July 30, 2004 – Sen. Louis Hill has called on Attorney General Iver Stridiron to initiate the process whereby the government is to acquire the Vessup Bay beachfront property by eminent domain.
The Senate voted on July 13 to override Gov. Charles W. Turnbull's veto of legislation calling for the government to purchase the property fronting Vessup and Muller Bays on St. Thomas's East End. "By statute, the Attorney General's Office is tasked with carrying out the purchase by eminent domain," Hill said in a release issued on Wednesday.
"As the primary sponsor, I am eager to see the process begin to acquire the land," Hill wrote Stridiron. "Alfredo Lowenstein, the current owner of the property, paid $3 million for the 17 acres surrounding Vessup Bay, the exact amount appropriated by the Senate. Therefore, I see no reason why there would be any difficulty in acquiring the land."
Hill said the acquisition mandate "represents the rightful ownership of a precious resource that must be retained by the majority of people, not just a few."

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