$2 Million in Contract Penalties Add to Paul E. Joseph Stadium’s Woes 10 Years After Groundbreaking

Delayed costs of $2 million add to the decade-long challenges of completing Paul E. Joseph Stadium, but Governor Bryan remains optimistic, assuring that all funding is secured and plans to move forward are underway.

On Monday, Governor Albert Bryan Jr. addressed the current state of the project to rebuild the Paul E. Joseph Stadium in Frederiksted. “We’re trying to figure out the easiest and best way to finish this project,” he said. The project, which has been plagued with delays, false starts, budgetary constraints, and seeming scope creep, originally began under former Governor John De Johngh, but was halted by his successor, former Governor Kenneth Mapp. At the time, Mr. Mapp raised concerns about inflated project costs and questions over the design, which he said did not exist when his predecessor approved the project.

Work on the stadium was eventually restarted during Mr. Mapp's tenure, but the project continued to lag throughout his administration, running out of money as construction costs climbed. After Governor Bryan took office, the project suffered a new setback in August 2020 – the Department of Planning and Natural Resources found out that the stadium would need floodplain approvals from the Federal Emergency Management Administration, due to its location.