Revitalization Underway: VIPA Approves Task Orders for Enighed Pond, Frederiksted Fish Market and More

  • Janeka Simon
  • May 29, 2023
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3D modeling of the Proposed Enighed Pond Community Park in Cruz Bay. By. THE VIRGIN ISLANDS PORT AUTHORITY.

The V.I. Port Authority Governing Board approved several task orders for various projects during Friday’s monthly meeting.

Motions were approved to award contracts for work on the Frederiksted Fish Market and the Enighed Pond Community Park projects.

Tafari Nelson, VIPA engineer, explained that in March, the Department of Planning and Natural Resources had requested VIPA's technical assistance in crafting a design-build request for proposal (RFP) package for the fish market. As a result VIPA, through its on-call architectural engineering consultant, Moffatt & Nichol, will conduct the project's data collection, site assessment, schematic design development, and creation of the final design-build RFP package.

Preston Byer, VIPA’s director of engineering, indicated that the project would likely span three to four months, depending largely on Moffatt & Nichol's involvement. VIPA will manage the task order worth a maximum of $176,450 with Moffatt & Nichol daily, with input from DPNR and the Department of Fish and Wildlife. Nelson indicated that VIPA had included a 5% administrative fee to offset the time and resources dedicated to the successful implementation of the task order. The fee, clarified VIPA Executive Director Carlton Dowe, was strictly for the creation of the solicitation package. He stressed that VIPA's participation not only strengthens relationships with other governmental agencies but would also expedite the process, as these processes can be time-consuming.

The second task order, to be awarded to VIPA’s architectural consultants was one in a not-to-exceed amount of $371,980, for the schematic design and development of the Enighed Pond Community Park project. Throughout 2022, VIPA held a series of meetings with the St. John community to create a master plan for a multipurpose park facility on VIPA property in the Enighed Pond area of Cruz Bay, St. John. The final site concept presented at a public meeting on February 9, 2023 received general community approval. The task order approved on Friday will now allow for further development of the design from the existing master plan site concept for permitting. 

Moffat & Nichols will also be providing project design services for the Crown Bay Terminal improvement project in the works since October 2020, when VIPA was selected for a Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) grant, administered by the Department of Transportation's Maritime Administration.

The cost of the consultants’ design services for this project will be just over $1.2 million, which covers tasks such as bulkhead rehabilitation, concrete apron restoration, container yard improvements, stormwater management, security fencing and lighting, and fire protection, according to Nelson. The phased project will begin with preliminaries including the design drawings, topographic survey, geotechnical investigation, and an opinion of probable cost. It will continue with the development of the bulk of required documents such as design drawings, specifications, and an opinion of cost, and conclude in the final design documents stage. These costs will ultimately be covered by the grant funding, and the 20% local match requirement has been covered by two private firms – Tropical Shipping and Crowley Logistics. 

According to Dowe, the two companies participated not just in the initial grant application process but will also be involved in the design and implementation phases of the project. Given their significant stake in the project, Dowe noted that they would also want to ensure the project's success, contributing to the management and oversight.

Two key task orders for airport improvement projects were also approved during Friday’s board meeting. The decisions form part of VIPA's ongoing efforts to maintain the territory's air transportation facilities, even as they await the selection of a private-sector partner to assume management and upkeep responsibilities for the two international airports. 

One task order, capped at $179,286 and part of VIPA’s Airport Capital Improvement Plan, authorizes American Infrastructure Development to perform design services for the rehabilitation of Apron 2 at the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport. 

Apron 2, an asphalt apron located adjacent to the commercial apron area, requires rehabilitation to remain suitable for aircraft parking and safe operations. A pavement management study conducted in 2020 highlighted the necessity of these renovations.

VIPA Director of Engineering Preston Byer clarified that the focus would be on maintaining and rehabilitating existing airfield pavements rather than making significant changes to grading or drainage patterns. The project will keep the airport's pavements usable and maintainable for their intended service life. 

Meanwhile, another task order provided aviation planning consultants Ricondo with $1,546,100 for planning services related to the Aviation System Master Plan Phase One. A scoping meeting held in March between VIPA, the Federal Aviation Administration and Ricondo outlined a three-phase approach for the master plan's development. The first phase, which will run until April 2024, will focus on areas not dependent on future public-private partnership (P3) developers or operators. The next two phases will be expanded upon once an operator is selected.

The scope of work for both airports includes stakeholder outreach and participation, pavement management analysis, obstruction survey, inventory of existing conditions, aviation activity forecasts, airfield movement area critical dimension analysis and alternatives, airport layout plan, passenger facility charge program recommendations, and short-term capital improvement plan financial analysis. As with the previous task order, these initiatives are being funded 90% by FAA grants and 10% by operating funds.

These task orders add to the more than 20 projects VIPA is currently working on across the territory.

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