Where is the leader who will open Fort Christian?
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The Virgin Islands public is knocking loudly on the doors of historic Fort Christian, but no one appears to be home.
We have been waiting the better part of a decade for whoever is in charge to complete the repairs and upgrades. It has gotten so that when the fort is mentioned, people just roll their eyes and laugh.
It's not funny.
This historic, moneymaking landmark has been shuttered up longer than anyone can remember. The fort has been closed up for so long that cobwebs are forming on the new paint job.
A whole generation of Virgin Islands students has grown up without a field trip to the fort. Hundreds of thousands of visitors have not been on tours to see this Virgin Islands treasure, and revenue has been lost - much-needed revenue for the good of the community.
Tour money is only part of its potential. A really creative director could charge for architectural seminars, historic lectures, evening soirees and a host of other moneymaking ventures
This is public property that is being wasted. There must be a knowledgeable official in our midst who can grab that project by the horns and just get it done.
If it is contractor problems, end them. If it is money problems, lobby for what you need publicly. If it is red tape, knock on the door of the "buck stops here person."
But please, don't just accept this as the way things are done. Officials, show us what you are made of:
Step up to the plate and get us out of this snafu.
Forget about pointing fingers to explain why it's still not finished and the doors are still not open, just push forward and get that fort open.
- Maria Ferreras, St. Thomas
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