REPORT OF THE GOVERNOR OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS + 71

 Department of Housing and Community Renewal

 The creation of the Department of Housing and Community Re-
newal by Act. No. 903, approved June 18, 1962, was the culmination of
an examination by a professional firm of the overall management of
the public programs in the field of housing.
 Under this department all housing activities of the Government
were centralized. The homestead and home loan programs were trans-
ferred from the Department of Property and Procurement, and the
emergency housing program was transferred from the Department of
Social Welfare. The Altona Community Development and the Bor-
deaux Community Development were also transferred from the Office
of the Governor and the Office of the Government Secretary,
respectively.
 The head of the department is, by law, chairman of the Virgin
Islands Housing Authority, which has the responsibility of construct-
ing and administering low rent public housing projects partly financed
with Federal funds. He is also chairman of the newly created Virgin
Islands Urban Renewal Board which is responsible for urban renewal
projects financed by local and Federal funds. Thus, related housing
and community renewal activities are coordinated and represented on
the cabinet level of the Government.
 Although the Department of Housing and Community Renewal
was created late in the fiscal year, a great deal of work was accom-
plished in coordinating and initiating a middle income housing de-
velopment and advancing the emergency housing program through
the assignment of a special assistant to the Governor as Housing
Coordinator.

The Altona Community Development

 By the end of the previous fiscal year, 15.64 acres of land had been
acquired in St. Thomas for the Altona Community Development, for
the purpose of resettling occupants of superficiary houses in safe,
sanitary and decent owner occupied dwellings.
 A rather unique method of stimulating competition among private
contractors was initiated for construction of the dwelling units. Pri-
vate contractors were encouraged to submit plans and specifications
for a dwelling unit and quote a price for the construction of the build-
ing ready for occupancy. The minimum requirements were: (1) a
three-bedroom unit; (2) not less than a 10,000 gallon cistern; (3) ade-
quate sanitary facilities, including hot and cold running water; and
(4) a price of not more than $9,000.