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26 December 23, 1999, TheDaity News
Public trust land should
be protected
Oaeaw Dinm. a solog ist a
Day wam codevi sgMi whotnast
As te 20M cenuay is aboa to
clae. we ae fead witb an mae tha
Can become explosive. Does the
Vinpa I*im hom the rifigh an sl or
giV- away public -m land?
Laxiswei* a&shmsiagG- O is
Ti0h6aegi pnamigiaw Gpu
lie Ihc to de Rift Cautal
libda hep meand hs socia
YI -n thni e se a. e
woud how miead from dthe Bea
Aesepamce Tecmologies Inc. conro-
vermy. The people ofthe Vigin Islands
smaiddu ilie rigbitio deiionpbdi-
lic biu lman t our elective officials.
Elective officials responsibilities
re cary ou the wishes of the pes-
ple of diese islands. Tell me. why is it
that somane senators believe they know
wat is bet for the people of the
Viin IWslal ad s alt people
timmlvesi
The queaoinec io il egal to give
ag poublic uahn 0aprvae-cor-
pnlsion? There ane us leis ofss ar-
ouding the Ritz Caibm land deal
tda needed daiin -g out.
PIa ig ad Numl Resaues
ediias ssfoll Ma" be 11111111 doe 6
Ritz Cabron's Comal Zone
Mananmen pwml did not ganc die
teot peaission to b uild or ue dte
puebic rodCZM'sleg comelev
*R 'ifl dh thie cononiasion MId no
ashority to issue pemuis to Ritz
I I
Caorain dowlop
The toad was -d
Sen. Adbh Dem
he few suens a
RitzCar e ladies
"To answer beach
and a public ad a
tion without bui
bearing s a total
Donastorg add
opposed to the
CarlItos. but it mus
fid manier that doe
dthe people's rigito
The has do
colonial alaO. It i
sources of food for
islands. The aobl
of pysicl llthery.
aoml an am Vir
mai pmeni. To -
and is shoresam a
it is Caibbea a
policy. Ian the b
property, whether
access to it or noa.
The nisk of losi
at all times
Virgin iah for public use wl
become a mqor nime sn the 21a
century. bI d pau. VigM Islwanda
OWN iaove h amd oo ad ow.
Domis I R ame fIt shoneline.
SHowever. ti istlus moe CxpI-
aeoo- pid lonou w owth, coastal
dmiolme and change in deroo-
pmfia.p n his iI dmea u
plp m l o t ourml .
an pubiK raL Today ins(7puPam=*fairecow
dcied o public aOmny dip al im
ai 196. Wilet *A Mof people noat
-nm w one of Vii aIhas. tlaiMlg boues aid
speak ous an te buinee aer th shoreline has
nuewtim he ared. caused social n s nong the local
access. iust land population. For examile. sadinau l
a prive copoif- public pltm now rin through maim-
r of even a public di hotel lobbies: perimng areas
vesiy of juAice" near these "pae" a now guaned
id. "I am not with Pg
expansion of Ritz On St. Croix. a guard gae at
be done in a law- Judith's Fancy; Buccaneer Hotel
s t nterere with guard house ad gate: house on whe
ojoy Vessp and beach at Turner Bay; C.arambola Hotel
a.".. Da i Bn: Shoy kbe gm
mined our lives house: sign a old Grapes Hotel
. alscting seven anman ae all cames where con-
a be n a ficoml 'iac m hedwiith genoraltpub-
thepeopleofthese lie.
m hasbeenaplace On St. Thuns. Duro s beach
. di c I- em m ;- C1abra Porn o Sappoin
rin bldess, pas ByW: ad Bolaog Bay me s-m of
hi-lm -ass he aona -6 vie in coa n Vu
wayoflif. In fit. public aes I he shoanlin. The
diono. a aseped Viri Goand Hoiel (Wesin) on St.
beaches am public J thn was ater a wibee ac
time is public aeanne icaiceln
In 1971 the Open Sielines Act
Shoreline in h was passed in be Vigi Islands. In
do law hde lgilak a recognized thdla
die public hod nae finque. tuinisr-
nopted aId uDIMebUd use Of di6
Asoui no ag Dhea D mh ad
Americanadile. M w wuin ended
to piesve mn prolect the traditlian
access and right the public has to dthe
sholtcflios. In plaMLial tnems it msam
the public could cominue to use and
enjoy the soline of the Virgin
IamBds in peTpeti-y.
However. I believe thai this Act
iee, to be tre bisedl.
If you noticed, whenever a bhoel or
other developments occur near dhe
shoreline particularly beaches tha
have bec used by tdie public for yewas
dithe local population tends ot to u
he e because of the physical enn-
romnaeial changes by the develop-
meht. In many cases. nomne local peo-
ple have complained dthat they did not
eld welcome at the beaches whore
hotels wee located even though
access was provided by the owner
This could be a psychological factor
that comes into play as to whether or
not we fetd Bee. and whether or not
beach access as ully exercised in the
ferce sense of the word.
The people of these islands are jus-
tifiably concemsed that mtctsed
develdopimnet piessures will limit the
historically open access to the shore-
line. Let us hope that beach access and
trust-lIand issues with Ritz Calton and
dthe people of these islands will be a
win-win situation
Up-mion
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