While government officials told senators Wednesday about all the capital projects they’re moving ahead with in an attempt to boost the economy and improve the local infrastructure, senators said they were concerned that many of the projects have been in the hopper for years and are still not completed.
Mostly, the discussion during Wednesday’s Committee of the Whole hearing centered on Education-related projects, such as the building of a track at both the Charlotte Amalie and Ivanna Eudora Kean high schools. While Public Works Commissioner Darryl Smalls said not enough money has been appropriated yet for a full renovation — or, in the case of Kean, a whole new track — some senators wondered why nothing has been done when multiple appropriations have already been made.
In the case of CAHS, Smalls said he knew about one $300,000 appropriation, while Education Commissioner LaVerne Terry told senators that there was another set of money released last month that Smalls might not have known about.
That revelation pushed senators to urge the two departments to work more closely together and, since Public Works has been tasked with overseeing many of the government’s capital projects, to keep putting out "real-time data" so Smalls could know exactly how much he has to work with.
Sen. Carlton "Ital" Dowe took it a step further and suggested that Education begin to handle its own business and allow Public Works to focus more on roads. Terry said the department is close to hiring someone to manage the repairs and maintenance, which includes everything from electrical upgrades to complete renovations of public school bathrooms.
The purpose of Wednesday’s hearing, according to senators, was to get a better idea of how the government is spending its federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds, along with whatever was appropriated through a recent $87 million bond issue for a variety of recreational, waste management, road and energy projects, among other things.
As usual, senators peppered Smalls with questions on the status of several road repairs, but did, for the most part, stay on the subject of how the funds were being used. Smalls spent hours Wednesday delving into the $210 million worth of projects moving ahead on each island, but said that the department’s successes have been tempered by many challenges.
While both Smalls and Waste Management Authority Director May Adams-Cornwall said they have been able to bring on reliable local contractors to complete the work, both also said that the number of bids being submitted for the projects are far less than in previous years. On-island contractors are bidding, but many are "oversaturated" with work and are not hiring anyone new to pick up the extra loads, Adams-Cornwall said.
And because of a lack of money, the projects have had to be spread out over fiscal year 2010, they said.
Another challenge is a disparity in construction costs between the islands. While concrete costs about $130 per cubic yard on St. Croix, the price on St. Thomas for the same amount of material is $183, Smalls said, adding that there are also a limited number of paving contractors in each district to get things done.
"But despite these challenges, the management of these capital projects within the department has created a cohesive process which has enabled the movement of many projects that remained dormant for many years," he said. Acknowledging that residents may think the road repairs are moving too slowly, Smalls explained that Public Works is not just focusing on patching the roads anymore, but is trying to take care of the drainage problems that make many of them crack and crumble.
On the Education side, Terry said the department had received — along with money earmarked for specific projects — about $4 million designated for major maintenance projects, along with another $300,000 from the Public Finance Authority for kitchen equipment and $215,000 in federal economic stimulus funds for more kitchen equipment.
The challenge there, she said, was how expensive each item was, sometimes costing thousands of dollars.
"We’re only making a dent in it because of the significant cost that’s incurred," Terry said.
Meanwhile, the department has applied for $4.6 million in territorial State Fiscal Stabilization funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that will be put toward a fiber optics network that allows for the sharing of information between the school districts, the modernization of science labs in local junior high and high schools, and the installation of infrared cameras in four local high schools and five middle and junior high schools.
Adams-Cornwall, V.I. Energy Office Director Bevan Smith, and Parks and Recreation Director Roy Canton also gave updates on funds spent by their agencies on capital projects.
While Canton had a comprehensive list of projects spanning all three islands that will be funded through the bond issue and other PFA funds, Adams-Cornwall said the Waste Management Authority’s proposed five-year capital improvement plan (spanning fiscal years 2010-2014) includes $60 million for waste-water projects and $110 million for solid-waste projects.
Of the total amount, $54 million is funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, PFA bond proceeds and U.S. Interior Department grant awards, she said.
Between fiscal years 2007 and 2009, the authority has completed $60 million worth of projects — $53 million of which was used to build new wastewater treatment plants at Anguilla and Red Point, Adams-Cornwall said. During this time, WMA also bought several sewer-cleaning trucks, emergency generators, diesel pumps, backhoes and safety equipment.
The Energy Office, meanwhile, is currently managing and administering more than $22 million in federal economic stimulus grant funds to bolster its existing programs, give energy rebates and hire the staff needed to meet federal reporting requirements, according to Smith.
Present during Wednesday’s meeting were Sens. Craig W. Barshinger, Dowe, Louis P. Hill, Wayne James, Terrence "Positive" Nelson, Usie R. Richards, Sammuel Sanes, Patrick Simeon Sprauve, Michael Thurland and Celestino A. White Sr.
