Welcome to the Frontpage

Main Menu

Site Login

Recent Rains Worsen Weakened Centerline Road

Details: Created on Tuesday, 21 May 2013 04:11; Written by Jaime Elliott

Recent heavy rains brought down a new section of the already eroding area of Centerline Road near the Upper Carolina subdivision turnoff, above. DPW officials are aware of the problem but don’t expect to move ahead with repairs for at least three months.

Heavy rains on Friday, May 10, brought flooding across the territory, but the force of the rain just might have caused the worst damage on St. John.

A section of Centerline Road near the Upper Carolina subdivision turnoff has been deteriorating since the fall of 2010, when Tropical Storm Otto’s deluge undermined the already eroding roadbed.

More than two and a half years later, Department of Public Works has done no work on the area and each heavy rain only erodes the area more and more. Such was the case on Friday night, May 10, when a large section of asphalt crumbled away, further undermining the sole road into and out of Coral Bay.

St. John residents driving past the area last week were warned of the growing danger by a new and larger bright orange barrier which was placed in the damaged road section, joining several orange cones which were placed in the area in 2010. The placing of the orange cones and new barriers is only action DPW officials have taken in the area, and residents should not expect to see any additional improvements to the road before mid-August at the earliest, explained DPW Commissioner Darryl Smalls.

Caneel Bay Resort Tennis Program Named in Top 10 Caribbean Ranking

Details: Created on Monday, 20 May 2013 04:11; Written by Press Release

Caneel Bay Resort enjoys a breath-taking location on the north shore of St. John.

Caneel Bay Resort was ranked number eight on the 2013 online ranking of the Top 100 Tennis Resorts.

Tennis aficionados seeking superior play beneath the Caribbean sun should look no further than Caneel Bay, A Rosewood Resort.

The exclusive beachfront resort on St. John, has earned a Gold Medal ranking for being in the top 25 resorts from Tennis Resorts Online.

Caneel Bay made the list at #8 in the 2013 online ranking of the Top 100 Tennis Resorts and Camps. Caneel Bay also took the spot of the top-ranked resort in the Caribbean, #4 for Best Setting, and #2 for Best for Couples. Caneel Bay has been the highest ranking tennis resort in Mexico, Caribbean and the Bahamas since 2005.

“We are honored to be recognized in this way by Tennis Resorts Online and thank all our tennis guests for their kind support,” said Donald Becker, Director of Tennis at Caneel Bay. “I would also like to thank the owners and managers at Caneel Bay and our entire tennis team who are instrumental in offering the highest standards of service to our guests. I feel this award is a testament to the fact that tennis is a big draw for visitors to the U.S. Virgin Islands.”

On The Market: Relax to the Sound of the Surf at Villa Coyaba

Details: Created on Sunday, 19 May 2013 06:07; Written by Jaime Elliott

Native stone details can be found throughout Villa Coyaba.

Stretch out on the deck of Villa Coyaba, gaze over the infinity edge swimming pool and allow the sound of the surf at Devers Bay below to lull you into a state of blissful relaxation.

This newly constructed villa, with three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms, is for sale for $4.413 million, explained Islandia Real Estate broker/owner Merry Nash.

Located on a flat lot in Estate Chocolate Hole East, Villa Coyaba is situated to take full advantage of the steady, cooling trade winds.

The home boasts mesmerizing views over Chocolate Hole and along the south shore of St. John to St. Croix while being located just a short drive from the dining, shopping and nightlife of Cruz Bay. The island’s famed North Shore beaches are also only a few minutes drive.

With natural brick and beautiful native stonework, Villa Coyaba combines luxurious details while also nodding to Caribbean history, explained Nash.

“Some of the best features of Villa Coyaba are the two stone, round towers which are based on replicas of old sugar mills,” said the Islandia Real Estate broker/owner.

It will surely be difficult to pull yourself away from the endless water views found just beyond the infinity edge swimming pool overlooking Devers Bay. The expansive pool deck offers plenty of space to lounge about and soak up the tropical sun, or relax in the shade.

“The infinity edge pool overlooking Devers Bay is beautiful,” said Nash. “You can hear the surf from the pool.”

Inside Villa Coyaba find a large private master suite complete with its own sitting room, office and den. The home also offers two oversized, private guest bedroom pods each with its own dressing area and native stone shower.

The living spaces are centered around a large and elegantly appointed great room. With luxurious dining and living areas as well as high-end furnishings, spending a night in at Villa Coyaba will be a real treat.

The kitchen at Villa Coyaba includes custom hard wood cabinets, plenty of counter space and state of the art, stainless steel appliances. Pull up a chair at the large and inviting breakfast bar and discuss the day’s beach plans.

Enjoy all that St. John and tropical living have to offer at Villa Coyaba. For more information on the home, call Nash at Islandia Real Estate at (340) 776-6666 or on her cell at (340) 642-2246.

John Spinale Awarded First GHS Simonsen Visual Arts Scholarship

Details: Created on Saturday, 18 May 2013 04:06; Written by Tradewinds Report

Steve Simonsen congratulates GHS student John Spinale on being awarded the first annual visual arts scholarship.

On Thursday morning, May 9, Gifft Hill School headmistress Judy Chamberlian awarded the first ever Steve Simonsen Visual Arts Scholarship at the school’s Upper Campus.

The scholarship honors the long-time St. John artist and GHS teacher Simonsen, while recognizing a student who has demonstrated a commitment to, and excellence in, the area of visual arts, explained Chamberlain.

The award was given to John Spinale, for using his gifts to enrich the arts programs of GHS.

“For the past three years, Spinale has impressed us with his creativity and professionalism,” said the GHS head. “He has created videos celebrating a variety of GHS programs and dedicated untold hours in service to the school helping produce fundraising videos. He has become the unofficial go-to resource for teachers needing help with video projects and is always generous with his time and expertise.”

Sisterhood Agenda To Celebrate Women’s Health Week May 17

Details: Created on Friday, 17 May 2013 04:05; Written by Jaime Elliott

Now in its third year, Sisterhood Agenda will implement “SHE: Sisters Healthy and Empowered,” in celebration of National Women’s Health Week on Friday, May 17, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Franklin Powell Park in Cruz Bay.

Sharing space with VITEMA’s outreach event during the day, Sisterhood Agenda will provide SHE activities, health information, and coordinate fitness demonstrations for residents in the Cruz Bay park.

Health issues such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes, cancer, stroke and heart disease are familiar concerns for St. John residents, explained Sisterhood Agenda president Angela Coleman.

“This is a fun event, but one that also has a purpose,” said Coleman. “We can be healthy and empowered by making good choices.”

VIVA! Villas Owner, Angie Smith, Opens Island’s Newest Jeep Rental

Details: Created on Thursday, 16 May 2013 04:02; Written by Jaime Elliott

Angie Smith, owner of VIVA! Villas and now Sunshine Jeep Rental, poses with a few of the company’s new vehicles.

When Angie Smith ran into trouble hunting down Jeep rentals for her villa clients, she decided to open her own rental business.

With little to no parking on St. John, however, the V.I. government had stopped issuing rental license plates for new agencies.

Not one to take no for an answer, Smith, who owns VIVA! Villas, kept her dream alive, filing applications each year.

That was a decade ago and Smith, with her recently issued business license in hand, has opened the island’s newest Jeep rental — Sunshine Jeep Rental.

“With the villa rentals we also book activities and Jeep rentals for our customers and we just found that we weren’t always able to locate vehicles,” said Smith. “We wanted to keep the business on St. John and we found there was a need for another rental agency on the island. So about 10 years we put in for a Jeep rental license plate request.”

“At that time the government was not issuing any Jeep rental plates due to the inadequate parking,” she said. “I basically stalked them. Every year I wrote a letter to the director of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles.”

“Finally with the new parking lot, I put more pressure on them and they finally issued more rental plates,” said Smith.
While Sunshine Jeep Rental, located across from the Islandia Building in Cruz Bay, mostly rents to VIVA! Villas customers, the company is open to the public, Smith explained.