USVI Public Records

Document text

VI UPDATE U.S. Virgin Islands Public Records TRANSCRIPT OF PUBLIC PROCEEDINGS | Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports and Parks Legislature USVI June 11, 2025 · 2.5 hours · gov Source recording https://youtu.be/juZwhMHlncc Status This is a working transcript produced by machine from a recording of a public proceeding. It is a finding aid, not an official record of the Legislature. Transcribed by VI Update, using OpenAI Whisper large-v3-turbo, run locally. Not reviewed by a person. Reliability Automatic transcription, UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording before relying on it. Speech recognition splits spoken digits and wraps figures mid-number, so a dollar amount, a vote count or a bill number can be wrong in a way that reads as correct. Speakers are not identified: automatic speaker labelling was measured unusable and removed. Public record The underlying proceeding is a public record of the Legislature of the Virgin Islands. 3 V.I.C. § 881(a) defines public records to include all records and documents of or belonging to this Territory or any branch of government, or any "department, board, council or committee of any branch of government" · which names legislative committees by category. § 881(b) gives every citizen the right to examine and copy such records, and the news media the right to publish them. (The open-meetings chapter, 1 V.I.C. § 254, does NOT reach the Legislature: § 253(b) expressly excludes it and its Standing and Special Committees. § 881 does, and it is § 881 that confers the right to copy and publish.) The Legislature broadcast this proceeding publicly itself. The source recording is not ours, is not hosted here, and remains with its publisher at the link above. Rights To what we added · the transcription, its arrangement and its description · we assert nothing. A verbatim transcript is mechanical rather than authored, so there is likely nothing in it to own; to the extent any copyright is nonetheless found to subsist, it is dedicated to the public domain under CC0 1.0. Please copy it, quote it, index it, train on it, republish it, mirror it, sell it. Redistribution is the point: a public record with one copy is one fire from gone. No permission is needed, and none is ours to grant or withhold. We'll be right back. Thank you. [2 such phrases repeated 21 times · standby audio before the proceeding, transcribed by the recogniser as speech] 0:00:00 Thank you. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. 0:10:30 Thank you. We'll be right back. [2 such phrases repeated 22 times · standby audio before the proceeding, transcribed by the recogniser as speech] 0:13:00 Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. 0:24:00 Thank you. We'll be right back. We'll see you next time. [3 such phrases repeated 28 times · standby audio before the proceeding, transcribed by the recogniser as speech] 0:26:30 Thank you. We'll be right back. [2 such phrases repeated 9 times · standby audio before the proceeding, transcribed by the recogniser as speech] 0:40:30 The Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports, and Parks is hereby called to order. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and redeemer. 0:45:00 Psalms 19.14. I want to start off by saying condolences to Mr. Eldred Christian of the Ten Sleepless Nights and most recently Jordan Jones, a.k.a. Dutty Hart, who was senselessly gunned down on the Christian Stead boardwalk recently. And also condolences to Ms. Inez Williams, the mother of Mr. Raymond Williams, the Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Lottery, as they are also in mourning and have a funeral today. We've seen a lot of gun violence recently in the Virgin Islands and we're actually in the month of June which is the gun violence awareness month and I believe that we need to ramp up our efforts as a society, have more education and outreach concerning gun violence and the dangers and issues surrounding it. But today, colleagues and people of the Virgin Islands and the listening and viewing audience, I am Senator Angel Boulkas, Jr., the chairman of this committee, and this morning the Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, 0:45:27 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 1 of 9 Legislature USVI · | Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports and Parks Sports and Parks is meeting today to receive an update on the Paul E. Joseph Stadium construction project, a project that has now spanned almost a dozen years since its original groundbreaking and over the years this project has faced repeated delays shifting timelines and escalated costs and despite restarts and new appropriations by this institution including an additional 5.1 million dollars in november 2023 we are still seeing concerning reports of slow progress, unresolved contractor performance issues, and missed completion targets. And today's hearing will examine the current status of construction, the contractual obligations of GEC LLC, and the challenges that continue to impede delivery of this long-promised facility. We must also look squarely at the issues of accountability for both the management of the project and the responsibility of the Government of the Virgin Islands. 0:47:19 The people of St. Croix and the broader Virgin Islands community deserves transparency and answers. They deserve a facility that honors the legacy of Paulie Joseph and supports our cultural and sporting life and helps deliver economic activity for the island district of st croix before we move forward i want to ask the clerk to please perform the roll call madam clerk roll call please good morning uh senator carla j joseph senator joseph absent senator what one moment madam clerk present apologies apologies okay senator joseph present senator marvin a blyton senator blyton present senator novelle e francis jr senator francis jr present senator alma francis heiliger present senator francis Tilegger present senator Franklin D Johnson Senator D Franklin D Johnson present senator Avery L Lewis Senator Lewis present and Senator Angel L. Bulkish jr. Present present So we have a seven present Thank You madam clerk Madam clerk are there any correspondents to be read into the record? 0:48:04 Yes Please proceed Yes, mr. Chair, I Have a correspondence here is the email correspondence from mr. Vincent Roberts Dear senator Volquez. I hope this message finds you. Well, I'm writing to sincerely Apologize for my absence from today's hearing regarding the Paul E. Joseph Stadium Unfortunately, I only received a copy of the memo outlining the details of the hearing this morning, which included my scheduled testimony at 11 a.m. As you may be aware, the Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation's role in this project is limited to the management of the facility after its completion. construction management and procurement process falls under the jurisdiction of other agencies I regret any inconvenience my absence may cause I remain fully committed to supporting the work being done by you and your office thank you for understanding Vincent Roberts commissioner nominee of the Department of Sports Parks and Recreation the government of the Virgin Islands Department of Property and Procurement there Senator Bulkus thank you for your invitation to participate in the upcoming hearing scheduled for Wednesday June 11 2025 10 a.m. at the Fritz Elowes Legislative Hall on St. Croix I I appreciate the committee's interest in the work of the Department of Property and Procurement and the opportunity to contribute to the discussion on the status and execution of the Polly Joseph Stadium project. Regrettably, due to a prior commitment, I will not be able to attend the upcoming hearing. A project of this nature requires my direct participation, and as such, I am also not able to designate a representative to appear on my behalf I look forward to subsequent discussions should the committee schedule a future date on the matter Lisa M Alejandro Commissioner and that concludes the reading of the 0:49:39 letters okay thank you madam clerk and madam clerk before I ask you to read the agenda into the record I want to make a statement. For several months my office has worked on coordinating this hearing. Formal invitations were sent or first issued on April 17, 2025 with clear requests for participation from key agencies and contractors involved in the Pali Joseph Stadium project. Since that time we have followed up repeatedly through direct emails, phone calls, and calendar updates on May 9th, May 28th, June 2nd, and June 3rd, adjusting the hearing date multiple times to accommodate schedules and ensuring broader participation. And despite these efforts and flexibility, we continue to receive responses of unavailability or incomplete commitments to this hearing this lack of full engagement is unacceptable particularly when we are dealing with a project that has now spanned for over a decade and has been sustained through significant allocations of local public funds not federal funds but local virgin islands tax paying monies the people of the virgin islands have invested millions of dollars into this project and deserve answers regarding the progress management and accountability of this project as the chair of this committee I emphasize that this hearing is not optional for those responsible for delivering this project this committee is charged with the oversight on behalf of the public and we expect transparency 0:52:04 we expect accountability and we expect the courtesy of full participation from all relevant parties colleagues documents have been circulated in the file concerning these invitations and these correspondences in the drive for your review now madam chair i ask you to please read the record the agenda into the record members of the committee on culture youth agents sports and parks the honorable carla j joseph vice chair the honorable marvin a blight the Honorable Novelli Francis Junior the Honorable Alma Francis Heiliger the Honorable Franklin D Johnson and the Honorable Avery L Lewis from Senator at-large Angel L Volquez Chairman Committee on Culture Youth Agents Sports and Parks and it's regarding the agenda Committee on Culture Youth Agents Sports and Parks with the hearing date of today Wednesday 0:53:49 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 2 of 9 Legislature USVI · | Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports and Parks June 11 20 25 11 a.m. the The Committee on Culture, Youth, Agents, Ports and Park will convene a hearing on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 at 11 a.m. at the Fritz-Elawitz Legislative Hall on St. Croix to receive testimony and updates regarding the current status of the Paul E. Joseph Stadium construction project. Block one, the segment of the hearing will focus on ongoing efforts related to the Paul Joseph Stadium project testimony and discussion will address the following key areas the current construction status and projected execution timeline updates on the contractual standing with GEC LLC and affiliated project vendors procurement challenges encountered along with a proposed or implemented or implemented resolutions oversight and accountability measures to ensure fiscal responsibility and project performance interagency coordination efforts supporting the timeline advancement of each project phase the invited testifiers miss Lisa Alejandro Commissioner Department of Property and Procurement mr. John Wessel owner GE CLLC mr. Tim Dempsey Director of Operations GEC LLC mr. Derek Gabriel Commissioner Department of Public Works mr. Vincent Roberts acting Commissioner Department of Sports Parks and Recreation and miss Adrian L Williams octalin director the Virgin Islands Office of Disaster Recovery mr. chair this concludes the reading of the agenda thank you madam clerk now before colleagues before we proceed and I will give each colleague up to five minutes if they choose to make any comments if you choose to utilize the time you can or or if you don't want to that's fine but before I do that I wanted to at least introduce my summer interns working here 0:55:15 in the St. Croix district we have two summer interns Miss Angie Guadalupe and Miss Liana Williams so I wanted to give them an opportunity to introduce themselves don't be shy turn on the mic it's on now one moment don't be shy good morning good morning my name is Angelina Guadalupe I attend the St. Croix Central High School and I am a member of the NAF Academy of Business on my free time I enjoy listening to music and shopping when I get older I would like to study pediatric nursing or scenography as an upcoming senior i am excited to see what the future holds for me okay good job thank you good morning my name is liana williams and i am 17 years old a student at st croix central high school where i just completed my 11th grade year successfully my hobbies include dancing cheering which i serve as captain a proud member of the ladies of distinction which i serve as president My future career goals is to attend college, major in science, in order to move into the medical field to become a dermatologist. 0:57:07 Thank you. Please stay so that media can take a photo of you. And while that is happening, I wanted to list the order of speakers. We're going to begin with Senator Franklin D. Johnson first. First, second, Senator Carla J. Joseph, Vice Chair. Third, Senator Alma Francis Heilegger. Fourth, Senator Marvin A. Blyden. 0:58:42 Fifth, Senator Avery L. Lewis. And sixth, Senator Novell E. Francis Jr. So Senator Franklin Johnson, you have up to five minutes to make any comments on the matter before us. Good morning. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Good morning to my colleagues. Good morning to the testifiers. Good morning to the viewing and listening audience. It's a shame that we reached a stage like this today, especially with the Polly Joseph Stadium. After hearing time after time that it's on track, it's scheduled to finish, it's scheduled to complete, and time after time they come back to this body and they have some money. And this body have been doing everything to fulfill those obligations i think the last time we gave them money was about five million dollars and i remember clearly asking them if this five million dollars is going to complete the project and the answer was yes that's what the answer was today now you hear them talking they need either next million or next two million dollars and i keep saying it loud and clear i have no intent and given a next dime to the pali joseph stadium i made it very clear that we need to go to the banding agency to hold them accountable we cannot continue playing games with this because this is government money this is all this is enough federal money all of of this is local government cash that we pumped into the stadium and every time we look it's a delay now today it's an embarrassment nobody's here to testify everybody find a reason to not be here today this is serious and as the mr chair said he's been reaching out trying to get them to come and today this is what we get we're gonna have to make a stand here today we the buck got to stop today. We're going to have to take a stand and make sure that we do 0:59:12 what's necessary to make sure that they're here the next time they see this committee call a hearing. I'm not gonna beat a dead drum and I'm not going to beat the testifiers who are sitting in these chairs here. I'm gonna wait until that day come and wait for today for us to make our move because we have to be serious and we gotta show them that we're serious about this. But as I say before and i remember speaking to property and procurement director alejandro and i asked this question because i wanted for her to put it on the public air wave i said what is the purpose for having the banding company the banding agency in case the company who got the contract awarded doesn't fulfill the obligation in case the old company's subcontractors i said you're hitting the the nail right on the head I recall this very clear everything that you are saying here today is exactly what's happening with this project so we need to make the next step we cannot continue with this because before you know it this company gonna set a belly up and we will be left with a shell and completed there's an opportunity for us to get the banding company to step up do they need to do to complete this project and they go after that company for the money i'm i'm tired of it i don't need five minutes to say i'm tired thank you very much mr 1:01:17 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 3 of 9 Legislature USVI · | Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports and Parks chair thank you senator johnson senator carla j joseph vice chair please proceed i thank you so kindly mr chairman a pleasant good day to the listening and viewing public i also share in your condolences uh to all of the people who have passed I definitely pray that our God will send comfort strength and peace to their families I have arrived back I've been out because of family medical emergencies I want to also thank our public and persons who called to pray for me and my family everybody is doing well praise god and i'm very grateful now to the situation at hand uh when the majority was forming i was very intentional in indicating that i would uh like and and love to be a vice chair of this committee because it had several issues that were very troubling to me and my spirit Paul E Joseph who was this gentleman this gentleman was an educator he was a legislator and the stadium was named in his honor in 1964 we talked 66 64 because he passed in 1966 we talking about legacies legacies of our people our people who have done a lot for our generations of people here in the Virgin Islands it is unacceptable that you Mr. Chairman would send a letter to individuals Lisa Commissioner the Honorable Lisa Alejandro Mr. John Wessel who I know very well Mr. Tim Dempsey the Honorable Derek Gabriel Commissioner for the Department of Public Works the Honorable Vincent Roberts who's going to come before the committee I chair as rules and judiciary as the governor's nominee for the for the department of sports park and recreation and Mrs. Adrienne L. Williams Octolin director of the Virgin Islands office of disaster and recovery it is unacceptable it is unacceptable even that we only receive two letters of apology and you have been trying from since april based on your representation to get these individuals to come that is a level of disrespect that is a level of disrespect this money is taxpayers money paulie joseph and i have to put on the record that both of my maternal grandmothers are joseph my great-grandfathers woke Joseph's and so that is a powerful name and he Paulie Joseph and his own two feet did so much for our community so it is unacceptable and then I have read through the documentation that was provided by the Honorable Derek Gabriel and the payment schedule he is to report to the legislature based on act 8326 this has this tells about payment it gives no schedule project schedule I have managed tens of millions of dollars as a project manager there is no way that I will be submitting any reports or had submitted any reports without a project schedule each project schedules shows clearly the timeline the project work that has been done and what needs to be paid so we have to be able to get a project schedule as well to check on what is happening in our big sister island of St. Croix. Mr. Chairman I know you are doing your work because you did your work 1:04:29 to even subpoena i recall after i sent you a letter to to have uh those individuals from vigl come before the legislature in the 31 minute to testify about the clinton e phipps race track it is unacceptable it is unacceptable and we need to stop playing these little ridiculous games i think people are passively aggressive they need to come here come before this committee to when we put it together to testify on the status this is dragging out too long too long this stadium needs to be up and running and we need to have baseball and concerts I went to a concert there before um in that stadium and whatever other activities it's too long and we are going to finish it and start it today to hold those human beings accountable I am finished with my time I want to thank you so much, Mr. Chairman, for pushing through. Nonetheless, and regardless of this situation that we are experiencing today, it's unacceptable. Thank you so kindly, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Senator Carla Joseph, for your remarks. Senator Alma Frances Heilegger, you are now recognized. No comment. Unless we're subpoenaing people, I don't have any comment. 1:06:44 Thank you, Senator Francis Heiliger, for your comments. Senator Marvin A. Blyden, you are now recognized. Please recognize the microphone of Senator Marvin A. Blyden. Thank you so much, Mr. Chair, and I want to say good morning to my colleagues, listening, viewing audiences, staff, central staff. And I must say I was really, really looking forward to this hearing. of course my colleagues likewise because everyone is here we have a full quorum because we understand the importance of this project to the territory we understand the importance of status update and assuring that folks are held accountable I honestly don't understand what's the deal with G DC I'll save the for when we subpoena and they come here but at the same time it's unacceptable especially for a project to go on so long over a decade millions of dollars and folks are still being paid i'm reading a memorandum from dpw in respect to a payment for 16 million 650 000 i do not know what happened i do not know anything we do not know anything because no one is here to answer and that's unacceptable so to make a long story shot i really don't have much to say at this point neither because the folks that i have my inquiries to are not here and i think it's disrespectful in many ways um because if we actually first tell us update at the commissioner you don't have to be here you have assistant commissioner you have directors 1:08:09 and you have other officials that are very very very good at what they do and you don't have to be here to to answer you have that's why you have staff you have engineers with expertise etc so that's no excuse i'm sorry that's no excuse and again i think it's disrespectful in many ways because for some so pertinent and important to us in a territory we need to know what's going on because if it was different company will be a different situation honestly I being really are you so I want to know what's really going on with this company and why they are still requesting funds and we are not seeing no movement at that stadium from the time I was sworn in at the center in 2014 I've been hearing what a Paul Ejo that I was 1:10:03 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 4 of 9 Legislature USVI · | Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports and Parks so excited 2015 I was excited we are still here listen right we need to set an example real talk we need to set an example because the level of disrespect I have seen since I've been in his body for the first bunch of government and legislature is getting more and more frequent and I for one ain't going to stand for it because we respect the other branches of government we do our part we try to be state men but at the same time folks make it difficult for us in respect to us doing what needs to be done on behalf of the people without being ridiculed without being being talked down to because why they feel we're a joke i said that joke in there you understand but we're gonna do what we have to do moving forward because like i say it's getting ridiculous and i think it's totally totally disrespectful and we have the power to subpoena we are gonna do what we gotta do mr. chair again I look forward to the vote and for sure I will be voting yes in that respect thank you so much for the time thank you senator Marvin a blight in for your remarks senator avia lewis you're not recognized good good morning good morning chairman good morning colleagues good morning to the people of the Virgin Islands I am not certain why I hear the reasons and I'm not certain if desert reason behind some other hidden reason behind the scenes nobody is here today but one thing i know is that i'm committed to the children of the virgin islands not just the children but all the people who utilize these parks every day i attend the weekend games i attend the parks not just the parks the gymnasiums i try to support our children and a project of this magnitude you know you're hearing all kind of stories and i think sometimes people have lost trust in the institution and when we try to do things they go both ways so the community have to help us and we have to help them and in order to build back this trust we have to work collaboratively and together we cannot keep saying we put the money forward and we have no kind of accountability if 1:12:09 we won't sell with the branch of government that sustains and upholds accountability we need to shut up and do the right thing and I mean that you know we need to mandate maybe monthly or bi-weekly status reports on this project we could do that we have the power to do that we also have the power to subpoena them you know moving forward you know we have different things we could do i didn't come here to argue no foster fight today but i came here today to get answers as to why our children our people cannot be in a modern day facility at this present time you know we have all when we want to see something happen we make sure it happen we put all our resources behind of it all our strength and our might and this is one that we have to make sure at least for the people not just st croix but the people at the virginals that all our parks and facilities and stuff for our children are completed this is why i'm adamant about making sure that when school opens reopens in august our children walk into facilities that give you that wow effect gone are the days when children is supposed to be gone of the days when children come and adults and teachers complaining about mold and all kind of things that we continue this institution putting money in place to correct these problems people need to start getting fired contracts need to start getting pulled and we need to start putting our feet down so just like a previous colleague say i ain't here to lament and debate we need to put action now to make things happen thank you mr chairman and are you ready to take some action because i came here today flew from st damas and when we talk about accountability the flight won't free came here to answer pertinent questions so we could make the tough and popular decisions how we gonna move forward thank you and i will wait until we take some type of action 1:14:09 Thank you, Senator Avery L. Lewis, for your comments. Senator Novell E. Francis, Jr., you're recognized. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. I'm a committee member. Good morning to you. Good morning to my colleagues. Good morning to the people of the Virgin Islands. I spent my morning at the funeral for Ms. Ines Williams and I left the funeral halfway through as a result of being here for this hearing because I felt it was very important for me to be here to hear and get a status of what's happening with the Paulie Joseph Stadium. So based on the agenda, we heard that we wanted to get a current construction status and projection execution timeline updates on the contractual standing with gc llc and the affiliated work project vendors procurement challenges encountered along with the proposed or implemented resolutions oversight and accountability measures to ensure fiscal responsibility and project performance interagency coordination efforts supporting the timely advancement of each project phase nobody show up here to give us those those simple update and what's happening there and it's updating just for us it's for this community that has been waiting for many many years over a decade to be able to get a status projects that have gone without a playground without a baseball stadium or field for quite some time thank god we just had the reynolds jackson reopening uh recently this body 1:16:29 has appropriated over 30 million dollars for that piece of junk that got down there that you know i mean represent the stadium that they still have not done the work to make sure that we have a world class stadium um there and i shouldn't i shouldn't call it that i mean obviously there there's a structure um however we're not totally satisfied with the structure as it is but what do you want to come here and tell us it's an embarrassment it's an abomination it's a disgust 30 million dollars and we still can't show what's happening there so people are embarrassed to come here so yes i will be um awaiting our move to allow for subpoenas so that we could bring these individuals here to be able to respond to these concerns but i'm sure that they too are truly embarrassed by this the tail is truly walking the dog here the tail is walking the dog as a first branch of government our responsibility is to represent the people and they have been asking plea in 1:18:18 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 5 of 9 Legislature USVI · | Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports and Parks with us to get a status report on what's happening here and we will be doing that again this is truly and I I don't want it to become the norm where we believe that individuals have been invited to come before us to to give presentation I give update but you know where is sports parking recreation and this where is public work in this where is a PFA you know where is the Department of justice how are we holding these this um contractor accountable for not delivering on what we put forth and 30 million dollars worth so i'm utterly disgusted this morning and i'm truly waiting to see what's going to happen here but i think that you know i am um supportive of these individuals being subpoenaed and after that we need to make a decision should we move resolution then to allow for legal action to be taken against this contractor you know we will then decide our next step but we can't continue to sit here and wait for the executive branch to hold these individuals accountable because obviously it's not being held accountable and you know we have to be able to answer to the people it's gone on far too long thank you very much mr chairman for the time and i look forward to us being able to get an update so we could provide that to the people of st croix and project set in particular as to what's going on with the apologies of stadium i had the opportunity to do a walk through there um recently and we see some some some slight movements here and there um you know we see paint going on um you know we see some some earth change um you know it seems like they're getting ready to pave uh the front um parking lot you know we see some slight work being done there but nonetheless you know it's certainly not at the levels that we um expected it to be and i heard in recent reports that this they're intending to open the stadium in august or complete the stadium in august and from all indication. I don't see that happening. At least not August 2025. Thank you very much, Mr. Chair, for the time. 1:20:57 Thank you, Senator Novelli-Francis Jr., for your comments as well. And colleagues, I'm appreciative of all the input that each and every one of you have put on the record. And I'm going to be very candid. I take no pleasure in having to do what we need to do next it's unfortunate that this institution continues to be abused by the actions of the executive branch in the sense of when we requests we request appearances I'm not saying it happens all the time but we have our obligations in reference to fulfilling the mandates of this institution. And what is very interesting is that when the very departments and agencies need the fiscal wherewithal, they end up coming to us to request whatever it is that they need. And specifically for this project, the Pali Joseph Stadium, we know historically that has been done time after time after time. 1:21:53 And, like the good senator from Frederickstead mentioned when he spoke, we appropriated five millions, five million dollars. But then to turn around to hear that more was needed yet again. But why? We need to understand. And perhaps we don't need to ask, we don't need to do anything other than figure out what you all are actually doing. Because based on what we're seeing physically, or manifesting before us, is very little to none. The people of St. Croix deserve better. 1:23:12 It's already bad enough with the race track, but still now this stadium. Recreation helps the youths. It helps the youths to stay off of the streets. It gives them something to do. We just unfortunately had to hear of an underage person shooting another individual in a fatal incident. There needs to be recreational opportunities for our youth. Colleagues, we're going to go to a five-minute recess to discuss our next actions. 1:23:52 So the Committee on Culture, Youth, Age, and Sports and Parks stands in a five-minute Recess. Thank you. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We'll be right back. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. Thank you. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. Thank you. We'll be right back. Thank you. We'll be right back. Thank you. Thank you. We'll be right back. 1:24:28 Uh-huh. We'll be right back. Thank you. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. Thank you. We'll be right back. Thank you. Thank you. We'll be right back. Thank you. Thank you. We'll be right back. We'll be right back. Thank you. Thank you. We'll be right back. Thank you. Let's get started. We'll be right back. Thank you. 1:44:32 Thank you. We'll be right back. [2 such phrases repeated 30 times · standby audio before the proceeding, transcribed by the recogniser as speech] 1:56:02 Let's go. we are back on the record do I have a motion motion Mr. Chair Senator Boca you recognize for your motion thank you Mr. Chair Mr. Chair I move that this committee authorizes the issuance of a subpoena requiring the Department of Public works commissioner derek a gabriel to appear and testify in person before this committee and to produce all official documentation relevant to the paul e joseph stadium construction project at a hearing to be held on july 18th 2025 document documentation required written statement outlining dpw's role statutory authority and oversight 2:11:02 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 6 of 9 Legislature USVI · | Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports and Parks mechanisms for the paul e joseph stadium project a full recent project update and project schedule construction milestones and schedules funding sources and allocations breakdown and financial summary showing total budget obligated funds and expenditures to date change orders or contract amendments with explanations for scope or cost of adjustments current and past bi-monthly reports submitted to the legislature of the virgin islands i so move second very second motion was properly moved by senator angel bulquist seconded by senator franklin johnson and carla joseph roll call manna and alma and senator alma francis halliga roll call madam clerk on the motion Senator Carla J. Joseph? Yes. Senator Marvin A. Blyden? Yes. Senator Blyden, yes. Senator Novell E. Francis Jr.? Yes. 2:13:03 You said yay? Okay. Senator Francis Jr., yay. Senator Alma Francis Heiliger? Yes. Senator Francis Heiliger, yes. Senator Franklin D. Johnson, yes. Senator Franklin D. Johnson, yes. Senator Avery L. Lewis, yes. Senator Lewis, yes. And Senator Angel Bolkes, Jr. Yes. Senator Bolkes, Jr., yes. We have seven yes. Thank you so much, Madam Clerk. 2:13:33 The motion to subpoena Commissioner for the Department of Public Works, Derek Gabriel, was voted on favorably. Motion. motion thank you what could you recognize for your motion thank you mr. chair mr. chair i move that this committee authorize the issuance of a subpoena requiring the department of property and procurement commissioner lisa m alejandro to appear and testify in person before this committee and to provide all official documentation relevant to the poly joseph stadium construction project at a hearing to be held on July 18, 2025 in the St. Croix District in the Fritz E. Lowe's conference room. Documentation required. Written statement outlining DPP's role, statutory authority, and oversight mechanisms for the Pali-Joseph Stadium project. Procurement records, including requests for proposal RFP and executed contract documents with GEC LLC that includes the stadium's design engineering and construction services procurement challenges and their resolutions fiscal accountability records and oversight measures employed i so move second very well very well the motion was moved properly by senator angel bulquist and seconded by senator franklin johnson senator alma francis halligan senator carla joseph roll call on the motion senator carla j joseph yes senator joseph yay senator marvin a blyton yeah senator blyton yay senator novelle e francis jr senator francis jr yay senator alma francis heiliger yes Yes. Senator Francis Heiliger, yea. Senator Franklin D. Johnson? Yes. Senator D. Johnson, yea. Senator Avery L. Lewis? 2:14:05 Yes. Senator Lewis, yea. And Senator Angel L. Bolkes, Jr. Yea. Senator Bolkes, Jr., yea. We have seven yeas. Very well. The motion carries for Commissioner Lisa Alejandro from the Department of Property and procurements motion mr. chair motion I have motion senator Wilkwood you recognize for your motion thank you mr. chair mr. chair I move that this committee authorized the issuance of a subpoena requiring the Department of Sports Parks and Recreation acting Commissioner Vincent Roberts to appear and testify in person before this committee and provide and produce all official documentation relevant to the Pali Joseph Stadium construction project at a hearing to be held on July 18, 2025 at the Fritz E. Lowe's conference room on the island district of St. Croix. Documentations required. Written statement outlining DSPR's role, statutory authority, and oversight mechanisms for the Pali-Joseph Stadium project. Current capital improvement status related to the stadium. Fiscal accountability records concerning the Pali-Joseph Stadium project. I so move. 2:16:11 Second. Second. motion properly moved motion properly moved by senator angel bulquist seconded by senator franklin johnson senator carla joseph and senator alma francis heiliger roll call madam clerk senator carla j joseph yes senator joseph yay senator marvin a blyden Yeah. Senator Blyden, yay. Senator Novell E. Francis, Jr.? 2:17:25 Yay. Senator Francis, Jr., yay. Senator Alma Francis Heiliger? Yes. Senator Francis Heiliger, yay. Senator Franklin D. Johnson? Yes. Senator Johnson, yay. Senator Avery L. Lewis? Senator Lewis, yay. Senator Angel L. Bolkis, Jr.? Yay. And Senator Bolkis, Jr., yay. we have seven yeas very well the motion carries uh to the motion carries for subpoena for derek gabriel the commissioner for the department of public works i'm sorry i i received the motion carries for mr vincent roberts acting commissioner for the department of sports parks and recreation do i have motion motion mr chair you recognize the motion senator bulwitz mr chair i move that this committee authorized the issuance of a subpoena requiring gec llc mr john wessel owner and managing member to appear and testify in person before this committee and to produce all official documentation relevant to the polly joseph stadium construction project at a hearing to be held on july 18 2025 in the saint croix district in the fritz elowets conference room documentation required written statement outlining gec llc's role for the poly joseph stadium construction project detailed construction program report for the last 10 years details on the current construction phase and upcoming work to completion original and current project timelines listing of all change orders between 2014 and 2024 and financial impacts any outstanding issue issues impacting current project delivery I so move. Second. Motion properly moved by Senator Angel Boquez, seconded by Senator Carla Joseph, Franklin Johnson, and Alma Francis-Helliger. We'll call on a motion, Madam Clerk. Senator 2:17:56 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 7 of 9 Legislature USVI · | Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports and Parks Carla J. Joseph? Yes. Senator Joseph, yay. Senator Marvin A. Blyden? Yes. Senator Blyden, yay. Senator Novelli Francis Jr. Senator Francis Jr., yay. Senator Alma Francis Heiliger? Yes. Senator Francis Heiliger, yay. Senator Franklin D. Johnson? Yes. Senator Johnson, yay. Senator Avery L. Lewis? Senator Lewis, yay. Senator Angel L. Bulkes Jr., yay. Senator Bulkes Jr., yay. Mr. Chair, we have seven yays. 2:20:02 Thank you Madam Clerk. Motion for subpoena of Mr. John Wessel, owner, GEC LLC, was successful. We're going to take a one-minute recess. We're starting to recess for one minute. Thank you. 2:20:40 we're back on the record do i have motion senator bulquist you recognize for your motion uh thank you mr chair mr chair i move that this committee authorizes the issuance of a subpoena requiring gec llc mr tim dempsey the director of operations to appear and testify in person before this committee and produce all official documentation relevant to the polly joseph stadium construction project at a hearing to be held on july 18 20 25 in the fritzy louettes conference room on the island district of st croix documents required written statement outlining gec's gec llc's role for the polly joseph stadium project detailed construction progress report for the last 10 years details on the current construction phase and upcoming work to completion original and current project timeline listing of all change orders between 2014 and 2024 and financial impacts and any outstanding issues impacting project delivery i so move second second second thank you the motion was properly moved by by Senator Angel Boquist, seconded by Senator Franklin D. Johnson, Senator Carla Joseph and Senator Alma Francis-Heiliger. Roll call, Madam Clerk. 2:21:40 Senator Carla J. Joseph? Yes. Senator Joseph? Yes. Senator Marvin A. Blyden? Yes. Senator Blyden? Yes. Senator Novell E. Francis Jr.? Yes. Senator Francis Jr.? Yes. Senator Alma Francis-Heiliger? Yes. Senator Francis Heilegger, yay. Senator Franklin D. Johnson? Yes. Senator Johnson, yay. Senator Avery L. Lewis? Yes. Senator Lewis, yay. And Senator Angel Bolkes, Jr.? Yay. Senator Bolkes, Jr., yay. Mr. Chair, we have seven yays. 2:23:15 Thank you, Madam Clerk. The motion to subpoena Mr. Thame Dempsey, Director of Operations, GEC LLC. Carries. We're going to take a one-minute recess. The committee is standing in recess for one minute. the committee on culture youth agent sports and parks is now back on the record Colleagues, I wanted to thank you all for being here today and supporting what actions need to be taken moving forward, and I wanted to express that this isn't anything personal. This is responsibility and this is accountability at the end of the day. There is nothing personal. 2:23:50 We take no pleasure in having to utilize this form of action, but we have work to do, and the youths of this district, even the whole entire Virgin Islands, should have recreational facilities that they can utilize to keep them off of the streets and getting into crime. Prevention is better than cure. And I want to say that I hope that when the entities that have been subpoenaed come before us that they take this action very, very seriously as this project has been in the works for far too long. And I believe, based on the echoing the sentiments of my colleagues here today, we believe that this project needs to come across the finish line sooner than later. So we're looking forward to that discussion when the time comes. And I want to take the time to thank you, my colleagues, again, the committee, any committee or non-committee members that were here today, central staff, our media division, our legal Council Division who is also here with us today, my staff and last but not least the listening and viewing audience of the Virgin Islands who are attending virtually or via radio airwaves. We appreciate your time and for tuning in to our hearing today. And I will say the Committee on Culture, Youth Agents Sports and Parks is now hereby adjourned. We'll be right back. 2:25:23 People named in this transcript SUSPECTED, and a finding aid only. Names were matched by machine against the spellings used across all 426 of our transcripts, and the title is the one used in the room. Being named here is NOT evidence that a person attended or spoke · only that the name was said. Speech recognition mishears names, so a spelling may be wrong even where no alternative is offered. 14x Senator Avery Lewis heard in this transcript as: Avery L. Lewis, Lewis 14x Senator Franklin D. Johnson heard in this transcript as: D. Johnson, Franklin Johnson, Johnson 11x Senator Alma Francis-Heyliger heard in this transcript as: Alma Francis Heiliger, Alma Francis-Heiliger, Francis Heiliger 11x Senator Marvin Blyden heard in this transcript as: Blyden, Marvin A. Blyden 11x Senator Novelle Francis Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 8 of 9 Legislature USVI · | Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports and Parks heard in this transcript as: Francis Jr, Francis Jr., Novell E. Francis Jr, Novell E. Francis Jr., Novelli Francis Jr 10x Senator Angel L. Bulkes Jr heard in this transcript as: Angel Bolkes Jr., Angel L. Bolkes Jr., Bolkes Jr., Bulkes Jr, Bulkus 9x Senator Carla Joseph the surname alone also matches: Clifford Joseph; Karla J. Joseph heard in this transcript as: Carla J. Joseph, Joseph 4x Commissioner Virgin Islands Department heard in this transcript as: Department 3x Senator Alma Francis Heidegger heard in this transcript as: Alma Frances Heilegger, Alma Francis Heilegger 3x Senator Angel L. Bolkis Jr heard in this transcript as: Angel L. Bolkis Jr., Bolkis Jr. 2x Senator Angel L. Bocas Jr heard in this transcript as: Boca 2x Senator Angel L. Bolques, Jr. heard in this transcript as: Angel Boquez, Angel L. Bolques Jr. 2x Senator Francis Heidegger heard in this transcript as: Francis Heilegger 2x Commissioner Lisa M. Alejandro heard in this transcript as: Lisa Alejandro 1x Senator Angel Boquist Bills and acts referred to Matched by number against our own acts corpus. The number is what the recognition heard, so it may be wrong; where it resolved, the title is the one the Legislature gave the act. Act 8326 Act 8326 · An Act appropriating $4,100,000 in Fiscal Year 2020 and $4,100,000 in Fiscal Year 2021, from the Internal Revenue Matching Fund for the construction of the Paul E. Joseph Stadium Project; and requiring the Department of Public Works to submit status reports on the Project to the Legislature ---0 Machine transcript · UNVERIFIED. Verify every quotation against the recording. Speakers are not identified. VI Update · usvipublicrecords.com · public record, no rights asserted (CC0 1.0) 9 of 9