THE March 8 District Court hearing on the Ordot consent decree was long (three hours) and the GovGuam side wasn’t persuasive — rambling, disjointed and contradictory at times. Judge Manibusan appeared unsympathetic to the recurrent litany of excuses offered by Assistant Attorney General Kennedy.
There were interesting moments, however: at one point, the judge berated GovGuam for several minutes for what he considers radically misplaced funding priorities. He specifically mentioned proposed COLA and EITC disbursements, questioning how those rather narrowly applicable issues somehow trump correction of the massive community environmental hazard that is Ordot, and suggested that a contempt finding and some jail time might serve to generate a sense of urgency in unnamed public officials.
One of the more interesting things addressed in the hearing, but afforded little coverage in the media, is land acquisition for the Dandan landfill; a bottleneck that must be resolved before anything else of substance can occur.
Acquisition costs aren’t included in the estimated $60 million design/construction estimates, which is probably why there are as yet no bidders on the project — those who might be interested don’t have enough information.
Nobody yet knows what the property cost may ultimately be. There are apparently several landowners involved, perhaps all singing different tunes. This will most likely lead to condemnation proceedings, in which case GovGuam must deposit with the court, in cash, its last and best offer for the properties.
Much to the surprise of all those present at the hearing, Ms. Kennedy assured Judge Manibusan that funds are available for the land acquisition. That prompted the U.S. attorney, as amazed as everyone else to learn that million of dollars (the precise amount yet to be determined) is on hand, to request that condemnation proceedings begin next month.
This aspect of the issue probably warrants more attention and clarification: if those millions actually do exist, exactly how much is it, and where is it hiding?

DAVE DAVIS
Yigo, Guam