USVI Public Records

Document text

Paul E. Joseph Stadium | January 2023 D E P A R T M E N T O F P U B L I C W O R K S YEAR IN REVIEW TABLE OF CONTENTS Commissioner's Welcome..................01 Monthly Highlights............................02 Completed Projects...........................14 Operations Spotlight.........................18 New Equipment................................21 Cemetery Projects..............................22 VITRAN projects................................24 DPW Project Renderings.....................26 Outreach & Events.............................28 Employee Spotlight............................32 Social Media Review.........................33 2023 Expectations............................34 COMMISSIONER DEREK GABRIEL On behalf of our entire DPW family, I am pleased to present the 2022 Year In Review. 2022 was a hallmark year for the department as we transitioned from “recovery” into “transformation.” This year, our transformative journey took on a different look as we focused on completing several smaller projects with significant impact in the communities and neighborhoods where we live. While we have just about finished our projects funded through Act 8454, thanks to a large push from Governor Bryan and Lt. Governor Roach, we added many more projects using American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. We completed paving projects in Estate St. George’s, Hermon Hill, Estate Whim, Estate Contant, Anna’s Retreat, Estate Lilliendahl, Hull Bay Road, North Star Village Road and segments of Centerline Road on St. John – just to name a few! We were successfully awarded major federal grants to continue Phase II of the Veterans Drive Improvement Project; rehabilitate roads, sidewalks and drainage in Estate Thomas; and to acquire a third, larger ferry for the Red Hook – Cruz Bay route. I am also extremely pleased with the number of talented young Virgin Islanders we were able to successfully recruit and hire. Now, we can truly say the Virgin Islands is being transformed by Virgin Islanders. While 2022 was a great year for us, I strongly believe we are poised for even more in 2023! Transformative progress isn’t easy so I thank you, as always, for your patience, understanding and support as we continue on our transformative journey. Let’s continue to strive for greatness TOGETHER! 01 J A N 5 J A N 2 5 J A N 1 3 J A N 7 J A N 1 2 J A N 1 9 J A N 2 6 G U A R D R A I L R E P A I R S DPW crews fixed broken railings on the Christiansted Bypass. G A L L O W S B A Y The northbound lane and adjacent sidewalks were completed. M A N D A H L R O A D Roadwork began on Estate Mandahl Road. F R E D E R I K S T E D Roads in Frederiksted were striped. C A R L T O N R O A D The basecoat of asphalt was placed on Carlton Road. H E R M O N H I L L Paving was completed on Phase 1 of the Hermon Hill project. P A U L E . J O S E P H The first full slab of concrete was poured at the Paul E. Joseph Stadium. JANUARY HIGHLIGHTS 02 F E B 1 F E B 2 4 F E B 2 5 F E B 2 1 F E B 1 5 R I C H M O N D Roadwork began in Estate Richmond on St. Croix. S T . J O H N C R O S S W A L K Crosswalks in downtown Cruz Bay got repainted. V I T R A N The roof of the VITRAN Operations & Maintenance Facility on St. Croix was installed. R A P H U N E H I L L R E N A M E D Raphune Hill was renamed in honor of Dorothy “Dotsy” Lockhart Elskoe. F T A G R A N T DPW won the 2021 Passenger Ferry Grant for $5.1 million. B A S I N T R I A N G L E Roadwork began in Basin Triangle on St. Croix. FEBRUARY HIGHLIGHTS 03 F E B 8 MARCH HIGHLIGHTS M A R 1 A R P A P R O J E C T S DPW was awarded $22 million from American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. A D D I E O T T L E Y D R I V E A road naming ceremony was held for the Athniel C. "Addie" Ottley Drive. E S T A T E H O P E Roadwork began in Estate Hope on St. Thomas. A G E N C Y C O L L A B DPW joined other government agencies to clear land being used for illegal activities. K I N G S H I L L C E M E T E R Y Construction began on the Kingshill Cemetery Parking Lot. G O L D E N R O C K DPW started resurfacing roads in Estate Golden Rock. C E N T E R L I N E R O A D Road construction began on Centerline Road in St. John. M A R 2 8 M A R 2 M A R 2 8 M A R 3 M A R 1 6 M A R 1 6 04 A P R 7 B L A C K P O I N T H I L L FHWA Emergency relief work began on BlackPoint Hill. M A N D A H L R O A D Repairs on Estate Mandahl Road were completed. E A S T E N D , S T . C R O I X Roadways on the East End of St. Croix were resurfaced. B A S I N T R I A N G L E DPW began striping Basin Triangle to Sunday Market Square. C A R L T O N R O A D Paving on the northern section of the roadway was completed. A P R 2 8 A P R 2 0 A P R 1 2 A P R 2 7 05 APRIL HIGHLIGHTS MAY HIGHLIGHTS M A Y 5 T O D M A N D R I V E Airport Road on St. Thomas was renamed in honor of Ambassador Terrence A. Todman. G A L L O W S B A Y Road repairs on the southbound lanes were completed. D P W W E E K DPW celebrated Public Works Week on St. Croix. C O M P L E T E D R O A D S Nicholas Friday Memorial Drive and Estate Hope on St. Thomas were repaved. H O S P I T A L G R O U N D Roadwork in Estate Hospital Ground was completed. F I S H B A Y R O A D The Emergency Relief project on Fish Bay Road in St. John was completed. M A Y 9 M A Y 2 7 M A Y 1 8 M A Y 2 4 M A Y 2 5 06 JUNE HIGHLIGHTS J U N 3 H U R R I C A N E S E A S O N DPW cleared guts territory- wide in preparation for hurricane season. W E Y M O U T H R H Y M E R H I G H W A Y Emergency Relief repairs on Weymouth Rhymer Highway were completed. L A R E I N E Phase 2 of roadwork in Estate La Reine was completed. E S T A T E P E A R L Roadwork in Estate Pearl on St. Croix was completed. F R E N C H M A N ' S B A Y & N E W T U T U Roadwork in Frenchman's Bay and New Tutu (Monster Hill) was completed. C A R L T O N R O A D The Carlton Road Project was completed. V I T R A N R O U T E S DPW received a $375,000 FTA grant to expand VITRAN routes. J U N 3 0 J U N 8 J U N 2 2 J U N 9 J U N 1 4 J U N 1 5 07 July Highlights J U L Y 1 J O R D A N V I L L E DPW's Derron Jordan was honored at the 2022 St. John Celebration Village. S I D E W A L K R E P A I R S Sidewalks in the Clifton Hill area of St. Croix were repaired. I N S I D E T H E C A B I N E T DPW Commissioner hosted Inside the Cabinet. B U G B Y H O L E Phase 3 of the Estate Bugby Hole road project was completed. M E L V I N E V A N S DPW began reconstruction on Phase 6 of the Melvin Evans Highway. J U L 7 J U L 2 2 J U L 1 2 J U L 1 9 J U L 2 1 D P W W E E K DPW St. Thomas/St. John District celebrated DPW Week. 08 August Highlights A U G 5 T R A F F I C L I G H T S New traffic lights on Kronprindsens Gade were installed. R A I S E G R A N T DPW won a $25 million RAISE grant for phase 2 of the Veterans Drive road project. E S T A T E T H O M A S DPW was awarded a $2 million grant from DOI for a road project in Estate Thomas. A L T O N A Roadwork in the Altona area of St. Thomas was completed. F R E D E R I K S T E D Roadwork on Route 702 and East Street was completed. C L I F T O N H I L L The Clifton Hill Connector Road project began. A U G 9 A U G 3 1 A U G 9 A U G 1 1 A U G 1 9 09 SEPTEMBER HIGHLIGHTS S E P 8 P A U L E . J O S E P H Contractors completed the foundation and raised two walls on the PEJ Stadium. M E L V I N E V A N S DPW began the reconstruction of a failed roadway on the Melvin Evans Highway in the Good Hope area. R A A D E T S G A D E Traffic lights were repaired at the intersection of Raadets Gade and Veterans Drive. L I N D B E R G H B A Y DPW began Emergency Relief Work in the Lindbergh Bay area of St. Thomas. L A G O O N Emergency relief work at the Altona Lagoon began. W A T E R S H E D P R O J E C T The Great Cruz Bay Watershed project began. S E P 1 3 S E P 2 1 S E P 1 4 S E P 1 5 S E P 1 6 S E P 2 9 T R O P I C A L S T O R M F I O N A DPW helped residents prepare for the passing of Tropical Storm Fiona. 10 OCTOBER HIGHLIGHTS O C T 6 H E R M O N H I L L DPW striped the final phase of the Hermon Hill residential project. M O N B I J O U T O L A V A L L E E Temporary repairs on Route 73, from Mon Bijou to La Vallee began. B O L O N G O B A Y D R A I N A G E A large and small bioretention basin for the Bolongo Bay Drainage project was installed. E S T A T E W H I M DPW began construction on Estate Whim roads. L A V A L L E E T O S A L T R I V E R Roadwork from La Vallee to Salt River Road began. O C T 2 1 O C T 1 2 O C T 2 7 O C T 1 8 O C T 1 9 L I L L I E N D A H L DPW began roadwork in Estate Lilliendahl, near Four Corners. 11 NOVEMBER HIGHLIGHTS N O V 2 N O V 4 N O V 2 9 N O V 7 N O V 1 0 N O V 2 2 D B E T O W N H A L L DPW hosted a townhall for ferry construction project. G E O R G E A . M E N A Roadwork on the George A. Mena Scenic Drive was completed. D O N O E R O A D R E P A I R S Road repairs in Estate Donoe were complete. E S T A T E W H I M Estate Whim roads - starting at Pine Drive - were paved. F O R T C H R I S T I A N Communication upgrades began at the Fort Christian Parking lot. P A U L E . J O S E P H The first tower roof on the Paul E. Joseph stadium was placed. 12 December Highlights D E C 5 D E C 1 5 D E C 2 2 D E C 2 7 D E C 2 8 A L T O N A D A M S D R I V E Roadwork began on Alton Adams Drive. C L I F T O N H I L L Stoplights at Clifton Hill were replaced. New material was placed on the roadway. R E V I E W I N G S T A N D DPW construction crews built the reviewing stand for Crucian Christmas Festival. M E L V I N E V A N S Progress on the Melvin Evans Highway project continued - swales were built at the Williams Delight intersection. G A L L O W S B A Y DPW completed all roadwork at Gallows Bay. 13 The Department of Public Works completed several road projects, improving the infrastructure of the territory's roadways for 2022. These road projects included the remaining projects from Act 8454, as well as projects funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021. ST. CROIX DISTRICT Estate Work and Rest phase 2 Union MT. Washington phase 2 Campo RIco Phase 2 Estate Richmond Upper Love Phase 2 Estate Peters Rest Gallows Bay COMPLETED ROAD PROJECTS 14 Roadway improvements included road reconstruction, milling, asphalt paving, striping, drainage rehabilitation, signage, guardrails, raised pavement markers, and other miscellaneous work. This section highlights the enhancements along the roadway with before and after images. BEFORE & AFTER golden rock to five corners Central high school to University of the Virgin Islands golden rock to five corners Central high school to University of the Virgin Islands sunday Market Square to Basin Triangle sunday Market Square to Basin Triangle 15 Centerline Road, stj 16 George A. Mena Scenic Drive, STT Star Fish Market Road, stj Estate Mandahl Road, stt Clearview Project, stt Altona, stt Misgunst The Department completed 24 local road projects on St. Croix, and 12 local projects in the St. Thomas/St. John District. Five federal highway projects were completed territory-wide. ST. THOMAS/ST. JOHN DISTRICT COMPLETED ROAD PROJECTS 17 BEFORE & AFTER cONTANT (jUDY gOMEZ hIGHWAY) Donoe Bypass Road Repairs Estate Hope tUtU vALLEY (mONSTER hILL) tUtU vALLEY (mONSTER hILL) cONTANT (jUDY gOMEZ hIGHWAY) Donoe Bypass Road Repairs Estate Hope IN THE WORKS Operations Division Spotlight The Department of Public Works' Operations Division completed hundreds of projects in 2022 territory-wide. They included sidewalk repairs, guardrail repairs, road patching, gut cleaning, maintenance and roadside cleaning. On St. Croix, 438 work orders were documented. Notable projects on St. Croix include the build out of the Festival Reviewing Stand and patching a collapsed road on Melvin Evans Highway. ST. CROIX 18 IN THE WORKS Operations Division Spotlight ST. THOMAS In the St. Thomas/St. John District, 217 work orders were documented. Some notable projects include repairs the Fort Christian Parking lot for St. Thomas Carnival, sidewalk repairs, pothole patching, and annual gut maintenance in preparation for Hurricane Season. 19 IN THE WORKS Operations Division Spotlight On St. John, projects completed by the Operations Division included repainting cross walks in Cruz Bay, annual gut cleaning, and stage building for various events. ST. JOHN 20 Street The Department of Public Works is happy to state additional funds were allocated to purchase two new street sweepers - one for St. Croix and St. John. This equipment combines water, brooms and vacuum technology to pick up various debris to keep the roadways clear and usable for the community. 21 22 TERRITORIAL CEMETERY PROJECTS Cemetery Records Project -- This segment of the project will utilize GIS technology to map all public cemeteries in the territory. DPW partnered with Tulane University for this endeavor. Once completed, all burial plots in public cemeteries will have a geocode, which will help DPW employees and families locate their loved ones. A segment of this project also includes training for interested UVI students. The scope of the Western Cemetery Beautification Project includes the installation of a masonry wall surrounding Western Cemetery #3, repairs to concrete pavements and vaults, as well as the removal of tree stumps throughout the entire Western Cemetery. An ADA-compliant ramp and aluminum gates at Western Cemetery #1 and #3 will also be added. Pending funding availability, DPW will start this project in 2023. The Kingshill Cemetery parking lot was completely redone in 2022 after being severely damaged from the 2017 Hurricanes. Repairs to the Chapel will begin in 2023. K I N G S H I L L C E M E T E R Y ( C O M P L E T E D 2 0 2 2 ) 23 24 VIRGIN ISLANDS TRANSIT SYSTEM In February 2022, the department received a $5.1 million grant from the Federal Transit Administration’s Passenger Ferry Grant Program. DPW will purchase a new 100 ft. ferry for the St. Thomas-St. John route. This year, DPW acquired five new paratransit ADA buses. Another five are expected shortly. The purchase of four heavy- duty buses is also in progress. Very soon, advertising space will be available on VITRAN buses and shelters. The contract is in the final stages and the program will kick off in early 2023. St. Croix's VITRAN Maintenance and Operation's facility is at the 75% completion mark. The new facility will be 14,950 square feet and the primary operating facility for VITRAN on St. Croix. It will be comprised of three buildings: an operations facility, a bus-washing building, and a tire storage building. The new facility will also include four service bays and administrative offices for all of VITRAN’s St. Croix staff. It is expected to be completed in April 2023. 25 V I T R A N M A I N T E N A N C E A N D O P E R A T I O N S F A C I L I T Y R E N D E R I N G E X P E C T E D T O B E C O M P L E T E D I N A P R I L 2 0 2 3 . D E P A R T M E N T O F P U B L I C W O R K S A N N A ' S H O P E C O M P O U N D R E N D E R I N G . 26 D E P A R T M E N T O F P U B L I C W O R K S C O N C O R D I A C O M P O U N D R E N D E R I N G . 27 Events THANKING THE TEAM! St. Thomas/ St. John District employees were gifted 120 turkeys coordinated by Administrator Avery Lewis and others. Outreach Employees celebrating the opening of St. John Village named in honor St. John Director of Roads Derron Jordan. Deputy Commissioner Dodson James shares hurricane preparation information. DPW collected non-perishables to donate to the Family Resource Center on St. Thomas. 29 DPW clearing debris at Herbert Grigg Home on St. Croix for Give Back Day. Give Back Day at the Nana Baby Home on St. Thomas. 28 Events 29 2022 NATIONAL ENGINEER'S WEEK St. Thomas Rotary Club outreach event with Commissioner Derek Gabriel and Jomo McClean. DPW Breast Cancer & Domestic Violence Awareness Month activity. Outreach DPW employees presenting at the Career Expo and Mixer 2022. National Engineer's Week is dedicated to ensuring a diverse and well-educated future engineering workforce by increasing understanding of, and interest in, engineering and technology careers. Events Outreach 30 Events Outreach 31 2022 EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHTS ANDREW RAY T r a n s p o r t a t i o n P l a n n e r JAMELIA THOMAS V I T R A N B u s O p e r a t o r JEMILA BENJAMIN H e a v y E q u i p m e n t M e c h a n i c THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE DERRON JORDAN D i r e c t o r o f R o a d s S t . J o h n St. Thomas Employees St. John Employees St. Croix Employees TERRITORY-WIDE TOTAL 105 17 109 231 32 BERNARD SHERIFF E m p l o y e e o f t h e Y e a r S t . C r o i x SHERN HODGE E m p l o y e e o f t h e Y e a r S t . T h o m a s 78% 44% SOCIAL MEDIA ANALYTICS 33 In 2022, DPW saw growth in all its social media platforms. The department's Facebook page received 1014 new followers. On Instagram, the department's following increased from 742 followers last year to 835 followers this year. However, Instagram's reach dropped by 44%. The lesser used platforms saw an increase as well, although slight. DPW's Twitter following grew from 44 to 137, while YouTube went from 30 followers to 35. Facebook Reach instagram Reach Twitter Youtube (2021) 44 (2022) 137 (2021) 30 (2022) 35 (2021) 742 (2022) 835 (2021) 2693 (2022) 3707 Instagram Facebook 2023 EXPECTATIONS Kingshill Chapel Repair Project Bridge Projects – Altona Lagoon, Frederiksted (near PEJ), Department of Agriculture grounds, and Queen Mary Highway Mahogany Road Project LaGrange Project – Drainage Installation and Road Reconstruction Frederiksted Roads Project (King, Queen, and Strand Streets) Western Cemetery #3 Wall Project Project St. Thomas/St. John Ferry Purchase First Avenue Road Repairs Project Estate Thomas Neighborhood Roads Project (segments) Expected To Begin: 34 Paul E. Joseph Stadium VITRAN Operations & Maintenance Facility – St. Croix Clifton Hill Road Connector Road Project Melvin Evans Road Project (Good Hope to William’s Delight) Frederiksted Roads Project (King, Queen, and Strand Streets) Water Island FEMA Road Project St. John FEMA Road Projects – Cruz Bay, Coral Bay, and Fish Bay Watersheds Act 8454 Road Projects Estate Lilliendahl & Marienhoj Estate Smith Bay To Be Completed: V E T E R A N S D R I V E P H A S E 2 R E N D E R I N G The Department of Public Works secured a competitive $25 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program to assist in funding phase two of the Veterans Drive Improvement Project. Clifton Hill Connector Road Project | December 2022 Coming soon...