Pile Of Dirt At Paul E. Joseph Stadium Site Is Part Of Construction, Coastal Systems USVI Says

ST. CROIX — The large pile of dirt sitting on the site of the Paul E. Joseph Stadium in Frederiksted, called a surcharge pile, is part of the construction project, Coastal Systems USVI, which was hired by the Mapp administration for the design of the stadium, told The Consortium on Monday. The information was provided following a Consortium story that highlighted the stall of construction on the long-delayed rebuild of the stadium, and the many times the Mapp administration has changed course.

During an interview yesterday, Coastal Systems USVI Director of Operations, Tim Demtsey, told this publication that the dirt on the site is equivalent to what the weight of the finished stadium will be, and that it needed to sit for 90 days so that the foundation could sustain the stadium’s weight once completed.

“It’s compressing the earth underneath it. We have soil engineers that are seeing how much compression we have so that we can come and finalize a foundation design, and for the stadium itself,” Mr. Demtsey said.

The pile of dirt needs to sit for 90 days, he said, after which construction of the foundation will commence. Mr. Demtsey did not say how soon after construction on the foundation would start, nor could he reveal the entire project’s duration. He did reveal, however, that the dirt has been sitting in place for roughly 20 days.

Once the 90 days have passed, GEC, LLC, the firm procured to build the stadium, will continue work.