The Virgin Islands Office of Veterans Affairs is happy to announce the launch of its first-ever agency website. Veterans are now able to access most services online including veteran eligibility status, education tuition waivers, and medical travel reimbursements.
U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS— In accordance with Governor Albert Bryan Jr. phased reopening of the territory, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles will be implementing phased reopening protocols from Monday, May 18, 2020. Director McIntosh and the staff of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles are implementing the following procedures to safeguard the community and the employees:
- The BMV will resume all services beginning Monday, May 18, 2020 with restrictions. Customers who wish to renew vehicle registrations, obtain moving permits, permits to ship vehicles off-island, title transfers of new and used vehicles and duplicate documents, must drop off the required documents to a designated drop box at any bureau office, in a sealed envelope. Customers are required to provide pertinent contact information, such as phone number and email address. The bureau will then schedule an appointment for each customer to pick up their documents and pay for the service. Applications and a list of the required documents are available on our website at bmv.vi.gov.
- Director McIntosh is still encouraging the community to take advantage of the bureau’s online vehicle registration process. During the period from March 18, 2020 to May 31, 2020, the bureau will waive the requirement for inspection for any customer who renews their vehicle registration online. If customers need assistance in setting up an account or for technical assistance, please email the bureau at info@bmv.vi.gov.
- For driver’s license and disabled placards related services, customers are required to make an appointment. To make an appointment, please call (340) 713-4268 on St. Croix, (340) 774-4268 on St. Thomas, and (340) 776-6262 on St. John.
- All road tests and written test for the learner’s permit are cancelled until further notice.
Director McIntosh thanks the community for their understanding during this public health emergency. As the bureau receives additional information, Director McIntosh will update the protocols as necessary. For more information, please feel to contact the BMV at (340) 713-4268 on St. Croix, (340) 774-4268 on St. Thomas, and (340) 776-6262 on St. John.
For up to date information on COVID-19, the new strain of coronavirus, please visit the Virgin Islands Department of Health’s website at: doh.vi.gov/coronavirus or text COVID19USVI to 88877. #COVID19USVI
The governing board of the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority has given its nod of approval for the hiring of outside assistance to complete the restoration of the utility’s Automated Metering Infrastructure. Once completed, WAPA will be in position to ensure accurate and timely billing.
The board’s action came in a Friday morning emergency meeting.
To complete system restoration, WAPA is returning to a contactor and the principal engineer who originally designed and implemented the automated metering system which was decimated in the 2017 hurricanes.
The board authorized entering into contract with Black & Veatch International Company for the first stage of system restoration at a cost of $371,140. The work by Black & Veatch will be completed in 16-18 weeks, and all field work will be finalized by the end of 2020. Executive Director Lawrence J. Kupfer told board members that since the hurricanes WAPA has been working on system restoration with internal resources. “The Authority is now seeking outside assistance to complete the restoration. Complete rehabilitation of the system will improve meter communications, synchronize data management systems, and improve meter data management functionality.”
He added that the completion of system restoration is directly linked to the Authority’s ability to bill timelier and ensure accuracy.
Chief Operating Officer of Electric Systems Clinton T. Hedrington Jr. said Black & Veatch was selected, and the firm is best suited to execute a corrective plan they designed. “B&V has the capacity to immediately begin work on this project, and engineer Rick Schmidt’s intimate knowledge of the system design and functionality is of great value to WAPA.”
In other action, the board authorized Director Kupfer to enter into contract with Wartsila LLC for engineering services and engine reservation fees. This contract is associated with the purchase and installation of two, four-megawatt emergency generators for St. John, which had previously been approved by the board in September 2018. The cost for engineering services and reservation fees total $3 million. Once the design work is completed and a final cost negotiated, the governing board must approve the contract terms.
Once installed and commissioned, the generators, that will be located in Cruz Bay and Coral Bay, will provide electrical service to St. John during service interruptions on St. Thomas. “With these units, St. John can be independently restored while the outage issues on St. Thomas are resolved,” Kupfer told board members. The battery system will provide grid stabilization as determined by a power system study. Once negotiations are completed, the governing board must approve the final contract cost. The project will be funded on a 90-10 match by FEMA.
Hedrington said at today’s meeting that the project was originally approved in 2018 however it underwent additional review by FEMA to determine its qualification for federal funding. The project is categorized by WAPA as one of several hazard mitigation undertakings to create a more resilient, efficient, and reliable electric system in the territory.
The board also approved a loan contract amendment with Rural Utility Services and a new deposit control agreement to replace the former Cushion of Credit Account. The changes were required by RUS which provided a $13 million loan to WAPA to initially develop and implement the automated metering infrastructure and associated systems.
Board members in attendance included: Chairman Anthony D. Thomas, Vice Chair Noel Loftus, Secretary Juanita Young, Directors Kyle Fleming and Joel Lee, and Cheryl Boynes Jackson. Elizabeth Armstrong, Jed JohnHope, and Hubert Turnbull were excused.
US VIRGIN ISLANDS— Governor Albert Bryan’s COVID-19 task force, led by Health Commissioner Justa Encarnacion, is working closely with Limetree Bay terminals to enforce protocols in place to ensure new contract workers and contract workers returning to St. Croix from the U.S. Mainland are adequately screened and monitored for COVID-19.
The protocols set for returning contractors include a pre-approval for travel by Limetree and a requirement to provide the Department of Health with their on-island address and flight itinerary prior to arrival.
In addition to the pre-screening protocols prior to travel, which includes the COVID-19 PCR test, contractor employees must also submit to temperature screening and adhere to mandatory isolation until a negative test is received.
Governor Bryan reiterated Friday that, based on the data, the territory’s airports remain its most vulnerable point of entry, noting that all but one of the territory’s 23 travel-related COVID-19 positive patients have arrived through the territory’s two airports.
“With the overwhelming majority of our travel-related COVID patients having arrived in the territory by air, our airports remain our most vulnerable point of entry,” said Governor Bryan. “We have been successful in reducing air travel to the territory by banning leisure travel bookings at our hotels, but we still have contractors and other emergency and essential personnel coming in daily, and having these protocols in place has proven successful thus far in protecting against the spread of this virus in our community.”
Additional protocols require contractor employees to wear a facial covering while at work for 14 days after arrival, to report any symptoms or illnesses when they first occur immediately, and to stay at home if they feel ill.
New and returning contractors must also submit to daily temperature screening at a designated area upon entering the Limetree facility and will have their temperatures recorded in a log each day.
In the event a contractor employee tests positive for COVID-19, he or she will immediately be sent to Limetree’s quarantine wing, or local address listed, and will require a letter of release from DOH before they can be released from quarantine and return to work.
The majority of the workers will be isolated within the Limetree Bay Village.
