The Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation needs an additional $5 million to $10 million to finish projects already in progress across the US Virgin Islands, Commissioner Vincent Roberts told the Senate Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports and Park on Friday.
Roberts made the estimate during a hearing on St. Croix chaired by Sen. Angel Bolques Jr. He cited ongoing struggles with funding shortfalls, staffing constraints and deteriorating facilities as obstacles to completing work.
Among the specific gaps: just over $1.5 million remains needed at the Estate Profit Community Center, roughly $1 million for a concession facility at Cramer Park, and an estimated $1 million to $1.2 million for improvements to Emile Griffith Ballpark on St. Thomas.
Federal Emergency Management Agency funding, which covers only hurricane-related repairs, has created much of the shortfall. Roberts explained that FEMA payments may cover replacing galvanized materials but not the rotted wood underneath that must be fixed first. Arol Abel, the department's disaster recovery specialist, noted that costs have risen 20 to 25 percent while waiting for federal reimbursement based on prices from seven years ago.
At Estate Profit, Abel said roughly two-thirds of the damage came from vandalism rather than storms. Sen. Novelle Francis Jr., who chairs the Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance, said lawmakers must address the shortfalls to prevent projects from remaining incomplete.
Scoreboard dispute
Senators pressed Roberts over a donated scoreboard for Isaac Boynes Ballpark on St. Croix that remains uninstalled. Sen. Franklin Johnson questioned the delay. Roberts said the scoreboard "will be put in place once we identify the funding, once we have the scope of work completed and once it goes through the process," and cited legal matters preventing further comment.
Roberts also stated "nobody on my leadership team knew about the scoreboard" and said he had never seen it. Abel confirmed it sits in a container at the ballpark, meets standards and requires only electrical work and installation. He added that a private entity previously interested in installing it withdrew days before the hearing.
Roberts said the department lacks a contractor, funding and a cost estimate. Installation would require running conduit across the field and bringing in a crane, in addition to poles a contractor offered to supply.
The scoreboard features in a petition signed by more than 500 residents, parents, youth advocates and nonprofit organizations. Those signatories were not scheduled to testify. Bolques said oral testimony will wait until his preliminary investigation concludes and a separate town hall is held.
Court resurfacing problems
Senators also questioned delays in resurfacing tennis and basketball courts. Roberts said McCourt Construction Inc. held 2021 contracts for the work in both districts. The contractor completed obligations in the St. Thomas-St. John district but fell short on St. Croix, leaving work unfinished.
Abel reported that problems emerged quickly. Within three months of completion, "we saw that they had some issues with the quality of work that was done." The contractor moved to St. Thomas and did not return to St. Croix, despite the department's nearly two-year effort to bring them back.
The department is working with the Department of Property and Procurement and the Department of Public Works to pursue a claim against the contractor's performance bond.
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