Junior Minister for Financial Services, Economic Development and Digital Transformation, the Hon. Lorna G. Smith, OBE (AL), has firmly rejected proposals to disperse government ministries across the territory or to convert the Ralph T. O’Neal Administration Complex into a commercial development, insisting that public servants should be consolidated in the existing admin building to maximise synergy and in-person collaboration. Photo: Internet Source

Speaking on the Talking Points programme, Junior Minister for Financial Services, Economic Development and Digital Transformation, the Hon. Lorna G. Smith said, “Absolutely not… we should go back into the admin complex. It was built for that purpose, and rather than having people all over… ministries scattered all over the territory, including as far as Fish Bay, come straight down to nearly Prospect Reef, and so on.” Photo: VINO/File

Speaking on the Talking Points programme on ZBVI 780 AM on Monday, October 5, 2026, Hon Smith said, “Absolutely not… we should go back into the admin complex. It was built for that purpose, and rather than having people all over… ministries scattered all over the territory, including as far as Fish Bay, come straight down to nearly Prospect Reef, and so on.”  

She added that co-locating “as many people as possible… in the same building” is essential to achieving “synergies” and maintaining “inclusive, closer contact physically.”

Her comments came in direct response to a recent proposal by businessman and former legislator Mark H. Vanterpool, leader of the People’s Leadership Movement (PLM), who has called on the government to abandon plans to return ministries to the complex and instead transform the prime Road Town property into a mixed-use hub featuring a small-business mall, conference facilities and hotel accommodation.

Vanterpool’s mall-and-hotel vision for admin complex

Vanterpool, the brother of Hon Smith, outlined a vision in which the ground floor of the Ralph T. O’Neal Administration Complex would be converted into a small mall with approximately 600-square-foot incubator spaces, giving first-time entrepreneurs an affordable opportunity to establish businesses in the heart of Road Town.  

He proposed converting the upper levels into conference facilities and hotel rooms, possibly linked to an existing hotel operation such as Maria’s by the Sea, to create a destination that generates foot traffic and revenue beyond the traditional 8-to-5 public-service schedule.

Vanterpool argued that leasing the complex for commercial development could generate revenue to help finance the government’s existing rental arrangements, rather than adding to vacancy risks in the private market.

Night-time activity & boutique hotel potential

While firmly against decentralising offices or repurposing the admin complex, the junior minister expressed strong support for intensifying economic activity after dark along the Wickham’s Cay waterfront, particularly on properties adjacent to the port. 

She noted that several of these parcels are relatively small and well suited to conversion into boutique hotels, saying she is “looking forward to a couple of them or as many of them as possible, developing, and perhaps one or two of them could be turned into a hotel, a boutique hotel, because they’re not huge properties.”

The comments align with broader government efforts to stimulate private-sector growth and make it easier to do business in the Virgin Islands, including reforms aimed at a “one-stop-shop” model for business services under her ministry.

Gaming commission to be launched

Minister Smith also highlighted the anticipated launch of the territory’s gaming commission “in the next few months,” which she expects will spur additional night-time activity and encourage more cruise ships to remain in port so that onboard casinos and gaming facilities can operate.

She tied this to her wider business-development strategy, explaining that her trajectory is “not just about putting money in… making contributions [or] grants to businesses,” but about transforming enterprises into “more greater revenue-making operations.”