CRUZ BAY — The National Park Service held a meeting on St. John this week about efforts toward reopening the former Caneel Bay Resort, and the Park Service will be giving free tours of the property today.
The eventual plan is for a development company to rebuild the resort, which was destroyed in the 2017 hurricanes and has not reopened to overnight guests. The intention is to renovate existing structures where possible, and “it will have to match that historic fabric and character,” said Park Superintendent Penny Del Bene, who took over the role last month.
At least 30 community members attended Tuesday’s meeting at the Cruz Bay Visitor’s Center, and questioned the Park Service’s plans, procedures, and public communication, expressing a mixture of concern, anticipation, and excitement about Caneel Bay’s management and reopening.
An approximately 45-page request for qualifications will have a fuller explanation of specific development goals when it’s issued in the coming weeks, and the process could take up to a year, Del Bene said Tuesday.
Last July, the Park Service announced plans to solicit bids from developers and increase public access to portions of the historic property, adding community space for local vendors and other amenities. About 67 acres would be designated for hotel operation, and development would occupy essentially the same footprint as the previous resort, former Park Superintendent Nigel Fields said at the time.
But the plans were put on hold amid a lengthy legal battle, which began in June 2022, when EHI Acquisitions filed an ownership claim in U.S. District Court.
Chief Judge Robert Molloy ordered the United States to “refrain from taking any action to manage the property or otherwise dispossess Plaintiff of the property after September 30, 2023,” when a longstanding Retained Use Estate agreement expired.
Another judge was assigned to the case, and on April 22, Circuit Judge Cheryl Krause ruled in favor of the National Park. She found that former owner Laurance Rockefeller, who gave 5,000 acres of land on St. John to the U.S. government to create Virgin Islands National Park in 1956, had intended to also donate Caneel Bay when he offered it to the government in 1982.
Rockefeller retained private use of the 150-acre resort under an unususal 30-year agreement that extended to 2023, which was subsequently transferred to other companies, and EHI and CBI Acquisitions were the last private operators to manage the resort. But Rockefeller’s land deal was “entirely philanthropic,” and Krause found that despite EHI’s arguments, the property did not revert to EHI when the company offered to sell the land to the government for $70 million.
Gary Engle is a principal of both EHI and CBI, and company lawyers have said they intend to appeal the decision.
When asked if EHI or CBI will be allowed to participate in the bid process to select the next developer, Park Service Concession Manager Paul Jones said that “anyone will be able to bid.” Del Bene added that, “legally, we have no way to disqualify potential bidders.”
Two existing businesses on the property, ZoZo’s and Caneel Bay Beach Club, will be allowed to continue operating under temporary agreements, but the Park Service still needs to “ascertain what we’re going to be doing” in terms of businesses going forward, Jones said.
In the meantime, the Park Service has brought in staff from around the country to help with the transition process and cleanup in preparation for reopening to the public, according to National Park Service spokeswoman Emily Davis. There is no current timeline for reopening, but Del Bene said they’re hoping to establish parking and walking access to the beach in about a month or two, depending on how long it takes to bring in bathroom facilities and finish installing new signage.
Davis is on temporary assignment from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and arrived on May 6 along with staff from 33 other parks who will stay until May 19. The incident management team includes 65 park service staff, including 16 from the V.I. National Park, and eight working remotely, Davis said.
Davis said efforts so far include clearing vegetation from paths and historic structures. Del Bene said unstable structures will be fenced off and not accessible to the public, but they’ll ensure visitors can view the structures safely, and the Park Service is working to provide interpretation and historic context to the ruins where enslaved St. Johnians worked on sugar plantations.
A security contract is in place, and Del Bene said they’re working to recruit sufficient staff.
Deputy Superintendent Scott Simmons also provided an update on efforts to remove asbestos debris left on the property after the hurricanes, and said 317 cubic yards of material was shipped off island for disposal. Loose material on the ground was removed, but asbestos-contaminated buildings will need to be dealt with by the winning developer.
They’re also working with contractors to remove fuel-contaminated soil on the property, and site remediation at a former landfill near Honeymoon Beach is planned for the future, Simmons said.
In terms of the costs, Simmons was asked if the Park Service could sue the previous operators to recover hurricane-related insurance proceeds not used to clean up the property after the 2017 storms.
Simmons said the Park Service is funding the cleanup, but they’ll be working with the Solicitor’s office to determine the responsible party, and could potentially seek reimbursement.
Several attendees at the meeting said the Park Service isn’t doing enough to spread the word about community meetings and future plans. Park Service public information officer Ahmad Toure said they distribute announcements via a variety of media, including press releases, radio interviews, and social media. Del Bene said they’ll keep working to spread the word about future events, including a tentative May 29 meeting.
Today, the National Park will also provide free taxi tours at 9 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. for the public to see the work already being done as part of the Caneel Bay transition, and the tours start from the Cruz Bay Visitor’s Center.
Updates, along with the NPS development plans can be found at go.nps.gov/caneelbay.
By SUXANNE CARLSON/V.I. Daily News