Office of the Commissioner
Office of the Commissioner GOVERNMENT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS OF THE UNITED STATES --------0-------- DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND NATURAL RESOURCES 4611 Tutu Park Mall 45 Mars Hill, Frederiksted Suite 300, 2nd Floor St. Croix, VI 00840 St. Thomas, VI 00802 (340) 773-1082 (340) 774-3320 dpnr.vi.gov July 14, 2024 Honorable Angel Bolques, Jr. Chair, Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports and Parks 36th Legislature of the Virgin Islands RE: DPNR REGULATORY OVERSIGHT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PAUL E. JOSEPH STADIUM Good morning Senator Bolques, Chair of the 36th Legislature’s Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports and Recreation, other Committee members and non-committee members present, legislative staff and the people of the US Virgin Islands viewing and listening over various forms of media. My name is Jean-Pierre Oriol, Commissioner of the Department of Planning & Natural Resources, and I am here at the request of the Chair to provide an update on DPNR’s regulatory oversight of the construction of the Paul E. Joesph Stadium. …
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Office of the Commissioner GOVERNMENT OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS OF THE UNITED STATES --------0-------- DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND NATURAL RESOURCES 4611 Tutu Park Mall 45 Mars Hill, Frederiksted Suite 300, 2nd Floor St. Croix, VI 00840 St. Thomas, VI 00802 (340) 773-1082 (340) 774-3320 dpnr.vi.gov July 14, 2024 Honorable Angel Bolques, Jr. Chair, Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports and Parks 36th Legislature of the Virgin Islands RE: DPNR REGULATORY OVERSIGHT OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PAUL E. JOSEPH STADIUM Good morning Senator Bolques, Chair of the 36th Legislature’s Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports and Recreation, other Committee members and non-committee members present, legislative staff and the people of the US Virgin Islands viewing and listening over various forms of media. My name is Jean-Pierre Oriol, Commissioner of the Department of Planning & Natural Resources, and I am here at the request of the Chair to provide an update on DPNR’s regulatory oversight of the construction of the Paul E. Joesph Stadium. Pursuant to Title 12 and Title 29 of the Virgin Islands Code, DPNR must issue permits for all construction activities taking place in the US Virgin Islands. DPNR has issued several permits for the construction activities to include: building, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, flood and approval of the Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP). As this project was a progressive design-build, permits were issued at various stages coinciding with the completion of the design work. First was the demolition permit, then earth work, the approval of the foundation, and then various submissions for building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical. The last approval was in early 2021. As a portion of this project was considered in the flood zone, and DPNR’s flood program was not in full compliance with FEMA requirements until March 2024 when Act 8818 was passed, the project had to receive FEMA approval for the flood permit. The design team arranged additional site work and drainage, and then submitted a Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) to FEMA in 2020. FEMA issues its approval of the CLOMR in February 2021. At this time, DPNR does not anticipate any additional permits to be needed for the project; however, we will review the final ventilation/HVAC documentation for concurrence with what was issued. DPNR does routine monitoring of the site, and the contractors and project managers are required to submit for formal inspections at different milestone intervals. Right now, the concentration of work is on erecting the bleacher roof, and the start of the outfield wall; in addition, rough-ins for plumbing and electrical are underway, so we expect a formal inspection request to be done as lines are pulled. Excavation for the sewer lines is also underway; thus, as we enter the rainy season, more routine monitoring will take place to ensure there are no runoff impacts from the site. DPNR continues to be available to work with the project manager and contractor on all permitting-related issues. This concludes my testimony, and I am prepared to answer questions to the best of my ability.