St. Croix Lawmakers Spar Over $2M Fish Market Cost

ST. CROIX: A plan to reconstruct the Frederiksted Fish Market for nearly $2 million faced pushback from Senator Kurt Vialet at a Tuesday budget hearing, where he challenged the expense for a facility measuring just 1,900 square feet.

Senator Hubert Frederick introduced Bill No. 36-0335 to allocate $600,000 from the St. Croix Capital Improvement Fund to the Department of Planning and Natural Resources. This would combine with $1,332,000 in federal money the Nature Association of the Virgin Islands obtained through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, totalling $1,932,000 for the project.

Vialet's concerns centred on the desalination system planned for the building. He argued that tapping into the public water supply would prove more cost-effective than maintaining an on-site desalination unit. Virginia Clairmont, representing NAVI, countered that a self-contained system would shield the facility and fishermen from ongoing maintenance expenses tied to WAPA's water service. She noted that NAVI faced no requirement to submit detailed construction budgets when securing federal funds, and that Congress's appropriation did not mandate spending every dollar.

Vialet voiced broader frustration with territorial spending patterns. "I don't know what we're doing in the Virgin Islands anymore. Everything we build, millions of dollars," he said during the hearing.

DPNR Commissioner Jean-Pierre Oriol told the committee that preliminary designs estimate construction between $1.3 million and $2 million. He requested that the bill be amended to allow DPNR to pass its appropriation directly to NAVI, ensuring both funding streams could support the work.

The rebuilt market will include six stations for fishermen to clean and weigh their catches, plus wastewater infrastructure. Clairmont explained the design aims to create a self-sustaining operation that reduces long-term costs for users.

Senator Marvin Blyden backed the spending, framing it as vital to food security and livelihood. "We must invest in ourselves. We must be able to feed ourselves," he said.

Lawmakers also flagged a persistent problem: the current market has become a hangout for non-fishers, deterring residents from shopping there. Senator Novelle Francis observed the market "has not been used as a fish market for quite a number of years." Frederick said the new design should discourage loitering while staying open to the public and fishermen. Community input, DPNR, and NAVI will shape final decisions. The bill now heads to the Committee on Rules and Judiciary. Coastal Zone Management permits must be obtained before construction starts.