With $800K Spent Annually on Rent, DPNR Seeks Permanent Facilities on St. Croix and St. Thomas

DPNR says it’s preparing to acquire and renovate two long-term facilities—one in St. Croix using a FEMA Project Worksheet, and the other in St. Thomas’s Old Barracks—with hopes of ending years of lease dependency that drains critical resources.

The amount spend on leases by the V.I. Department of Planning and Natural Resources came under scrutiny by Senator Novelle Francis, the chair of the Committee on Budget, Appropriations, and Finance during Thursday’s budget hearing.

“You're spending well over $800,000 in leases and rentals. $331,000 St. Croix, $471,000 on St. Thomas. Over eight year period of time, you slated to spend $6.4 million,” Mr. Francis observed. “Is this of concern to you?” he asked DPNR Commissioner Jean-Pierre Oriol. Mr. Oriol’s response suggested that it is a concern.

“The department is pursuing an opportunity where we can own our own facility in St. Croix using a FEMA PW,” Mr. Oriol shared, referring to a Project Worksheet—the official document used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide funding for disaster-related recovery projects. “We would be able to move into that facility probably two years from now. DPNR has already engaged the current building owner and is “trying to get closing documents.” Then, the focus will shift to architectural and engineering plans and eventually, renovation.

For St. Thomas, Mr. Oriol said it is his intention to “move DPNR into the Old Barracks down in Sub Base…old WAPA building.” “That building is amazing,” said Mr. Oriol. “We spent a million dollars on it already in terms of having a full set of architectural and bid documents done.” The department has already removed asbestos and addressed environmental concerns to the tune of $700,000.