Port Authority sees vacant airport land as future home to military command

April 19--ST. THOMAS -- The V.I. Port Authority wants the National Guard to use a parcel on the northern edge of Henry E. Rohlsen Airport that for several years has been a target for a large military post.

"The presentation was made by the National Guard maybe two years ago to put a large Air Guard facility on St. Croix," said Attorney General and V.I. Port Authority member Vincent Frazer.

Wednesday, the Port Authority's governing board decided to send the Air National Guard a letter indicating the property still is available.

Since Puerto Rico's Roosevelt Roads Naval Station closed in 2004, the military has lacked a single Southern Command for the Caribbean -- and the Port Authority wants that hub to be on St. Croix, Frazer said.

"We have wanted since Roosevelt Roads closed to put St. Croix in that position," Frazer said.

The Port Authority continues searching for profitable alternatives for its properties while battling operating losses in its aviation division.

The board indicated miscommunication has stalled the project.

"In recent conversations with the Adjutant General, he indicated they had given the green light to go ahead with that major project," Frazer said. "He said they were waiting to get some letter of commitment from the Port Authority."

Interim Executive Director Don Mills said a preliminary approval exists in concept only.

"The concept got a little funny when it came to who was going to pay for that land," Mills said. "The Air National Guard is under the impression it would not have to pay for that land. The FAA is of another opinion."

The Port Authority owns the land, said Engineering director Dale Gregory.

"It has to be a misunderstanding somewhere," Frazer said.

Mills said that while the authority must charge fair market value for the land in accordance with federal law, it is seeking funds to make the deal more appealing to the National Guard.

Mills equated the potential deal to the transfer of U.S. troops from Okinawa, Japan, to areas such as Guam, which earned grant money to house military infrastructure.

Mills said he and Assistant Director David Mapp met recently with V.I. National Guard Chief of Staff Col. Jefrey Buckley to discuss the possible military base on St. Croix.

"They're still interested," Mills said. "Because of the loss of Roosevelt Roads as the military fulcrum in the Caribbean, they now want to move to St. Croix."

- Contact reporter Michael Todd at 714-9104 or email [email protected].