Enighed Pond Marine Facility Administrative Building Officially Named in Honor of Theovald Eric Moorehead

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Created on Monday, 17 June 2013 11:07

Written by Jaime Elliott

Governor John deJongh, Lt. Governor Gregory Francis, Theodora Moorehead pose with government officials and Moorehead family members on Monday, June 10, at the official grand opening ceremony & dedication ceremony of the enighed pond marine facility.

The sound of the conch shell echoed over the water as the Mr. B chugged into the Enighed Pond barge facility on Monday morning, June 10.

Emmanuel “Mano” Boyd, on conch, and Shikima Jones, singing both the U.S. and V.I. anthems, helped kick off the official grand opening and dedication ceremony of the Theovald E. Moorehead Marine Facility Administrative Building.

A crowd of about 80 people, including Moorehead family members, some of the late entrepreneur and senator’s prodigies and the territory’s top brass gathered under a few tents at the new facility on Monday morning to officially wrap up the final phase of the decade-long project of moving barge traffic from the Cruz Bay Creek to Enighed Pond.

“It’s almost hard to remember how chaotic it was in downtown Cruz Bay when the barges would load and unload,” said Senator at Large Craig Barshinger, one of several legislators who attended last week’s ceremony.

Construction symbolically kicked off in June 2003 with a groundbreaking ceremony. After extensive environmental work, construction of the cargo port continued through 2006. The facility officially opened to cargo traffic in April 2006 and construction of the administrative building, the final phase of the project, began in 2012.

It is fitting that the new administrative building — which will handle all cargo traffic entering the island  and includes modern office space and public restrooms — is named after one of the true pioneers of St. John.

Moorehead, the second St. Johnian ever elected to the V.I. Legislature, served his island from 1956 through 1971. A U.S. Army veteran, for which he served 11 years, Moorehead opened Mooie’s in downtown Cruz Bay in 1956 and launched Moorehead Real Estate in 1966. In 1970, he founded Moore’s Corporation, serving as president and was instrumental to the economic growth of St. John.

Not long after the establishment of the V.I. National Park, Moorehead led a protest against the Department of Interior’s proposal to acquire privately owned property within park boundaries by condemnation. Moorehead both spearheaded a petition and traveled to Washington, D.C. to lobby U.S. Congress to squash the proposed amendment.
Moorehead also had the vision to foresee an active future for what was a quiet, sleepy island during his day.

“This port represents the fulfillment of a 30-year-old dream,” said Barshinger. “Theovald Moorehead had the vision that St. John would grow and grow it did.”

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On The Market: Enjoy Stunning Sunset Views and Plenty of Privacy at Wild Jasmine

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Created on Sunday, 16 June 2013 04:08

Written by Jaime Elliott

The entrance to Wild Jasmine, above left. Relax by the pool and soak up expansive water views, above right.

Nestled in the serene area of East End, St. John, Wild Jasmine affords the utmost in privacy and laid-back Caribbean living.

This five bedroom, five bath villa is for sale for $1.1 million, explained Islandia Real Estate broker associate Karye Carney.

Soak up sweeping views of Coral Bay harbor from Wild Jasmine, located in the upscale subdivision of Privateer Bay Estates. Lounging on the expansive decks, the hustle and bustle of Cruz Bay will feel a world away. But the funky town of Coral Bay with its charming restaurants and shops is only about 10 minutes away.

“The villa’s pristine East End location with deeded access to two beaches, paved roads, underground utilities and exclusive owner use of the rustic but delightful Privateer Bay Beach cottages located directly on the sandy waterfront makes Wild Jasmine special,” Carney said.

Amenities at Wild Jasmine include underground utilities, paved roads, deeded access to two private beaches and owner use of rustic beach cottages at Privateer Bay.

The villa is laid out in two separate buildings, centered around a central pool and sun deck with lush landscaping and towering palm trees, explained Carney.

“The best feature of the property is privacy,” said the Islandia Real Estate broker owner. “With two separate living buildings, Wild Jasmine is idea for two families with kids. Both buildings have stairs leading to a central pool and sun deck surrounding by palm trees.”

The two units at Wild Jasmine include five bedroom suites, one kitchen, two living areas and an office. The Caribbean charm of Wild Jasmine includes tiled floors throughout both buildings and pops of bright color on the walls.

Inside the south building find an open and airy great room with an exposed beam ceiling and beautiful sets of hard wood doors which open to the breeze and view. The kitchen, with hardwood cabinets and plenty of counter space, will have you whipping up gourmet meals at home.

The north building boasts its own spacious deck, open living area and wet bar. The bedrooms are spread out of two floors over the two buildings.

If you’re looking for a true Caribbean sanctuary nestled in a pristine area, don’t miss the chance to call Wild Jasmine home.

“Anyone seeking a home with a casual, open air connection with the natural surroundings will love Wild Jasmine,” said Carey.

For more information call Islandia Real Estate broker associate Carey at  (340) 513-1960.

Forecasters Call for “Very Active” 2013 Hurricane Season

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Created on Saturday, 15 June 2013 04:05

Written by Jaime Elliott

It’s that time of year again.

June 1 marked the official start of the 2013 Hurricane Season and forecasters are calling for an active six months before the season officially ends on November 30.

Philip Klotzbatch and William Gray of Colorado State University’s Tropical Meteorology Project, which has been issuing hurricane predications for the past 30 years, are calling for 18 named storms, nine hurricanes and four major hurricanes of category three or higher this year, according to the group’s Extended Range 2013 Atlantic Seasonal Hurricane Forecast, issued on Monday, June 3.

Klotzbatch and Gray’s June 3 forecast predicted the same number of storms which the two called for in the group’s first report issued in April.

The predictions are above average than the median determined from 1981 through 2010, according to the Klotzbatch and Gray forecast.

“Information obtained through May 2013 indicates that the 2013 Atlantic hurricane season will have more activity than the median 1981-2010 season,” according to the CSU Tropical Meteorology Project forecast. “We estimate that 2013 will have about nine hurricanes (median is 6.5), 18 named storms (median is 12.0), 95 named storm days (median is 60.1), 40 hurricane days (median is 21.3), four major (Category 3-4-5) hurricanes (median is 2.0) and nine major hurricane days (median is 3.9).”

The lack of an El Nino event, which helps to inhibit hurricane formation, and high sea surface temperatures, which contribute to hurricane formation, point to an abundance of activity this year, according to Klotzbatch and Gray.

“We continue to foresee a very active 2013 Atlantic hurricane season,” according to the CSU Tropical Meteorology Project forecast. “We anticipate an above-average Atlantic basin hurricane season due to the combination of an anomalously warm tropical Atlantic and a relatively low likelihood of El Niño. Overall, we are predicting a very active season for the Atlantic basin in 2013.”

2013 Hurricane Names

Andrea
Barry
Chantal
Dorian
Erin
Fernand
Gabrielle
Humberto
Ingrid
Jerry
Karen
Lorenzo
Melissa
Nestor
Olga
Pablo
Rebekah
Sebastien
Tanya
Van
Wendy

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Festival Princess Show Set for Sunday Night

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Created on Friday, 14 June 2013 11:02

Written by Special Posting

Fence Exclosure at Nanny Point Meant To Keep Animals — Not People — Out

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Created on Thursday, 13 June 2013 04:54

Written by Jaime Elliott

The new fence at Nanny Point is designed to help keep stray animals and invasive plant seeds out of the sensitive area. 

In an effort to protect native plant species, V.I. National Park officials have recently installed a “fence exclosure” at Nanny Point.

The 2.2 acre headland in the Estate Concordia area was donated to VINP by Concordia Eco-Resort owner Stanley Selengut in 2010.

Since then, VINP officials have detailed significant natural resources in the area, explained VINP Superintendent Brion Fitzgerald.

“Nanny Point contains some significant natural resources in the forms of vegetation which are very susceptible to being eaten and destroyed by non-native species like goats and donkeys,” Fitzgerald said.

VINP officials used special funds earmarked to deal with exotic species to cover the cost of installing the fence, which includes a latched entry to allow for pedestrians to access the area, but keeps stray animals out.

“Most years, the park gets a certain amount of money to deal with exotic species and those species can be plant species or animal species,” said the VINP Superintendent. “We were approached by the team that does our vegetation management who told us that

instead of trying to keep a particular invasive species of plant out of the entire park, we should target those places where we might be most successful.”

“With the budget being the way it is, this is one way we can keep exotic seeds, out of the area by keeping the animals who will pass the seeds out of the area using the fence exclosure,” Fitzgerald said.

Read more: Fence Exclosure at Nanny Point Meant To Keep Animals — Not People — Out