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Testimony of Vincent Richards Deputy Commissioner of Property & Printing Department of Property and Procurement On Behalf of Lisa M. Alejandro Commissioner of the Department of Property & Procurement On Grant of Access Easement through the Department of Property and Procurement on behalf of the Government of the Virgin Islands for Otto J. Martin. Before Committee of the Whole Monday, June 2, 2025 Earle B. Ottley Legislative Chambers ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS ~ 2 ~ Good morning, Chairman, Milton E. Potter, Vice Chairman, Kenneth L. Gittens, other distinguished members of the Committee of the Whole, Central and Legislative Staff, fellow testifiers, visitors present in the Chambers, and members of the viewing and listening audience. I am Vincent Richards, Assistant Commissioner of the Virgin Islands Department of Property and Procurement (DPP). I am testifying today on behalf of Commissioner, Lisa M. Alejandro, to offer testimony on Bill No. 36-0082, a Grant of Access Easement (hereafter “Permanent Easement”) before the Committee of the Whole for consideration today. DPP requests this Committee’s, and ultimately the full Senate’s approval of the proposed Permanent Easement between the Government of the Virgin Islands (hereafter “GVI”) and Mr. Otto J. Martin (hereafter “Mr. Martin”). The Permanent Easement requires legislative approval in accordance with 31 V.I.C. § 205 (c).. For the purposes of this Permanent Easement, the GVI owns Plot No. 75 Estate La Grange, West End Quarter, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Mr. Martin is the owner of Plot No. 74 Estate La Grange, West End Quarter, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. Both properties run adjacent to each other. Mr. Martin’s property at Plot No. 74 Estate La Grange is landlocked, therefore Mr. Martin has been using a portion of Plot No. 75 Estate La Grange to access his property. In consideration of One Dollar and Zero Cents ($1.00), which is hereby acknowledged by the GVI, the GVI and Mr. Martin have agreed to establish a Permanent Easement for the purposes of ingress and egress to Mr. Matin’s property over the GVI’s property. To this end, nothing contained in the Permanent Easement will result in a forfeiture of the GVI’s title to the GVI’s property in any respect. Mr. Martin will be responsible for the maintenance, upkeep, and repairs of the Permanent Easement. The Permanent Easement which is hereby granted and conveyed to Mr. Martin, his heirs, successors, and assigns is henceforth described as a portion of Plot No. 75 Estate La Grange, West End Quarter, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, consisting of 1,302.6 U.S. sq. ft. or 0.0299 U.S. acre(s) of land more- or-less. The Committee has electronic copies of Drawing No. 191, the Survey of Access Easement, and photos of the proposed Permanent Easement, for the Committee’s ease of reference. ~ 3 ~ DPP, Commissioner Alejandro, and I are committed to providing assistance and maintaining strong partnerships between the GVI and the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands. DPP respectfully requests for the Committee of the Whole to vote in favor of the proposed Permanent Easement. This concludes my Testimony, and I am prepared to answer any questions the Committee may have regarding the proposed Permanent Easement. Thank You.