“Vision 2040,” the 20-year economic plan for the U.S. Virgin Islands, has been completed and will be summarized in a public presentation next Tuesday, March 30 featuring Governor Albert Bryan Jr., the VI Economic Development Authority CEO Wayne L. Biggs Jr., and an executive for the consulting team instrumental in the development of the plan, Mr. Biggs announced today. The event will be broadcast live on Tuesday from 12 Noon to 1PM on multiple media outlets. Members of the Virgin Islands public, whose contributions were pivotal in the construction of this ambitious plan, are urged to tune in. Broadcast and online outlets carrying the live event include:
| Television: WTJX and Government Access Channel, |
Radio: 103.5 FM and 1340 AM
Facebook Live @USVI2040, @WTJX, @GovernmentHouseUSVI, and @USVIEDA
Vision 2040: Our Economy. Our Future is the Territory’s first-ever long-range economic plan and is the culmination of six months of intensive work by the VIEDA, its allies in other government agencies, the private and non-profit sectors, and Camoin 310, the Saratoga, NY-based economic development consulting firm hired to assist in the creation of the plan. The project was funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration with matching funds from the Virgin Islands Housing Finance Authority administering Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) by the Housing Urban Development (HUD).
A key element in the development of the plan was the engagement of Virgin Islanders, both those who currently live in the Territory and Virgin Islanders who now live elsewhere in the U.S. mainland and abroad.
More than 2,000 residents and over 700 former residents heeded the call, participating in multiple surveys, one-on-one interviews and virtual town hall meetings in November and December.
“The response was phenomenal,” said CEO Biggs. “Now we’re excited to share the plan with everyone and I anticipate many will tune in next Tuesday at noon.”
For questions and more information in advance of next Tuesday’s public presentation, please contact Shanell Petersen, VIEDA Managing Director, Marketing and Vision 2040 at spetersen@usvieda.org or go to Vision 2040’s
website (www.USVI2040.com) or Facebook page (www.facebook.com/USVI2040).
