A notice was left on cars in one St. John parking lot earlier this week. It said the parking lot located next to the tennis courts near Cruz Bay would be closed to the public from December 21stthrough January 10th.
This was first brought to CBS USVI attention via social media. Some locals shared that they were frustrated as this is one of the few parking lots left near the popular Cruz Bay area. The other parking lot is just a few steps away but is full of abandoned vehicles. CBS USVI News team counted them. There are over 40 abandoned cars in the lot. That’s 40 spots taken up by left cars, and some of them government vehicles. The other two spots are both only 45-minute parking and 30-minute parking. There you’ll find residents double parked just to get a spot.
But the Department of Sports Parks and Recreation told CBS USVI reporter Kellie Meyer that the tennis court parking lot closure is a “needed closure.” They add that they are closing the lot from December 21 until January 10 due to necessary improvements.
The spokesperson from the Department said the department plans to paint lines, add where there is handicap parking and put in one-hour parking.
The spokesperson told CBS USVI there won’t be any charges at the lot. There will just be more regulation than before to keep the community safe.
To those asking why they are choosing to do the project now, the Department said it will be much quieter to do this now with government agencies like Bureau of Motor Vehicles, which is in the lot, closed for the holidays. They said that way they can get this completed by the end date of January 10.
