Paul E. Joseph Stadium render.
Governor Albert Bryan announced Thursday that construction on the Paul E. Joseph stadium will resume next week now that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved a Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR), according to a Gov't House release. The CLOMR had caused a temporary halt in construction operations last December because of concerns about flooding. Senators had called the hold a "travesty."
FEMA’s approval clears the way for the long-awaited rebuild of the stadium, which Mr. Bryan has said is an integral part of his administration’s overhaul of Frederiksted that includes renovating and upgrading the Ann E. Abramson Pier, landscaping and other enhancements to the Waterfront Park, rebuilding the Midre Cummings Park, street repairs and paving in Downtown Frederiksted and repairing and refurbishing the Vincent Mason Pool.
“Another hurdle has been cleared as we rebuild bigger and better in Frederiksted and across the Territory. This is yet another capital project that the Administration has moved from ‘proposed’ to ‘underway,” Mr. Bryan said. “What is most exciting is that the transformation of Frederiksted is not just being talked about, but it is happening now, and residents can see the work in progress as we enhance the town as another cultural and recreational jewel to increase its prominence in our Tourism offerings to visitors.”
According to the release, the governor submitted legislation to the 33rd Legislature in January 2020 to allocate $8.2 million from the Internal Revenue Matching Fund to support the completion of the long-delayed stadium project.
The Internal Revenue Matching Fund allocation finally cleared the way for the project’s completion; however, while the project application was under review by FEMA, the federal agency requested additional information regarding portions of the project being located in a floodplain, according to Gov't House.
Work on the stadium renovation that had been underway was halted in August 2020 pending FEMA’s approval, which the governor announced today.
The administration said submitting a CLOMR application was the best option to keep the project on budget to address FEMA’s concerns and regulations about the flood plain.
A CLOMR is a letter from FEMA commenting on whether a proposed project, if built as proposed, or proposed hydrology changes would meet minimum National Flood Insurance Program standards.
