April 4, 2008 — Public Services Commission board members Friday had to postpone discussion of the territory's three franchise ferry companies because they lacked a quorum.
Friday's meeting was scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. after a planned two-hour executive session. Around 11:50 a.m., only board members Joseph Boschulte, Donald "Ducks" Cole and M. Thomas Jackson were present. Absent were board members Verne C. David, Sirri Hamad, Alecia Wells and the board's two ex-offio members, Sens. Juan Figueroa-Serville and Basil Ottley Jr.
"We had hoped to have another commissioner present at this point, but we're going to have to postpone the meeting and will meet again sometime in the very near future," said Boschulte, PSC board chairman, after the meeting was briefly called to order.
The board was supposed to receive testimony from attorney Natalie Nelson-Tang How, appointed as hearing examiner in a rate investigation into the new fee schedule requested by V.I. SeaTrans, the franchise ferry company running between St. Thomas and St. Croix. Representatives from Transportation Services and Varlack Ventures were also scheduled to give updates on their operations and financial status, as well as the payment status of various outstanding PSC assessments.
The board had decided during a meeting Thursday to table discussion on various Innovative Communication Corp. issues, including an update on the company's bankruptcy proceedings. When asked why Innovative had been removed from the agenda, Boschulte said that ICC had requested a continuation on a petition for the approval of a preferred shareholder settlement. The matter will be included on the PSC board's next agenda, he said.
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