Aug. 30, 2005—Bureau of Corrections officers working at the St. Thomas jail will finally be getting some much needed relief from the heat, thanks to action taken by Acting Attorney General Kerry Drue.
According to a press release sent Monday, Drue has been actively working on fixing the jail's air conditioning unit for the past week, after recently hearing complaints from officers saying it has been down since Jan. 2004.
"This is just a temporary measure, to provide immediate relief so that the BOC's employees can work in a more comfortable and cool environment," Drue said.
However, since the present unit does not address all air-flow needs within the jail, Drue added that a new system will eventually be installed so that air distribution will be evenly balanced throughout the building.
"We will definitely need something more permanent," Allen Nibbs, BOC shop steward, said. "But Ms. Drue is doing the best that she can right now, and we appreciate that. However, there are still other problems within the BOC that have to be addressed, and something needs to be done to take care of those as well."
Nibbs also said that he and the shop steward from St. Croix will be actively working to make sure Drue, and the public, be fully informed about the BOC's current conditions. "It's time that people see what things are really like for us. It's time to get things done."

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