Comments

• Adele Davis Swart We have been STJ visitors for over 40 years. Why return rather than travel elsewhere? Because you protect from development. Because you know that the environment is essential to the wellbeing of your residents and it is the #1 attraction for visitors. Big marinas do not belong in a fragile environment. Please save your island from the hopes of those for profit. Keep St. John a unique and protected Virgin.
• Starr Butte You need to search save Coral bay on Facebook and Google. You’ll find our opinion on this development and these grifters. Also search stj culture and heritage fund. These people are not to be trusted. No atall
• Catalina Keller Every time you post about it, you get a wall on NO. How many more “sides” do you need see? The people have spoken, and quite loudly at that.
• Sea Sol From the 454 (and counting) comments on your original post, It looks like you have your answer on what the STJ people think…since you asked, I fervently hope that you take all the answers into consideration. The reasons have been listed, as well as lots of research done that I’m sure you are aware of. Something of this scale in Coral Bay would be a detriment to the island. I add my voice in strong opposition & ask that you look at this proposal and what the island can handle with logic and common sense, not dollar signs.
• Catalina Keller The phone numbers are in the previous post if you are looking for it!
• Ken Totushek May it never be! Even entertaining the idea, undoubtedly removing from the islanders (many whom have already lost so much), control of what’s left of this beautiful island to is a awful way to start V.I. History month! ☹️ But it is commendable that this information is out where the public can respond–hopefully there will be listening ears, that might put this issue to bed once and for all.
• Carolina St John It will only take a quick search to find out what St John thinks of the project.
• DeNise Williams No Marina!!!!!!!!
• Lisa Swing I thought the Army Corps of engineers denied the permits?
  Nobody but these greedy jackasses want this marina

• Russ Ballou St. John is unlike almost any other place in the world, certainly in the Caribbean, in that it has this very special, very loyal following of individuals and families who return year after year for decades on end. My family, extended family, and many friends help to make up this following. We tread lightly while on island, and those of us who have children take the opportunity during our time there to educate them on how important conservation is, and how, with quite a bit of care and wise decision-making, the most beautiful places in the world can remain that way in perpetuity. Aside from being a natural paradise, St. John is the ultimate classroom – the best kind – one in which kids don’t even realize that they are learning. We visit you every year in July/August, and it’s summer school for them, though they think it’s just vacation.

  I would implore you to also tread lightly, and frame any decisions you make through the prism of what makes St. John special – its history, its proud West Indian culture, and its natural, largely unspoiled beauty.
• Noelle Windrush No no no! Nobody want this! Leave Coral Bay alone!
• Sally Determan I appreciate your continued interest in knowing more about this terrible idea. Please, listen to the folks who love Coral Bay and vote and act to protect its sensitive environment, beauty, charm, and low-key lifestyle.
• Lisa Swing If you are well aware of the situation then you knowvthe Army Corps of engineers gave this a thumbs down!
• Lisa Swing And while I’m at it Captive dolphin entertainment is inhumane and antiquated.

   
• Cary Chapin If these people were really interested in meeting the needs of St. John and the people of Coral Bay, they’d work WITH them and come up with a marina that is appropriate and would support the environment AND the island. Yes, we need some sort of marina, but NOT what they are proposing. What they are proposing will destroy it.
• Larry Wilson Senator, thank you for your attention to this matter. As you can plainly see, the “scaled back” version of this scheme is only in regard to the developer’s inability to control the private parcels which they do not own, and what they do “own” are leas…See More

• Lee Ann Gale Good Morning ~ This couple is like reoccurring cancer cells. Check out their background, their multiple bankruptcies and get rich quick schemes. They continually change their website in hopes that opposing folks won’t find them and uneducated ones will buy into their facade. What have they ever been successful at? What do they know about Marinas? Or boating?

  My husband and I are 30 plus year, extended stay visitors to St John, who stay in Coral Bay. My husband is a boat Captain and we own a sailboat which we sail 4 months out of the year and have for a very long time! We know a lot about Marinas, boating, currents, winds, weather and how totally absurd this Marina being proposed for Coral Bay is. Never mind that it is unfavorable to many Government Agencies and Environmentalist. Yes, something very small on a fitting scale to provide, fuel, water, repairs, trash disposal and pump out to Coral Bay boaters would be terrific. That would show true concern about the best interest of the environment and the Coral Bay Community. Not some Mega Marina, let’s get money from investors, get rich quick scheme, self serving Marina idea!

  Please do extensive research on the folks and their proposal and check out the Save Coral Bay website!! https://savecoralbay.com/

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  SAVECORALBAY.COM

  What is “Save Coral Bay” ?

  What is “Save Coral Bay” ?
• Beth Alexander Do you want it to be St Thomas or St John? We only have one bite from the Apple when it comes to preservation. Once you destroy land and waterways there is no going back. We love St John because it’s St John and off the cruise ship highway.
• Susan Greer Littlefield Senator DeGraff, please see that 99.9% of the population does NOT think this marina is a good idea for so many reasons. There is no way the developers can modify their project enough to make this a good plan unless they scale down the scope by a huge amount.
  • Larry Wilson They have gone on the record repeatedly, indicating they are not willing to scale back their scope in any significant way. I believe they testified to that effect in their Hearing before the DPNR Committee.
• Susan Greer Littlefield Please speak with David Silverman.
• Jenn Corb Sir, all of the comments are opposed. If you posted yesterday to get the opinion of more that just a few folks, you have it. As Senator, the best way to represent St. John on this one is to end it once and for all so your constituents can stop fighting it themselves. The developers are the few… St. John is the all.
  • William Hamilton Jenn Corb AND they were back today!
• Carolyn Ehle Please read the full files of comments on the original proposal, plus David Silverman’s excellent analyses and history of the project, many on the FB pages. As a former CZM biologist I reviewed their submissions, visited the site, and submitted comments. For starters, any attempt at a marina on the west side of the bay is doomed to failure due to swells entering the bay. Their proposals would be an ecological disaster, and if they had been there when Irma came in it would have been even worse. These people have wasted thousands of hours and dollars with incomplete submissions, poorly conceived proposals, and all of the hallmarks of the big project just looking for investment money then declaring bankruptcy after destroying the environment and leaving the local businesses holding their debt. Coral Bay needs better facilities but this project and these people would only compound the problems, plus the whole scale is completely out of character with the island and the town. I live stateside now, but still have property on St. Croix and still work pro bono when needed. Feel free to contact me privately…
• Jeff Burgess This plan would be a disaster for the area. My first visit to Coral Bay was slightly over 25 years ago. Evenings spent at Shipwreck Landing were some of the most memorable in my lifetime. I have since been back 5 times and each time I made the decision to revisit St. John was to enjoy the peace and tranquility of Coral Bay. As others have stated here, once the damage is done it cannot be reversed. I’ve traveled to many areas around the world since my first visit to St. John but Coral Bay is the only place that is a reoccurring stop in my lifetime. Save what is now for future generations to enjoy.
• Beth Alexander Dear Senator: please read and remember these words from the government’s own marketing stagedy for St John, “Unspoiled Beauty.” Thank you for your service.

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• Ginger Parker Mr. Senator – In less than 24 hours, your previous post about meeting with Rick Barksdale and Chaliese Summers re their continued SEG marina plan has generated nearly 600 comments. How many of those comments were in support of this marina?
  Please take the time to speak with David Silverman who is a member of the Coastal Zone Management committee for the island of St John and is familiar with the material facts of this issue. And please read carefully the documents pertaining to this project. They are readily available. Thank you.
• Pete Leavitt This is such a horrible idea. Please leave Coral Bay alone from development that would do such harm to the environment and water creatures
• William Hamilton Dear Senator, Not to waste your time or mine…as a public elected official you have excess to public\private records! Please answer this one question for me. Who has the lease on “Island Blues”? If you can answer this please reply to me! Sincerely, Bill Hamilton

• Jason Lang I would say that a very small percentage of people support a marina in Coral Bay – my guess would be less than 10%. I would guess that the majority, at least 90%, would oppose a marina.

  My personal opinion, as a person who vacations in Coral Bay regularly, is a marina would be the absolute best way to turn Coral Bay into a toilet.
• Dan Boyd See the nice work that Summers End Group did on cleaning up Island Blues ?
  They will do no better building a marina in that location either!
  NO MARINA PLEASE !
• Ginger Parker https://savecoralbay.com/five-federal-agencies/

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  SAVECORALBAY.COM

  Five Federal Agencies – No, No, No, No, No
• Ginger Parker http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/…/article…

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  VIRGINISLANDSDAILYNEWS.COM

  What is really going on with the Summer’s End Group?

  What is really going on with the Summer’s End Group?
• Brian Donovan I’m not saying that a Coral Bay marina is the gold medal dumbest idea ever conceived by the human mind, because someone thought up light beer at some point, but you’d definitely be standing on the podium. There is absolutely no compelling reason to develop a marina in Coral Bay.
• Terrie Trebilcock Mr. Senator,
  Please put St. John’s greatest treasure, its natural beauty, first, and vote “no” on this marina project.
• Dianne Britten Otis NO
• Joe Chmielewski It is a poor location for a mega marina. Everyone knows this. I swear these people will stop at nothing to destroy a community.
• Ryan West Serious infrastructure improvements need to be made to Coral Bay in order for the community to handle any influx of visitors, resulting from any size of development. The roads need improving. Waste management needs more resources, manpower, and fixed assets to facilitate waste removal. If there is a serious medical emergency, the response time from EMS is inadequate because of manpower, assets, and distance; they need the support of a second medical facility on that side of the island. We don’t have enough LTE coverage in that area of the island to triangulate an E-911 signal. What about fair, affordable housing for those who would be employed by such a development so that the added jobs can stay here? There are some serious, longstanding issues that need to be addressed in order to support any sort of further economic development in Coral Bay. Is the government willing to make these improvements before starting such a project? If the answer is no, I personally can’t agree with any proposal that has been made public at this point. The Coral Bay community deserves both infrastructural stability and economic stability; one cannot reasonably exist without the other.
• Bob Von Rhee I am not a St John resident, but my wife and I have enjoyed vacationing in St John, more particularly Coral Bay since 1994. Allowing this marina to go forward would be a tragedy. One could only conclude that supporting this project would be capitulating to the almighty $dollar$ and NOT representing the citizens and the economy of St. John. Please allow reason and not $$ to prevail.
• Paul Anderson No….no…no!!!!!
• Amanda Ray PLEASE do not do this. Do not support this – keep this out of Coral Bay.
• Raven Wirick Lewis I believe the people have been saying NO since the start.

• Al Cooke Senator DeGraff,

  Thank you for reaching out to the community. If I am a member of the St. John Community, it is as a visitor. I come in occasionally, stay for a while, leave some money, and take home memories that make me want to return. As such I have perceived that the west end of St. John, around Cruz Bay, is for those who prefer lots of contact – restaurants, bars, hotels, transportation services, recreation providers, etc. My wife and I along with those who join us tend to find the natural aspects of St. John more appealing. So we tend to rent a vehicle and find more isolated accommodation on the east end of St. John somewhere above Coral Bay. It’s quieter. We find access to beaches and snorkeling that are less crowded. We find the restaurants and bars around Coral Bay a bit more relaxed or laid back, more suitable to our preferences. And the grocery stores supply all our needs.

  So if you were going to put a new marina anywhere, I would find it more suited to the west end around Cruz Bay. A marina will certainly lure in those who will spend more money and require more services. And that is already available around Cruz Bay. You will likely also find investment by those who seek to take dollars away from St. John and move profits into other investments. And you will likely find a bigger burden on the natural resources. Boats in marinas come with their own ways of contaminating the pristine waters that are St. John’s greatest resource. The more development there is, the greater the burden on the resources.

  I think it would be sad to impose that milieu on Coral Bay. It would take away from those who prefer a little more space, a little more privacy, a slower way of life, an experience of a world not available to most of us. Even Cruz Bay does not need it.

  One must wonder why people come to St. John. It would be easier to fly into St. Thomas and just stay there. Instead we take taxis and ferries, we negotiate schedules and timing, just to get off of St. Thomas and move onto St. John. St. John today offers what St. Thomas no longer can. St. John today offers what it will not be able to offer if it allows developers to run roughshod over the will of those who look for a little slower, calmer way of life.

  I implore the leaders of St. John to retain the environment and style for which we come.

  Thank you for your consideration and for reading to the end.
  • Sharon Coldren Very Eloquent statement of the draw of Coral Bay for those who live here – and those who visit. Thank you for taking the time to write it.
• Peggy Nye Hammer-Davis NO !!!!! PLEASE NO! Once this is done it cannot be reversed and the damage will be done. Let our island live in peace. Senator please help us stop this project! 🌴🌴🐟🐟🐟🐟🐟
• Sharon Coldren Senator DeGraff – Thank you for making this renewed effort to influence senators by this developer public. The only “new” plans we have seen is a slight modification to the layout to avoid a landowner in the middle who did not want to be included, and a minor change in dock layout. Can you share what these new plans are?
• Alec Gowan Senator, I hope the fact that every comment is negative here means something.
• Deb Schmidt I am not a resident of St. John however my husband and I love coming to the island. We love the Coral Bay area for the quiet natural beauty it offers. We hoped in the future to vacation with our grandchildren there. A marina in Coral Bay would definitely eliminate it as a go to place for us.
• Susan Silverman Coral Bay has received numerous destination awards.
  Let’s protect our home for future generations!
  https://viconsortium.com/…/new-york-times-names-coral…/

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  VICONSORTIUM.COM

  New York Times Names Coral Bay, St. John As Top Destination To Visit This Year