Convenience center for Mon Bijou bin site slated for 2025; WMA provides updates on STT/STJ sites

ST. CROIX — Plans to make immediate costly repairs to the crumbling concrete ramp at the closed Mon Bijou bin site have been scrapped as the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority has shifted its focus toward completing a long-term project to convert the site into a modern convenience center, according to WMA officials.

WMA took a precautionary measure when it closed the bin site for structural upgrades five months ago due to safety concerns because the concrete ramp was starting to fail. “The ramp at Mon Bijou was being undermined tremendously, so it was a huge risk to the public to drive a car up there,” Alex Bruney, WMA territorial engineering manager, said. “At some point they may have fell in, which could have caused injuries. So, safety always comes first when it comes to any aspect of the Authority. The best thing we could have done was to shut it down until we could make those improvements.”

WMA installed a perimeter fence to secure the site and remove the presence of its enforcement officers, but the site still has bins filled with garbage and debris even though it has been closed since July 15. The Authority has requested the contractor who managed the site, Marco St. Croix, to remove its excavator along with the remaining trash bins.