CHARLOTTE AMALIE, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands - March 8, 2016 - The Enterprise Zone Commission, the Board of Directors and staff of the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority, in collaboration with Virgin Islands Senator Myron D. Jackson, invite the general public to a Community Open House and Meeting on Thursday, March 10, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. at the former J. Antonio Jarvis Elementary School building on St. Thomas. This facility is located in the western vicinity of the Lionel Roberts Stadium. The EZC is one of four subsidiary entities of the Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority (VIEDA).
The Virgin Islands community, particularly residents and business owners from the neighborhood of Upstreet, will receive updates on the Upstreet Community Plan, the results from the Upstreet Community Plan’s charrette and the Centennial Project titled, “In Search of Identity”. This facility is one of the anchors of the Upstreet Community Plan. Attendees will also meet and greet students from the Royal Academy of the Fine Arts School of Architecture in Denmark who are visiting St. Thomas to study the historic structure of the J. Antonio Jarvis Elementary School. These students have been measuring and evaluating various aspects of this school’s structure. Upon their return to Denmark, the students will prepare designs that can facilitate plans to repair, redevelop and reuse the structure.
"In 2015, the Upstreet Community Plan was selected from among three proposed plans after receiving the most votes by the community for the plan," said VIEDA Acting Chief Executive Officer Wayne L. Biggs, Jr. "The selected plan that has a keen focus on sports, arts and entertainment was chosen based on the community's vision and interest for the neighborhood of Upstreet.”
Proposed community plans by local design planners from the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Virgin Islands Chapter, were initiated for Upstreet, in part, by a charrette hosted by the Enterprise Zone Commission. The charrette, a series of town meetings and workshops, was held in Upstreet in 2014 at the Winston Raymo Community Center. The EZC hosted the charrette at which panelists who specialize in various subjects that affect community and area development - along with the general public – gathered for an intense meeting to share their ideas, opinions and recommendations for possible solutions to the challenges that exist in the neighborhood of Upstreet. A consensus of these ideas and solutions that were shared at the charrette helped to initiate the development of the community plans that were proposed for Upstreet.
“This activity at the former J. Antonio Jarvis Elementary School facility is certainly an important step forward for the community development of the Upstreet community,” said Director of the EZC, Nadine T. Marchena Kean.
As mandated by Virgin Islands legislation, the EZC assists residents and local small business owners with rehabilitating properties that are located within designated enterprise zones in the Territory. The enterprise zones in the USVI are Garden Street-Upstreet and Savanne-Downstreet on St. Thomas, and Frederiksted and Christiansted on St. Croix.
For more information, contact the Director of the Enterprise Zone Commission, Nadine T. Marchena Kean, at 340-714-1700, ext. 256; or Enterprise Zone Specialist Raheem Smith at ext. 253. To learn more about the Enterprise Zone Commission, visit www.usvieda.org.
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