Decision on Additional Funding For Stalled Estate Donoe Project Still Over 4 Months Away

A decision on whether the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will grant additional funding to complete the stalled Estate Donoe Housing Project on St. Thomas is still more than four months away, said Office of Disaster Recovery Director Adrienne Williams-Octalien on Tuesday. “We’re looking at a substantial amendment being sent to HUD for the additional amount that’s necessary,” Ms. Williams-Octalien told members of the Public Finance Authority following a question by PFA member Dorothy Isaacs. “We’re looking at that HUD approval taking about 120 days.” The project, which broke ground in January 2021, ran into problems when initial contractor GEC encountered environmental issues on site that had to be remediated. These concerns, along with delays in receiving materials, led project costs to spiral out of control. Ultimately, by the time approved changes had brought the price tag up to almost $66 million from initial estimates of $55 million, the V.I. Housing Authority an...