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VI_DAILYNEWS/PAGES [A02] | 11/26/13 00:29 | SUPERIMPVI Daily News Staff The Crown Bay Center at the Monsanto Marine Terminal is host- ing a Christmas card decorating con- test for elementary school students this season. The winners get a cash prize for their schools and a festive holiday party for their class. The contest is open to all elemen- tary schools on St. Thomas, and the cards must depict a scene or show a local tradition of Christmas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The deadline for submissions is Dec. 13. V.I. Port Authority Executive Director Carlton Dowe said the priz- es are sponsored by the Crown Bay Center shops. “The Port Authority and the mer- chants of Crown Bay Center are excited to engage our students in dec- orating our cruise port for the holiday season,” he said. “We challenge them to create beautiful, unique images of our island. We hope that this contest encourages creativity and we are anxious to see the submissions.” The rules for the contest are: • The holiday cards must be on an 8-inch by 10-inch sheet. • Cards must maintain a holiday theme. • Artwork must be student’s origi- nal idea and done by the student. • Each school must submit all entries from their school at the same time. Entries must be labeled with the student’s name, teacher’s name and grade. Cards not labeled will be disqualified. • All cards must be submitted to the Crown Bay Center Management office. The mailing address is 8268 Crown Bay Center, 161-A Sub Base, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, 00802. • All cards must be submitted through the school’s administration on or before, noon on Dec. 13 to the Crown Bay Center management office on St. Thomas. ISSN 2159-3019 Daily News Publishing Company Inc. owned by Times-Shamrock Communications publishes The Virgin Islands Daily News daily, except Sunday, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, at 9155 Estate Thomas, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, VI 00802. First class postage paid at Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas. U.S.V.I USPS 144-180 POSTMASTER, send Form 3579, Notice of Address Change, to: Circulation Director, Daily News, 9155 Estate Thomas, St. Thomas, VI 00802. © 2013 Daily News Publishing Co. Calendar.................. 31 Classifieds ..........inside Comics................32-35 Crossword ............... 35 Cruise Ships .............. 5 Horoscope ............... 33 Lottery Results .......... 6 Nation & World......8-21 Opinions .............22-23 Police Reports ........... 5 Sports.................36-44 Sudoku .......Classifieds TV Schedule.......30-31 Weather................... 12 Circulation 714-9101 SUBSCRIPTION RATES: One dollar daily. Other subscription rates available on request. The publisher reserves the right to change subscription rates during the term of a subscription with 30 days notice. The notice may be made by mail to the subscriber, by notice contained in the newspaper itself or otherwise. Subscription changes may be implemented by changing the duration of the subscription. ONLINE SUBSCRIPTIONS: virginislandsdailynews.newspaperdirect.com Contact us Publisher Jason Robbins 714-9107 jrobbins@dailynews.vi Executive Editor GerryYandel 714-9106 gyandel@dailynews.vi Editor At Large J. Lowe Davis 714-9138 lowedavis@dailynews.vi Advertising St.Thomas-St. John 714-9141 or 714-9147 Fax: 774-6886 St. Croix 773-4425 Fax: 719-3000 Classifieds 714-2222 classifieds @dailynews.vi Mail 9155 EstateThomas St.Thomas, VI 00802 News St.Thomas-St. John 714-9106 Fax: 776-0740 St. Croix 773-4425 Fax: 773-1621 Sports 714-9102 Fax: 776-0740 Opinions 714-9138 letters@dailynews.vi Printed on recycled paper A Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper Virgin Islands DAI EWS LY N 83 VIRGIN ISLANDS An article on page 5 of The Daily News on Monday mis- spelled the name of a Botany Bay home that won a regional design award. Villa Whydah will win an International Property Award for Architecture Single Residence for U.S. Virgin Islands on Dec. 6. Setting the record straight Major container port envisioned for St. Croix By ALDETH LEWIN Daily News Staff The Economic DevelopmentAuthority, the V.I. Port Authority and the St. Croix Renaissance Group have formed a public-private partnership to bring a new industry to, and hopefully a boost to the economy of St. Croix. The three entities signed a memorandum of understanding to work together to develop the south shore into a large-scale, international trans- shipment port. “I call it project St. Croix,” Economic Development Authority President and Chief Executive Officer Percival Clouden said. Clouden said with the expansion of the Panama Canal — which will double its capacity by 2015 and allow larger ships through — more cargo shipping traffic will be moving through the Caribbean. “St. Croix becomes a strategic location for a container port, transshipment port and bulk stor- age facility,” Clouden said. He went to look at the Panama Canal along with representatives from the Port Authority and the St. Croix Renaissance Group. They met with an executive of one of the largest container ports in Panama, who also visited St. Croix. “They have expressed interest in assisting and guiding us through the development,” according to Clouden. On the south shore of St. Croix is the 1,244- acre industrial park owned by the St. Croix Renaissance Group. Part of that property includes a 45-acre parcel with a deep-water container port facility. Adjacent to the privately owned port is the gov- ernment’s cargo facility, the Wilfred “Bomba” Allick Port. The authority’s Gordon Finch Molasses Pier is also in the area. “There are two adjacent ports that, when com- bined, can provide a significant asset for trans- shipment and containerization,” Clouden said. The government also is keeping a close watch on a piece of the HOVENSA port, which is located in the same area. The recently approved Fourth Amendment Agreement between HOVENSAand the V.I. gov- ernment contains a clause about the use of the shipping lane in front of the property. If HOVENSA has not been sold after a year, HOVENSA will give the government access to the Limetree Bay Channel — but not to its dock facilities — while it operates a storage terminal business. Clouden said use of that channel could add to the development of a transhipping port in the area. “We have our eyes open on that depending on how the sale turns out,” he said. Clouden said the project could be a boon to the economy of St. Croix, which has suffered greatly since HOVENSAshuttered its doors. The development could create 500 jobs and create ancillary businesses to serve the shipping industry, according to Clouden. “It’s just going to have a positive effect on the St. Croix economy,” he said. Now that the MOU is signed, the three entities must begin to meet and work out a plan for devel- oping the area. “It’s not something that we’re going to let fall through the cracks, because we’re all on the same page,” Clouden said. “This is needed, this is going to have a positive impact on St. Croix.” He said the loss of HOVENSA was a wake-up call, and the territory must diversify its economy and not rely on one industry alone. “The Caribbean basin is a place where it’s rich in opportunity,” Clouden said. “With all the islands having the need to import, there’s always the necessity for commerce via those means — water transportation.” He said the large cargo ships could come into St. Croix’s port and break down their shipment, sending some containers off on a smaller boat, swapping out cargo. The ships would also need to refuel and provision. “St. Croix has assets that are not being uti- lized,” Clouden said. “We just need to get little teams together to work on special projects and bring them to fruition.” Gov. John deJongh Jr. said he supports the development plan. “We are fortunate to have a range of port facili- ties that, to date, have been underutilized, but with changing market conditions and our focus on eco- nomic diversification, we are well positioned to take advantage of regional opportunities,” deJongh said in a written statement. For more information, contact the Economic DevelopmentAuthority at 714-1700. — Contact reporter Aldeth Lewin at 714-9111 or email alewin@dailynews.vi. Crown Bay merchants sponsoring holiday card decorating contest School Students First...........$500 ............Blue Ribbon and class party Second ......$250 ............Red Ribbon and class party Third ..........$150 ............Green Ribbon and class party The prizes Daily News File Photo The Economic Development Authority, the V.I. Port Authority and the St. Croix Renaissance Group are working together to develop a new port on St. Croix. 2 The Virgin Islands Daily News Tuesday, November 26, 2013