Jul 19 2025

Upcoming meetings:

• Our next Friends community meeting will be on Zoom this Thursday July 24 at 5:30PM (calendar).

• According to the VI Legislature’s FY 2026 budget calendar, MBA’s budget hearing will be Monday August 18 at 1:00PM. 

• The date of the next MBA board meeting is not yet known.

Jun 27 MBA board meeting notes:

• • See also coverage in ​​The Source and The Consortium 

  • Discussion of quality of AI note-taking for meetings

    • Specific concerns about making clear who was attending/speaking, in the future need to state names when speaking and voting

  • Busy with external audit coming out soon

    • Bids for concession RFPs - taxis, watersports

    • Questions/discussion referencing shed vs event rentals

    • Charging stations - MOU with energy office and placement

    • Request to see number of visitors by month compared with same month previous year

  • Question re note from board walk-through of concession facilities

    • Statement re Walk on Water does not match what 3 of the board members remember re YakShak month to month lease and because of that we prevented lease with Walk on Water, instead WoW works with Chukka who has an agreement

    • Had been prevented to have anything commercial in that area and WoW equipment was removed

  • Physical plant renovations

    • Bathhouse 1 renovations - bid packages now due July 3, 10 requests for RFP packages

    • Looked at tree removal, locations for fences, temporary bathrooms, cable burial - will notify contractor July 18

    • Shed 1 columns needs repairs - received several estimates and working with contractor on drawings, can take place at same time as bathhouse 1 renovations, will have additional security to keep beachgoers in that area safe and will meet with tour owners in that area

  • Finance

    • Finance committee met June 4

    • Unanimous vote to raise check-signing limit for general manager without board approval to $9999

    • Benham & Hodge to work on audit

    • Voted to change to the way money is handled between Magens and Smith Bay

    • Unanimous votes re minimum balances of accounts at First Bank and sweeping money beyond balance in Paypal to other account

    • To be handled in executive session: vote re moving money to CDs [Ed note: also something else I didn’t catch, sorry]

    • Unanimous vote to approve shipping cost for jetski donated from Poker Run to MBA as safety equipment, donated jetski valued at ~$19K, but it’s in Florida and would need to pay ~$3900 shipping, this would be an exception to the no jetski policy

    • From the Phillips family (Guainia Taino Tribe of the Virgin Islands, Opi’a Taino International): proposal to build 3 different versions of Taino huts in the arboretum that would be visitor-oriented to provide education

• • Joined by Kasike (chief) Mukaro Borrero, head of Puerto Rico tribe to speak more about other interpretive centers in the area, chiefs visiting STJ Jul 7-10, trying to meet at Magens Jul 9 or 10

    • [Ed note: See also Caribbean Chiefs Meet on St. John To Sign a Declaration of Unity | VI Source.] 

  • Sean Krigger (Historic Preservation) and Jason Charles (MBA board + Tourism) in support, Magens an appropriate site given its history as a Taino settlement

  • Katina reminded other board members of a 2003 study of the arboretum resources

    • [Ed note: You can also learn more about Amerindian findings at Magens on the Friends website]

  • Many details will need to be discussed and reviewed, including review of what the arboretum deed allows

  • Phillips’ and MBA to meet again ~Aug

• Questions/concerns from Sara Smollett (Friends)

  • Raise concerns about the size of the snorkel tours - safety of participants and others if lifeguards are busy watching tour group, as well as impact on turtles, are there limits on current agreement?

    • Up to 50 participants, with 5 guides over two hours on far right/north side of beach

  • Are there areas of the beach where commercial groups/tours are not allowed?

    • The left/south side cannot have commercial tours, ask general manager for a map for specifics

      • [Ed note: A couple weeks later Monique Simon showed me (Sara) the boundary, which roughly corresponds with the end of the road. No commercial tours are allowed in the area of the beach beyond the end of the road.]

  • In the Jan 2025 MBA board meeting, there was a mention that there would be another townhall, is this still expected?

    • Since the last townhall was in Jan 2024, yes, the MBA board acknowledges that they are due to hold the 2025 one.