Sequester worries new VI Park superintendent

Brion FitzGerald first cane to St. John to celebrate his wedding anniversary, Now, he's on the
island permanently.

 

Image from St. John Source

His first goal as the new Superintendent of the Virgin Islands National Park is to do more with less, thanks to the federal government’s budget cuts.The VI Park is expecting a reduction of almost $500,000, according to the St. John Source.  

 

FitzGerald is uncertain how visible the reduction in services and repairs and materials will be.  The most obvious may be closing the Visitors Center one or two days a week, he told the Source.  But he has said no one should underestimate the threat the cuts are to the Park.  Years of flat budgeting and no increases have led to staff and skills shrinkage.

A number of staff positions have gone unfilled for several months, which may help cushion the impact of the budget cuts.  Fitzgerald told the Source it’s unlikely any of the Park’s 50-plus employees will be laid off.

• Read the full Source story here