Oct. 24, 2001 – A rezoning request involving plans to build a Plaza Extra supermarket at Nelson Mandela Circle that had been scheduled to be heard at Tuesday night's Senate Committee of the Whole meeting was taken off the agenda at the last minute.
Engineer Alton Adams Jr. of Alton Adams and Associates sent a letter to Senate President Almando "Rocky" Liburd requesting the rezoning be "removed from the agenda of this date for future consideration." Rochelle Corneiro, Liburd's chief of staff, said the letter arrived about a half hour before the 6 p.m. scheduled start of the session on St. Thomas.
Adams told the Source on Wednesday that he couldn't comment on whether the decision to remove the matter from the agenda was connected with federal agents' raids conducted Tuesday on the existing Plaza Extra stores on St. Thomas and St. Croix.
Agents of the FBI and several other federal agencies conducted raids on the three stores Tuesday morning in what federal agents have referred to as "part of an ongoing investigation" involving illegal aliens.
There is no listed telephone for Plessen Enterprises. Adams suggested calling Plaza Extra to contact the firm. Calls to Willy Hamed, St. Thomas Plaza Extra general manager, were not returned.
