May 18, 2007 — The St. John Coalition wants the territory's senators to get the message that many in the community do not want them to override Gov. John deJongh's May 10 veto of legislation that gave the Sirenusa condominium project the okay to increase the project's density and height.
To bring home the point, the group gathered signatures of about 1,100 people on a petition that essentially urges them not to override the veto.
"Or we're going straight to court," promised St. John Coalition member Sharon Coldren.
On Friday, St. John residents Coldren, Jane Ramnarine and Catherine Stephens visited the Legislature building on St. John to deliver a copy of the signed petitions to each of the 15 senators.
So far the Legislature has taken no action toward an override, several senators have said publicly that they will support such a move.
"The senators only want to listen to the developer," Coldren alleged.
DeJongh, speaking to the Source at the St. Thomas/St. John Chamber of Commerce meeting at the Westin Resort and Villas on St. John, said he thinks the senators will listen to the St. John residents who spoke out against the variance.
The governor said he was not against the project, but rather wants the process to be followed.
Rewarding a developer who has made so many mistakes makes St. John residents angry, Coldren said.
The project has been controversial almost since its inception. In 2006, the developer started work on third stories not included in its group-dwelling permit, but was stopped by the Planning and Natural Resources Department. At that time, the developer claimed that it had approval for the third story, but at the time then-Planning Commissioner Dean Plaskett said his department never received a request for a modification.
The developer, Enighed Condominiums LLC, wants to add seven units to the 40 units in 28 buildings permitted under the group-dwelling permit. Those seven units will be added to three buildings. Two of those buildings would have four stories, with the third having three.
Gene Skoff, spokesman for the Sirenusa project, sent the Source an email alleging that the petition was "so old, some people have become supporters."
The St. John Coalition began gathering signatures just before the Planning Department's December 2006 hearing on the matter, Coldren said. The group continued to gather signatures until the governor announced his veto, she said.
Skoff also said the petition contained names of tourists and double signatures. While some of the signatures may have come from tourists, Coldren countered, they have a right to complain if they're not happy with the Sirenusa project.
"It's citizens having their say," she said.
In his email, Skoff also alleged that the coalition is misinforming people, using scare tactics, making false allegations and telling lies.
Initially the Legislature's office manager, Loren Abramson, said the coalition would have to deliver copies of the petition to Senate President Raymond "Usie" Richard's office on St. Thomas. Later she said she had received permission to accept the petitions for each senator.
"He will have them today," Abramson said.
Marigold St. Prix, who staffs Sen. Carmen Wesselhoft's St. John office, accepted the petition for the senator at large.
Wesselhoft drove by the Legislature building twice while the small group waited to see if the petitions would be accepted. St. Prix said the senator had another engagement and would not meet with the group.
Opposition to the Sirenusa variance is the first time Coldren has seen the many factions of the St. John community come together with one voice, she said.
Stephens said that while she's against the variance that changed the zoning from R-2 residential, low density to R-3, residential medium density, she wants to see the project done.
Ramnarine, who lives directly downhill from the Sirenusa project, said that when it rains her yard gets filled with water from the project.
Coldren said she did not make a public announcement about delivering the petition because she feared that the Sirenusa developer would send his a group of his workers to the event.
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