Senate hearing presses for answers on 11‑year Paul E. Joseph Stadium rebuild as spending tops $32 million

Senate Committeechair Senator Angel L. Boulkos Jr., chair of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Ageing, Sports and Parks, opened a July 18 hearing in Frederiksted, St. Croix, to review financial, procurement and construction oversight of the Paul E. Joseph Stadium redevelopment, a project that has been under way since a 2013 groundbreaking and has received more than $32 million in territorial appropriations.

The hearing brought together the Department of Public Works (DPW), Department of Property and Procurement (DPP), Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), Department of Sports, Parks and Recreation (DSPR), representatives of GEC LLC (the design‑build contractor) and other stakeholders to answer senators’ questions about repeated schedule extensions, change orders, missing systems and contract oversight.

Why it matters: The stadium is a high‑profile public project intended to serve youth leagues, cultural events and sports tourism in Saint Croix. Lawmakers pressed agencies and the contractor for clearer timelines, documentation of change‑order costs and evidence that completed work matches payments. The body heard that GEC has been paid roughly $25.7 million to date and that about 60–70 percent of the project is reported complete, while elected officials and committee members described large gaps between reported progress and visible site work.

Most important facts

- The project was a design‑build contract first issued in 2013 and originally budgeted at $20 million. Subsequent design changes and supplemental contracts raised the combined contract value to roughly $32.1 million, and additional funding packages were passed in multiple legislative acts.

- Commissioner Derek A. Gabriel, Department of Public Works, told the committee that DPW has paid about $25.7 million so far, leaving an approximate remaining contract balance of $6.4 million on the original contract and supplemental contract balances described in DPW accounting. He said combined payments and supplemental contracts bring the total contract value to roughly $32,124,000.

- GEC LLC managing member John R. Wessel told senators the contractor has submitted a delay claim originally larger than $2 million; DPW negotiated and agreed that $1.5 million of delay costs were supported by submitted documentation. That $1.5 million was partially paid as a deposit: a pay estimate transmitted for the period Feb. 1–10, 2025 shows a $675,000 payment (before retainage), which DPW said was applied against the delay claim.

- Committee materials and testimony identified many change orders and contract modifications. Committee slides assembled for the hearing show more than 20 change orders and cumulative schedule impacts of roughly 1,662 calendar days (about 4.5 years) added across multiple change orders; DPW and GEC described additional time added by CLOMAR (conditional letter of map revision) work and redesigns.

- Several major building elements remain unfinished or not installed despite being listed as substantially complete in internal reports: committee inspection and DPW testimony noted the elevator (reported at ~92% in documents) had no cab, doors or tracks in place and is stored offsite; restrooms and locker rooms were shown in inspection photos to lack plumbing fixtures and finishes despite payment histories; electrical distribution panels and active lighting were described as incomplete in several areas.

What agencies and the contractor said

- Commissioner Derek A. Gabriel (DPW) said DPW manages the project and that delays tied to the CLOMAR and redesign work justified some schedule extensions. He said DPW and GEC negotiated a $1.5 million delay claim based on documentation and that DPW expects to bring a funding request and supporting milestones to the Legislature in the coming 30–45 days. "We did agree based on the documentation that we received he was owed or due a delayed claim in the amount of $1,500,000," Gabriel said.

- Commissioner Lisa M. Alejandro (DPP) outlined procurement law thresholds (supplemental contracts required when changes exceed 25 percent of original price) and said DPP reviews change orders and relies on the engineer of record’s recommendations; she noted procurement statute updates in 2020 and 2024 and that beginning April 17, 2023 DPW is the final approver for construction payment documents.

- Commissioner Jean Pierre Oriole (DPNR) said permits for building, plumbing, electrical, mechanical and flood issues were issued in stages as the project used progressive design‑build submittals. He noted DPNR monitoring will increase during the rainy season and that the CLOMAR to FEMA (completed in February 2024) was required when the stadium footprint was determined to intersect a regulated floodway.

- GEC LLC managing member John R. Wessel described multiple design revisions under successive administrations, countying that a redesign directed by the Mapp administration moved the stadium into a FEMA floodway and caused extensive foundation redesign, surcharge testing and ultimately the need for deep piles and added cost. "If you provide me the financial resources and a viable design that doesn't change at least five times during construction, I will be able to complete this by December 25," Wessel told senators.

Senators’ concerns and committee requests

- Committee members repeatedly pressed for documentation: an itemized change‑order list with financial implications, project schedules and milestones, design drawings tied to appropriations, inspection reports for pile and surcharge testing, and receipts or storage records for material identified in reports (for example, aluminum bench purchases and the elevator units).

- Several senators said on‑site observations dispute the percentage completions reported in project documents and asked why liquidated damages had not been enforced earlier. DPW replied that the agency had reviewed delay causes and that some delays were judged justified; DPW officials said they have strengthened requirements for schedules and documentation on later contracts to improve oversight.

- The committee asked the contractor and agencies for a short set of deliverables: the outstanding stamped design drawings (outfield wall, generator building, press box), the current construction schedule and 30‑day look‑ahead, a complete list of change orders and associated costs, documentation supporting the delay claim and photodocumented inspection reports for pile driving and surcharge tests.

Closing and next steps

- DPW said it intends to present a request to the Legislature in the next 30–45 days related to the negotiated delay claim and to confirm a path to substantial completion. The contractor reiterated a commitment to finish the job and asked for the agreed funds and timely approvals to meet the schedule. Senator Angel L. Boulkos Jr. closed the hearing and placed written requests on the record asking DPW and GEC for the materials and schedules described above.

Ending

The hearing underscored ongoing disagreement between public reports, inspectors’ observations and contractor assertions about what work has been completed and what remains. Senators asked for documentary evidence — contracts, stamped drawings, pay estimates, inspection logs and the change‑order ledger — to reconcile reported payments with physical progress. Committee members signaled they expect to review the documentation before deciding whether to approve any additional funding requested by DPW to finish the project.

Quote attribution list (speakers quoted above appear in the article and are in the committee witness list): Commissioner Derek A. Gabriel (Department of Public Works); John R. Wessel (GEC LLC); Senator Angel L. Boulkos Jr. (committee chair).