Although the writing may have been on the wall, all logic and analysis told us that CZM could not possibly approve this monstrosity of a project. However with a CZM Committee of only three members, one of whom had to recuse himself due to prior relationship with the applicant, the decision boiled down to a vote of just two people. It would take two votes to approve, and Summers End was able to find those two.
The morning after the shock decision of the St John CZM Committee to approve the Summers End marina permits, I decided to take a long walk to collect my thoughts. When I returned there was a brilliant golden fist in the sky, a sign of solidarity, and I wrote these words on Facebook …
First the Shock … and Then the Healing
“I went on one of my favorite 8 mile walks this afternoon … down Bordeaux trail, over Lameshure, up Reef Bay, then back home along Bordeaux mountain road … we live in a spectacularly beautiful place …
Something I learn each time I take a hike is that by placing one foot in front of the other, we can cover great distances … a good lesson for today.
I also had time to think about the CZM decision and what it means …
One of the foundations of Coastal Zone Management is that decisions are made by local committees … this is both a strength as well as a weakness. By placing decision making authority with local residents it ensures that the people with local knowledge are empowered to make the important development decisions impacting their community. This is a good thing. Unfortunately it also means that the people who make those decisions need to live with their family, relatives and neighbors who may well be positively or negatively impacted by their decisions. This is often a bad thing.
It was clear to me, based on their tone of voice, their total lack of engagement, and their lack of questions, that these two CZM members had decided to take the path of least resistance – to basically do nothing to affect the outcome. They took the findings of DPNR/CZM staff verbatim, added nothing to the resolutions, read them into the record and voted. This was not a vote of affirmation following an engaged dialog. This was passing the buck to the next authority to do the dirty work.
I cannot honestly say how I would have acted had I been in those Commissioners’ shoes. We need to balance our feelings of ethics, our loyalty to friends and family, our commitment to the environment, and after balancing all of those factors, come to a decision. Being on these boards is a thankless position and we often find ourselves between a rock and a hard place. These two gentlemen took the path of inaction, and they simply nodded their heads in approval.
People will have theories of coercion, bribery, political pressures, but I honestly do not believe that was what happened today. I believe these two intelligent, well educated, well informed men made a calculated decision to not follow the clear requirements of the law, and to do what they felt was wanted by their community.
So we shouldn’t rehash what has happened, but we should focus on the next steps and redouble our efforts to make sure that our community is protected from reckless development.”
The community was understandably shocked. This was a project which should never have even reached the review stage since it didn’t have the legally required land owner authorizations. It was a project with a highly flawed Environmental Assessment, and without any evidence of financial backing. But in spite of all of that, the St John CZM Committee voted 2-0 (with one abstention) to approve both the Major Water and Major Land permits for the Summers End Group.
Following this heart-wrenching meeting, a large group of community members assembled at a restaurant in Mongoose Junction, where I addressed the crowd. I don’t remember much of what I said, but I do remember saying “this is the best day this developer will ever have” … and although SEG has had some small wins since then, I think I was correct in that assessment on that day.
Within a matter of days a Coral Bay Defense Fund was set up and an agreement was made with the Virgin Islands Conservation Society to join forces in an appeal. Flyers were printed, bumper stickers were distributed, songs were written, and the community organized for a fight which we had no inkling would take a decade to win.