The V.I. Waste Management Authority’s “inability to meet the financial obligations” for garbage collection at public housing developments on St. Croix has forced the V.I. Housing Authority to step in, according to VIHA Executive Director Dwayne Alexander.
Mr. Alexander testified before the Committee on Housing, Transportation, and Telecommunications on Wednesday, explaining that WMA was “unable to provide regular trash removal at several public housing sites to prevent residents from being subjected to unsanitary conditions.”
Since February, VIHA has taken over trash removal at six developments, including J.F. Kennedy Terrace Community and Candido Guadalupe Terrace. The arrangement has cost the agency $20,000 each month.
Mr. Alexander said the partnership with WMA was intended as a “temporary agreement” lasting 90 days. However, he told Senator Angel Bolques that the timeline has been indefinitely extended as conversations continue between the two entities. “Sometime soon,” he anticipates, a resolution will be reached.
Until then, VIHA continues to cover the expense on a four-month basis. To date, the authority has spent $80,000 across the six sites. Bolques asked how VIHA is managing the extra financial burden. Mr. Alexander acknowledged the strain, saying the agency had “some money” in reserve but emphasized that it was not “a whole lot of money.”
“We’re looking to be reimbursed for the money that we have spent thus far,” he stated, though he did not provide a timeframe for when that might happen. He stressed that VIHA’s “foremost priority has been to safeguard the health, safety and the quality of life of our residents.”
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