April 18, 2002 – Although their proposal to purchase the St. Croix Alumina property is just that — a proposal, officials of the recently formed St. Croix Renaissance Group went before the news media Wednesday afternoon to discuss their many-faceted plans for redeveloping the property.
The Renaissance Group is a partnership of Boston-based Brownfields Recovery Corp., EnergyAnswers Corp. of Puerto Rico, and Myron Allick, a Crucian who is the group's vice president for project development. It has signed a purchase agreement with Alcoa World Aluminum and Chemical Corp. for the property.
"We see commerce and cruise ships," Patrick Mahoney, president of EnergyAnswers, said. "We see the potential for new industries to relocate here." The vision, he added, includes a waste-processing site and recycling for metal and glass, aquaculture using the large storage tanks, seafood processing with cold-storage facilities along the dock, and the manufacture of tiles and bricks utilizing the infamous piles of "red dirt" on the property that were the byproduct of alumina processing.
As well, Mahoney and Allick said, there could be a marina by the deep-water harbor to provide home-porting services to the cruise industry. They also cited plans to develop 800 acres of the property as a public recreation facility with nature trails, sportfishing and kayaking
Allick recalled running track and field at the St. Croix Alumina recreational facility and said he would like to see that type of community-based activity return. "I'm a father and a proud Virgin Islander," he said. "We are about creating good jobs for the people of St. Croix."
When asked how many jobs could be created, Mahoney declined to speculate, but he noted, "There were 400 jobs when the plant closed."
The Aluminum Company of America — Alcoa — closed the bauxite processing plant at the start of 2001 for economic reasons. Alcoa has kept a skeleton staff of 13 at the plant and remains involved in mandated efforts to extract petroleum and asbestos from site. The 1,100-acre property includes industrial buildings occupying 300,000 square feet, deep harbor and port facilities, storage tanks, a machine shop and office space — along with mangroves, a beach, a historic greathouse and ruins.
Mahoney also said the Renaissance Group hopes to provide electrical power to Hovensa and surrounding communities at a "reasonable rate" of about 17 cents per kilowatt. "Alcoa generated their energy efficiently," he said, and its coal-fired power plant can produce 35 megawatts of power, — about what WAPA's St. Croix plant averages.
Brownfields was co-founded in 1996 by David Mugar, principal owner of Starfish Market in Cruz Bay, where Allick was general manager until recently. The company was created to acquire, remediate and redevelop environmentally impacted properties.
EnergyAnswers, a subsidiary of an Albany, N.Y., firm, is involved in setting up a resource-recovery facility in Puerto Rico that can process 2,000 tons of waste a day. Mahoney, who is also president of the parent company, said it specializes in "resource recovery of buildings and waste water." He said EnergyAnswers has been managing the Anguilla waste-water treatment facility on St. Croix since last October and also operates such a facility on St. John.
Allick said St. Croix businessmen Dwayne Fergus and Gary Thomas, who head waste-management companies, have joined the team to develop plans for waste disposal and dump site management.
The developers said the Renaissance Group has submitted a proposal to the V.I. government to provide interim management of St. Croix's solid waste through the bail-and-wrap method put forward by Gov. Charles W. Turnbull last November after the Water and Power Authority Board rejected a crucial deal with Caribe Waste Technologies, which was proposing to build a gasification plant on St. Croix to process all of the territory's solid waste. (See "Interim waste option: Shrink and wrap it".)
The developers said the bails would be stored for eventual disposal and that no "landfill" would be created. They said the bail-and-wrap system could be operational and cost effective before the Dec. 31 deadline set by the Federal Aviation Administration for the V.I. government to close the Anguilla landfill or face a shutdown of air traffic because of hazards posed by birds and smoke from fires at the dump. However, they also said their plans to redevelop the alumina site are not contingent on getting the government contract for interim waste disposal.
Mahoney and Allick said they have three goals for redeveloping the St. Croix Alumina property — economic growth, environmental protection, and social and cultural development. They declined to say what price they have offered Alcoa but said the group will use its own capital to purchase the site, then will seek out investors who want to back environmentally safe industries.
Several community group representatives present at the press conference said they would like to see the University of the Virgin Islands locate its new research and technology park on the property as part of the redevelopment.
Bill Turner, executive director of the St. Croix Environmental Association, said of the planned park that SEA would like to see UVI "take it out of the gut and get it on a site like this." He also said Krause Lagoon was once the largest mangrove in the Caribbean, and SEA "would like to see it restored." He added that if a project is healthy for the environment, it will be healthy for the economy.
Percival Edwards, president of Farmers in Action, said his group also favors locating the UVI park on the alumina site. "We will appreciate it," he said of the farmers, adding that he worked there for five years, and "I know this whole area." He asked Allick if the partnership will be prepared to supply water to the farming community.
Wayne James of Homeward Bound Foundation urged Allick and his associates to provide the news media a list of the types of businesses they would like to attract. Allick said they will rely on the expertise and experience of local professionals in mapping out long-range plans.
Also present at the press conference were Gordon Finch, Port Authority executive director; Alex Moorhead, Hovensa vice president; Kent Bernier Sr., assistant to the governor for fiscal policy and economic affairs; and Dean Plaskett, Planning and Natural Resources commissioner.
The Renaissance Group officials said they are seeking input from local companies and emerging entrepreneurs. To contact them, call 778-2323, ext. 265, or 719-8900.
For background, see earlier story, "Partnership looks to 'revitalize' alumina site". For more information about the two companies partnering in the Renaissance Group venture, visit the Brownfields Recovery and EnergyAnswers web pages.
Publisher's note : Like the St. Croix Source now? Find out how you can love us twice as much — and show your support for the islands' free and independent news voice … click here.
