Government

Bryan Slams VIGL Over St. Croix Racetrack Delays: Start Building or "Get Off Our Property"

“Pure fantasy and fiction.” That was Governor Albert Bryan Jr. describing a recent press release issued by VIGL, the developer responsible for getting the Randall “Doc” James racetrack on St. Croix up and running. The statement blames the lengthy construction delays on a $5 million settlement that VIGL was reached with the government “as partial reimbursement for VIGL’s private capital expenditures put into the St. Thomas racetrack since 2016.” It referenced a 2022 piece of legislation providing the funds to support the construction of the track, however VIGL did not inform readers that the money is supposed to be tied to a set of milestones agreed to by the company.  As such, the VIGL press release, according to Governor Bryan, is misleading. “It’s not based in any truth,” the governor insisted at the beginning of a scathing rebuke of the company and its alleged secretive plans. “They want to build a casino for gaming and not build a structure for horse racing, and get paid up fron...