The Paul E. Joseph Stadium on St. Croix.
The Committee on Culture, Youth, Aging, Sports, and Parks expects to receive a comprehensive status update on the Paul E. Joseph Stadium project on April 20th, after members of the 36th Legislature agreed to subpoena the contractor and several of the Governor Albert Bryan's cabinet members.
During Wednesday’s Legislative Session, Senator Angel Bolques Jr., the chair of the Culture Committee, invoked the Legislature’s power of subpoena. It is the second time that Bolques has done so in the past 12 months.
According to the Legislature’s calendar, a project update was previously scheduled for Friday, February 20th, 2026, but was struck off at the eleventh hour. Now, the Legislature has used the legal tool at its disposal to ensure the relevant stakeholders will be present and accountable to the territory.
The first to be subpoenaed was John Wessel, the operations manager of GEC LLC, the contractor on the much-delayed project. Virgin Islanders who once enjoyed recreating at the Paul E. Joseph Stadium were promised that the reconstructed facility would be delivered by Christmas 2025. That deadline has since passed. Mr. Wessel is expected to provide a wide-ranging report detailing multiple aspects of the project, including what has contributed to the persistent delays.
Joining him on April 20th will be Derek Gabriel, the commissioner of the Department of Public Works, and Adrienne Williams-Octalien, director of the Office of Disaster Recovery. They were also subpoenaed. So, too, were Lisa Alejandro, commissioner of the Department of Property and Procurement, Vincent Roberts, commissioner of the Department of Sports, Parks, and Recreation, and Jean Pierre Oriol, commissioner of the Department of Planning and Natural Resources. Julio Rhymer, director of the Office of Management and Budget, has also been subpoenaed to provide a financial account of the lingering project.
The reconstruction of the Paul E. Joseph Stadium stands out as a sore point for Virgin Islanders. Promised completion dates have consistently elapsed since the contract was awarded in 2014. In January 2026, Governor Bryan stated that the project was “almost done”, but no concrete completion date was provided. Lawmakers and constituents alike will be expecting that information to be placed on the record during the April 20th committee hearing.
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