BR25-0820 - Excess Debt Service Reserve Funds for Certain Capital Projects, DPW — Budget, Appropriations and Finance, November 4 2025 (Bill 36-0196)
COMMITTEE ON Rueben Jennings Assistant Commissioner Department of Public Works BUDGET, APPROPRIATIONS & FINANCE NOVEMBER 4, 2025 Good morning, Honorable Senator Novelle E. Francis, Jr., Chairman of the Committee on Budget, Appropriations, and Finance; Committee members; and other Senators in attendance. My name is Rueben Jennings, and I am the Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Public Works. With me today is Federal Highway Program Manager, Jomo McClean. Thank you for this opportunity to provide testimony in support of Bill No. 36- 0196, an act appropriating excess debt service reserve funds for certain capital projects in the territory. The Leonardo “Nardo” Trotman Drive project in Estate Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, is a key infrastructure initiative that demands proper planning, funding, and the integration of all necessary utilities to ensure its success. In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021, Act 8465 appropriated $2,000,000 from the Community Facilities Trust Account to the Department of Public Works for this purpose. …
Download the original document · Plain text (TXT) · Browse the archive · How this archive works
SHA-256 c1ee082026a72446edf090b46154973c770bf67750e503c85d96a0eeb1e62e37
Re-using this document
A proceeding of the Legislature of the Virgin Islands, open to the public under 3 V.I.C. § 881, which reaches any committee of any branch of government and permits the news media to publish what it records.
Our description, tagging, arrangement, extracted text and machine transcripts are released under CC0 1.0. We assert nothing about the document itself.
Archive identifier LF-c1ee082026a7
Document text
COMMITTEE ON Rueben Jennings Assistant Commissioner Department of Public Works BUDGET, APPROPRIATIONS & FINANCE NOVEMBER 4, 2025 Good morning, Honorable Senator Novelle E. Francis, Jr., Chairman of the Committee on Budget, Appropriations, and Finance; Committee members; and other Senators in attendance. My name is Rueben Jennings, and I am the Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Public Works. With me today is Federal Highway Program Manager, Jomo McClean. Thank you for this opportunity to provide testimony in support of Bill No. 36- 0196, an act appropriating excess debt service reserve funds for certain capital projects in the territory. The Leonardo “Nardo” Trotman Drive project in Estate Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, is a key infrastructure initiative that demands proper planning, funding, and the integration of all necessary utilities to ensure its success. In the fiscal year ending September 30, 2021, Act 8465 appropriated $2,000,000 from the Community Facilities Trust Account to the Department of Public Works for this purpose. This appropriation provides the Department with the resources necessary to advance the project responsibly and effectively. It is important to note that incorporating all necessary utilities, particularly wastewater infrastructure, is essential to prevent future disruptions and ensure that the roadway and surrounding areas are fully operational. An allocation of $2 million from the Debt Service Reserve Fund would greatly support the completion of the Leonardo Nardo Trotman Drive expansion. Furthermore, the land for this project was donated under a deed of covenant, obligating the Territory to continue development of the roadway. Upholding this covenant ensures that the original intent of the donation is honored while advancing vital community infrastructure. Currently, this phase of the project is limited to the section extending from behind the Tutu Park Mall to the Charles W. Turnbull Regional Public Library. Work in Tutu and other areas are not included in this phase. The Department of Public Works values the Legislature’s commitment to providing necessary funding and stands ready to continue collaborating to ensure the transparent and effective use of these funds for the benefit of the community. Thank you for your time and support. We stand ready for any questions you may have.