PREDICT Site Survey

PREDICT Site Survey 5 - 6 January 2010 St Croix, US Virgin Islands PDF version
Survey Team: Henry Boynton: chief pilot Chris Davis: principal investigator José Meitín: EOL project coordinator Allen Schanot: GV project manager
GENERAL INFORMATION: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Croix,_U.S._Virgin_Islands History: http://www.usvi.net/usvi/stcroix/history/history.php Geography: Located in the Lesser Antilles of the Caribbean (between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea) Comprising approximately 50 islands and cays, the largest of which are St. Croix, St. John, St. Thomas St. Croix: 84 square-miles (Point Udall is the easternmost point of the United States) St. Thomas: 32 square-miles (Charlotte Amalie is the territory's capital) St. John: 19 square-miles (two-thirds U.S. National Park)

Time: Atlantic Standard Time zone, GMT-4, daylight savings time is not observed Electricity: Electrical current is 110 Volts, 60Hz. U.S. standard. Language: English. Currency: U.S. Dollars, major credit cards, (no sales tax) Telephones: US Area Code (340) Cellular Service: ATT, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Addendum after Site Visit: Verizon charges $1.99 per minute ROAMING in the USVI and DOES NOT offer any supplementary plan to reduce this fee (check with your service provider)
TRAVEL: http://www.viport.com/ Entry requirements for U.S. citizens: A passport is NOT required for ENTRY to the U.S. Virgin Islands; but upon your return, the USVI are considered a Point of Entry into the United States by the Transportation Security Administration, therefore travelers will need to present proof of citizenship (passport, birth certificate) when you clear U.S. Customs and Immigration prior to reentering Puerto Rico or the US mainland	Airport Terminal Building
	Henry E. Rohlsen Airport St. Croix (STX) Location: The airport is located on the southwestern coast of St. Croix. The airport terminal is open from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Aircraft, rescue and firefighting services are available during that time. The Air Traffic Control Tower operates from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. The runway is open 24 hours. The airport terminal and runway extension were completed in 2003. The terminal is 181,000 square feet, and the airport runway measures 10,004 feet. H.E.R.A. is an international airport served by several major airlines and commuter flights:

AIRPORT FACILITIES: *Fixed Base Operator:* The only FBO at this airport is Bohlke International (http://www.bohlke.com/). They can provide taxi in - taxi out ramp space and flight services for filing flight plans. After hours support for ramp access and fueling can be provided with adequate notice. They routinely work with the NOAA P-3 aircraft and are familiar with 24/7 research operations. Ground support equipment is extremely limited so RAF will need to bring the basics: ground power unit, air conditioner cart, ladders; etc. Space near the ramp is available for the placement of several seatainers to store key ground support components. *Fueling:* The airport has a large fuel depot and can contract payment through World Fuel. *Parking* for additional research aircraft is plentiful	*Hangar:* Only one hangar is likely to be sufficiently large for the GV. It is currently in legal limbo
	*Operations:* Access to the ramp is through the FBO office, either with airport badge or escort. *Space:* There is a passenger waiting room at the FBO building, high-speed wireless is also available *Security:* Airport security office (Donna George (340) 778-1012) will do background checks, fingerprint and issue access badges to key personnel ($35); others will need to be escorted on the ramp. Airport Operations Supervisor Arnold Golden (340) 778-1012 agolden@viport.com

ACCOMMODATIONS: HOTELS August and September are a quiet time (low season) in St. Croix. There are several hotels/condos scattered around the island. The survey team stayed at the Buccaneer Hotel, located approximately 30 minutes drivetime from the airport on the north coast, east of Christiansted town center. We visited a couple of other hotels (Chenay Bay, Tamarind Reef but decided the extra travel time was not worth it. We have received a bid from the Buccaneer Hotel for Aug-Sept for the per diem lodging allowance ($135 + 18.26% taxes), includes high-speed wireless internet in the guest rooms, discount on breakfast buffet, and conference space for an Operations Center. Every guest room is equipped with a desk, flat-screen (satellite) TV, a DVD player and a small refrigerator.
RENTAL CARS Driving in St Croix is on the LEFT side of the road; yet all cars are American-equipped, left-hand steering vehicles. All major rental car companies are available in St Croix and some independents. UCAR has a corporate agreement with Hertz, but we will be seeking a group rate from the local franchisee office (Manager: Barry Edwards). Cars of all sizes are available. SHIPPING: US Postal Service, United Parcel Service and Federal Express operate on St Croix. There are offices at the airport cargo area and enroute (FedEx) to Christiansted, as well as at the town center. MEDICAL SERVICES: St Croix has a major, modern medical center, as well as several specialists (http://www.gotostcroix.com/medical_care.php) SHOPPING: There is at least one large shopping center (Sunny Isles) on Route 70 between Christiansted and the airport with a K-Mart, OfficeMax, RadioShack, food court, and home building center. There are several other smaller shopping districts around the island. There are several grocery stores, a couple near the hotel. LAUNDRY: The Hotel Buccaneer has laundry service and also a small coin-operated laundromat on premises for guests. There are several drop-off laundromats along the route to the airport, one within a half mile of the hotel. LOCAL TRANSPORTATION: There are point-to-point shuttles from the hotel to downtown Christiansted for a fixed fee. Taxis are available to anywhere. The drive from the Buccaneer hotel to the airport is about 25-30 minutes at off-peak times, but could be 40-45 minutes if Christiansted traffic is congested.

CONTACTS Travel: http://www.viport.com/airports.html Airport: Coordinates 17°42'06"N Elevation 74 ft / 23 m 064°48'06"W Runway 10/28 , 10,004 ft (asphalt) Operations Supervisor Security Supervisor Arnold Golden Donna George (340) 778-1012 (340) 778-1012 agolden@viport.com Lodging: http://www.usvitourism.vi/stcroix/where_to_stay http://www.gotostcroix.com/resorts.php The Buccaneer Hotel Box 25200, Gallows Bay St. Croix, USVI 00824 Vicki Locke Marjo Aho Director of Sales IT Manager (340) 712-2100 (340) 712-2127 vicki.locke@thebuccaneer.com marjo.aho@thebuccaneer.com Rental Cars: http://www.gotostcroix.com/car_rentals.php Hertz: http://www.rentacarstcroix.com/	Online Telephone Directory: http://www.viphonebook.com/ Medical: http://www.jflusvi.org/ http://www.gotostcroix.com/medical_care.php TOURISM: http://www.stcroixtourism.com/ http://www.gotostcroix.com/ Industrial Gases: Carib Supply of St Croix (340) 778-6427 caribsupply@viaccess.net