours. 

The latest incident was Tuesday afternoon, reported the St. John Source  and the Virgin Islands Daily News.

Newly laid runway, although given time to cure and then tested, proved no match for the jet blast from a departing plane.  A chunk of the pavement crumbled in the exhaust.  The runway was closed for about three hours.

This is at least the second time  the repair effort has run into a problem.  The first resulted in eight-hour delays for some flights.

The repair project is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Surly's old space for sale

 A few hours after the Surly Cantina's owners announced they were leaving the island, it became known the operator of the Mexican food spot that replaced them at Wharfside Village has put the business up for sale.

"Resturant-Mexican Cantina - $65000 (St.John, USVI)" is the headline.  The ad reads, "Here is your opportunity to get away and own your own buisiness (sic) in St.John. This is a turn=key (sic) operation with minimal experience needed. A perfect chance for 2 people to own their own buisness (sic) on a tropical island."

So, even if you can't spell business, you can buy one.

• The Craigslist ad: http://caribbean.craigslist.org/bfs/1676815601.html
• A review of the spot for sale: