CRYSTAL BLUE OPERATIONS, LLC
TESTIMONY BY ROSA THOMAS

RATIFICATION OF A PERPETUAL ACCESS EASEMENT OVER A PORTION OF PUBLIC ROAD R. O. W. STORE TVAER GADE, QUEEN’S QUARTER
36TH LEGISLATURE OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS
ST. THOMAS, VIRGIN ISLANDS

FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2026

Good morning, President Milton E. Potter, Senators of the 36th Legislature and ladies and gentlemen in the Chamber.
I am Rosa Thomas, President of Operations for Crystal Blue Operations, LLC. I am joined today by my colleague Joseph Sibilly, Vice President of Construction and Facilities. Crystal Blue Operations is a property management and development company that manages seventeen (17) historic properties in downtown Charlotte Amalie. Thank you for the opportunity to testify in support of Bill No. 36-0552, “An Act Ratifying a Perpetual Access Easement for Ingress and Egress over a Portion of Public Road Right-of-Way, Store Tvaer Gade, Queen’s Quarter.”
CBO is also the developer behind the Historic Area Revitalization Project, known as HARP, a multi-phase, approximately $17 million investment to restore and renovate a series of historic properties throughout downtown Charlotte Amalie. Through HARP, CBO has been working closely with the State Historic Preservation Office and the Historic Preservation Commission to repair and modernize aging structures while preserving the architectural character of the historic district. The request before this body today is part of that same ongoing commitment to responsibly restoring downtown’s historic properties.
In September 2025, CBO’s development team submitted a request to the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) for approval to update the stairway, awning, trash receptacle area, propane gas storage, and small generator serving its tenant at #18 Dronningens Gade, which houses Virgilio’s restaurant. The HPC advised that CBO must first establish legal rights to the designated area before any construction work could be approved. The stairway at #18 Dronningens Gade is the access staircase to Virgilio’s restaurant and has served as the sole point of entry to several well-known and longstanding restaurants at that address, continuously since the late 1970s—a period of nearly fifty years. As the owner of #18 Dronningens Gade, CBO engaged Brian Moseley & Associates in 2025 to conduct a formal survey of the property. That survey confirmed that the existing stairway does encroach upon the public sidewalk and that a recorded easement is warranted and necessary. The survey, together with a Grant of Easement, was submitted to the Department of Property and Procurement. Both the Department of Property and Procurement and the Governor’s Office have reviewed and executed the Easement. Accordingly, we respectfully request this body’s approval of Bill No. 36-0552, so that we may proceed with the critical renovations needed to preserve and improve this historic property.