Hurricane damaged employee housing at Virgin Islands National Park/NPS

As Virgin Islands National Park continues to recover from the devastation of Hurricanes Irma and Maria last September, replacing park employee housing that was destroyed is next on the to-do list.

The public is invited to attend an open house at the park's Cruz Bay Visitor Center on July 24 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to discuss the rebuilding plans. Also up for discussion are plans to build new pavilions at Maho Bay, and the Strategic Plan for the Caribbean Parks.

The September hurricanes resulted in the loss of approximately 7,000 square feet of housing and 6,000 square feet of administrative space. The loss of housing, office, and administrative space has resulted in staff relocations off of the island, and hampers both the ability of the park staff to manage hurricane recovery efforts and the day-to-day business of the park.

The park has prepared a draft Environmental Assessment that examines alternatives for replacing the housing and administrative spaces that were destroyed due to Hurricanes Irma and Maria with a goal of rebuilding in a smart location that limits the impacts to park resources, represents smart investment of financial resources, is as resilient to future storms as possible, and limits impacts to the local community.

The Environmental Assessment is available for review at this web page. Comments will be accepted through July 31. Copies of the EA will also be available at the open house. Comments can be submitted at the public meeting, via the link above, or they may be mailed to:

ATTN: Lind Point Plan Virgin Islands National Park
1300 Cruz Bay Creek  
St. John, VI 00830