A month or so begin schedule, the $336,000 renovation of the park in 'downtown' Cruz Bay, is open for business.
Well, not all business. Vendors who occasionally set up under tents, or brought tables on which to show-and-sell their jewelry, hot sauces, or wood carvings are no longer welcome to set up shop.
Besides being less hospitable to merchants, the park is also less welcoming. The St. John Tradewinds claims benches in the new park are purposefully uncomfortable to discourage homeless people from checking in for the night. They are individual seats.
The St.John Source also said some landscaping remains to be completed. There are planters that need to be installed.
The almost-six months-long project created a few problems. St. John Festival found it had less room for Cruz Bay activities, and merchants around the park - including J.J.'s Texas Coast Cafe may have found business down in proportion to their lack of visibility because of construction fencing.