Breeding ornamental plants, attracting an automotive parts maker, building state-of-the-art arenas to attract sports tourism or increasing Christiansted foot traffic with a standalone gambling parlor are some routes that could lead to prosperity, speakers suggested at a Generation Now! economic forum on Tuesday.
The future of economic development on St Croix was a lively discussion, made all the more timely by the territory’s fiscal crisis and the closure of the Hovensa refinery, until recently the territory’s largest private employer.
Four speakers from widely divergent fields waded into the fray at University of the Virgin Islands Great Hall, offering up their thoughts and suggestions on what is needed, then taking questions from Generation Now!, from each other and from the two dozen or so residents in the audience.
Increased local food production and food independence would benefit the territory’s residents in many ways beyond putting money in individual farmers’ pockets, but growing food is just a small part of the economic potential of agriculture, said former Agriculture Commissioner Arthur Petersen.
"There is an enormous need for ornamental horticulture," Petersen said. "I never paid much attention to ornamental production until I realized that ornamental horticulture makes more money than food production does in the state of Florida – and that’s a fact," he said.
Training farmers to treat their work as a business and making sure the Agriculture Department has the resources needed to help local farmers are also important, he said.
Malcolm McGregor, special assistant to Gov. John deJongh Jr., talked up the benefits of sports tourism, promoting administration plans for a $50 million new stadium with pools, tennis courts, a new baseball stadium and beach volleyball courts. Sports tourism is a $600 billion per year industry and facilities certified by the leading professional and amateur sports organizations will be able to attract more competitions to the territory, he said.
Right now, people from colder climates sometimes travel to Hawaii for tournaments, McGregor said, recounting a story about a major swim meet bringing over 900 athletes to Hawaii for a week or more. "That’s just the athletes," not the trainers, family or anyone traveling with them, he added.
Attorney Donovan Hamm spoke of Christiansted Renewal Group’s plans for a standalone gambling parlor and parking garage in Christiansted, just west of the boardwalk. A casino would bring in increased foot-traffic, which would help all the other Christiansted businesses and help to create a more vibrant, busy atmosphere in the town, Hamm said.
Attracting new industries to replace Hovensa and its subcontractors is critical, said Daniel McIntosh, who chairs the V.I. Career and Technical Education Board. Making sure St. Croix students have the skills they will need and have courses that prepare them for the jobs that are likely to be available is also important, to ensure that St. Croix men and women can reap the benefits when the time comes for a new company to fill its ranks, he said.
"Why can’t we attract an automobile company to come here to manufacture a part or parts here?" McIntosh asked, suggesting a plant that makes heavy equipment could find a home here. "Did you know Caterpillar has a manufacturing plant in Jamaica? They have one in the Dominican Republic too."
"If we can attract a company to make even a little part, it could make a major difference economically," McIntosh said.
Generation Now! is a progressive, business friendly civic organization whose mission statement says they want to create a network that educates and inspires the community to improve the quality of life for all Virgin Islanders.
Tuesday’s forum was the seventh in a series of public talks on economic issues affecting the territory sponsored by Generation Now!
