5180 Dronningens Gade, Ste. 201 
P.O. Box 324 
St. Thomas, VI  00804-0324 
PHONE:  340-776-0100 
E-MAIL: chamber.vi@gmail.com 
WEB:   sttstjchamber.com 
 
 
 
 
 
2023-2024 
BOARD OF DIRECTORS 
John P. Woods, President 
Hugo Hodge, 1st VP 
Navin Sakhrani, 2nd VP 
Dexter Freeman, Treasurer 
Rosa C. Thomas, Secretary 
Cassandra Webster, Asst. 
Secretary 
Shaine  Gaspard, Ex Officio 
Mike Allietta 
Adrien Austin 
Scott Barber 
Sharmane A. Brookes 
Sebastiano Paiewonsky Cassinelli 
Adriane Dudley 
Meaghan Enright 
Charles Irons 
Antony Murray 
Joe Aubain, Consulting Exec. Dir. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
March 11, 2025 
 
 
 
 
HONORABLE NOVELLE E. FRANCIS, JR. 
Senator/Chairman, Committee on Finance 
36th Legislature of the United States Virgin Islands  
Capitol Building, Charlotte Amalie  
St. Thomas, Virgin Islands  00802 
 
Via Email – nfrancis@legvi.org 
 
RE:  LEASE FOR THE HAMBURG AMERICAN BUILDING BY ALPINE SECURITIES 
 
Dear Senator Francis: 
 
The St. Thomas-St. John Chamber of Commerce supports Alpine Securities in favor of a 
lease for the old Hamburg American Building, known as the Old District Court Building in 
Downtown Charlotte Amalie. 
 
This building has been derelict for decades due to the condition of the existing structural 
concrete.  The structural report and testing by independent contractors have determined that 
the integrity of the concrete cannot be restored and will eventually fail, even with remedial 
measures.  As such, it is the intention of Alpine Securities to demolish the building and 
rebuild a state-of-the-art museum in its place.  While the interior of this new facility will be 
completely modern, elements of the historical vernacular will be restored as a part of it.  The 
construction of this new art museum will be a welcome addition to the Historic District and 
expand cultural offerings to our visitors and residents alike.   
 
Thank You! 
Yours Sincerely, 
 
John P. Woods, AIA, NCARB 
President 
 
Cc: 
Jason Charles, Alpine Securities / Jason.charles101@gmail.com