Feb. 22, 2002 – After listening to Planning and Natural Resources Department consultant Claudette Young-Hinds and PNR planner Bill Rohring urge the Coral Bay community to get involved in developing the management plan for the Coral Bay Area of Particular Concern, Mary Blazine then and there announced a St. John Community Foundation meeting on the topic.
It will be held at 10 a.m. March 2 at the Agriculture Department building in Coral Bay. Blazine promised to distribute copies of the APC plan's summary, called a matrix, to give residents some clues as to what PNR has come up with in what is essentially a working document.
No copies of either the summary or the entire plan were available at a meeting held Friday evening at Emmaus Moravian Church to discuss the topic. Rohring said PNR didn't have any extra copies. A copy of the plan is available for review at the Elaine Sprauve Library in Cruz Bay, but library hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, making it virtually impossibley for working people to have access to the document.
The meeting was supposed to take place at 6 p.m. inside the church, but no one from the congregation came to unlock the door. Young-Hinds, PNR staff and about a dozen residents who showed up gamely met under the stars in the church courtyard.
The territory has 18 APC's, which were so designated in 1979. PNR is only now developing a management plan for an area that covers the Coral Bay watershed from the ridgeline to the water.
"Decide among yourself what is the biggest issue," Rohring suggested, pointing out that if the community doesn't take a position on issues, the government will. He added that if the government were to make the decisions, funding would be the guiding factor.
Residents did point out a few problems that need addressing in the Coral Bay area. For example, the goats are denuding the hillsides, and this causes extensive erosion. "The goat population has tripled in 10 years," naturalist Eleanor Gibney pointed out. She said the animals also are endangering native plants.
Blazine said that the V.I. Agriculture Department, which is charged with rounding them up, doesn't have the staff or the will to do the job. "And it comes down to who's friends with whom," she said.
Many areas of Coral Bay have resident goat populations that broke off from other herds that had owners. The erosion problems they cause are easily visible. "You can't garden unless you invest in a fence," Jeannie Williamson said.
The APC management plan has several goals. They include:
– Finding ways to address and improve quality of life issues, improve Coral Bay's water quality and improve wastewater management through sound planning, education, assistance, and enforcement.
– Seeking to get an equal share of the government's resources, including staff and capital projects, for this APC area.
– Seeking to reduce potential loss of life and property due to natural hazards.
– Seeking to improve efficiency of waterfront operations and service to the boating community.
– Seeking to preserve the historic and cultural character of Coral Bay and its environs while keeping the needs of an increasing number of diverse users in mind.
– Seeking to preserve undeveloped areas of the waterfront.
Residents have until March 22 to comment in writing on the management plan. Those comments should be addressed to Rohring. His postal address is Planning and Natural Resources Department, Cyril E. King Airport Terminal 2nd floor, St. Thomas 00802. His e-mail address is [email protected]. His telephone is 774-3320, ext. 5107.