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Premier and Minister of Finance Dr. Natalio Wheatley has highlighted the pressing need to expand schools across the Virgin Islands, citing overcrowded classrooms as an example of why public infrastructure must accommodate future population growth.
Speaking on Tuesday during a public consultation on the proposed 10,000-capacity open-air cultural arts facility, Wheatley defended the Government’s approach to the project’s size.
“All the schools we have now, we got to expand these schools. Schools [are] bursting at the seams because we built those schools when the population was a certain size,” the Premier stated.
He argued that major investments must anticipate the Territory’s needs over time, warning against spending heavily on a facility that could soon prove inadequate.
“You want to be able to build for the future, build for growth, not spend all that money on a facility and then you figure it’s too small,” Wheatley said.
He added, “We have a tendency to do that in the BVI because we can only see really what’s in front of us, but trust me, the population is going to grow.”
Reflecting on changes during his lifetime, the Premier said the population had roughly doubled from the figures he recalled growing up.
He suggested that a similar increase could occur by the time his children reach his age.
“We can’t just build for today. We have to build for tomorrow,” he stated.
Wheatley also pointed to tourism developments as a potential driver of further growth. He said investors associated with one proposed development had indicated that approximately 1,000 people would be needed to work on the property.
He presented that example as an indication of the additional demand future investment could place on the Territory’s infrastructure and public services.
“The population of the Virgin Islands is going to go up,” the Premier said, maintaining that the proposed cultural arts facility must be considered in the context of that anticipated growth.
Speaking on Tuesday during a public consultation on the proposed 10,000-capacity open-air cultural arts facility, Wheatley defended the Government’s approach to the project’s size.
“All the schools we have now, we got to expand these schools. Schools [are] bursting at the seams because we built those schools when the population was a certain size,” the Premier stated.
He argued that major investments must anticipate the Territory’s needs over time, warning against spending heavily on a facility that could soon prove inadequate.
“You want to be able to build for the future, build for growth, not spend all that money on a facility and then you figure it’s too small,” Wheatley said.
He added, “We have a tendency to do that in the BVI because we can only see really what’s in front of us, but trust me, the population is going to grow.”
Reflecting on changes during his lifetime, the Premier said the population had roughly doubled from the figures he recalled growing up.
He suggested that a similar increase could occur by the time his children reach his age.
“We can’t just build for today. We have to build for tomorrow,” he stated.
Wheatley also pointed to tourism developments as a potential driver of further growth. He said investors associated with one proposed development had indicated that approximately 1,000 people would be needed to work on the property.
He presented that example as an indication of the additional demand future investment could place on the Territory’s infrastructure and public services.
“The population of the Virgin Islands is going to go up,” the Premier said, maintaining that the proposed cultural arts facility must be considered in the context of that anticipated growth.
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