Render of proposed Sprauve Pre K-12 school on St. John. Photo Credit: GVI.
The Coastal Zone Management Commission has approved the federal consistency determination for the Julius E. Sprauve School reconstruction project.
As commissioners were informed during a prior public hearing on the matter, the final outcome of the project will be a new facility capable of accommodating up to 550 students from Pre-K to Grade 12. The school will sit off Highway 10, near the Catherineberg Estate ruins, and expected to provide the children of St. John the ability to complete all their education up to high school without having to commute to St. Thomas.
Architect Pamela Loeffelman, senior principal at DLR Group, noted that lingering concerns still exist about the plans for parking and access to recreational space. “As we all know…there is not the capacity on the actual site that is owned by VIDE for these additional fields,” she reminded CZM commissioners. The VI Department of Education has been in talks with other government entities with land in the area to address the issue. The Virgin Islands Housing Authority, said VIDE architect Chaneel Callwood, has “enthusiastically agreed to meet” on August 12 to discuss the matter.
“We are hopeful that this will be a fruitful discussion and lead to a memorandum of understanding,” said Ms. Callwood, noting that should the talks fall through, VIDE would have to pursue the matter with other agencies. However, the department is committed to paying for the additional land the school would need. “We do have funding from FEMA available to build a field,” Ms. Callwood noted.
Following that short discussion, commissioners voted on whether to issue a determination of federal consistency on the project. Their unanimous approval means that the reconstruction of the JuliusE. Sprauve school is one step closer to becoming a reality for St. John youth.
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