By Trina A. San Agustin
Variety News Staff

THE completion of Guam Office of Homeland Security/Civil Defense’s Office expansion construction has been pushed back to August or September from the original target completion date of April.
The expanded and updated facility includes a stadium seating Emergency Operations Center, or EOC, a new Joint Information Center, and the ability to lock/seal the building during any emergency.
The facility is also designed to house the Guam Fire Department’s emergency 911, or E911, call center, as well as the Guam Police Department’s tactical operations center.
GFD spokesperson Phyllis Blas confirmed with Variety that the GFD E911 center will move into the new facility.
Currently, the E911 center is housed in Tiyan alongside the GPD tactical operations center, according to Blas.
Homeland Security Advisor Major General Donald Goldhorn told Variety that they are “excited” to move into their new facility.
“Our timelines have been pushed to the right a little bit. I suspect by August or September we will be able to occupy our facility here. I think this is going to be facilities that will help us as Homeland Security provides the kinds of services to the people of Guam deserve,” he told Variety.
“Right now we are operating under Public Law 19-52 which created the Office of Civil Defense. On top of that legislative act, we have a couple of executive orders that created, over a period of time, the Homeland Security,” said Goldhorn, who wants these agencies covered in a single piece of legislation.
Goldhorn was not in the advisory position when the construction started in April 2006.
“When the design was developed, I believe the vision was to have all of Homeland Security in this facility to include mitigation and recovery,” Goldhorn added. “I am working with the governor. I want to understand what his vision is for the Homeland Security. I want to execute what the governor envisions for Homeland Security.”
Today, the Office of Homeland Security is located in the Department of Public Works compound in Upper Tumon with a temporary EOC at the A.B. Won Pat International Airport.
“We also have an alternate EOC, which is something we will continue to have even when we move into this facility. We use the airport conference rooms that they designated for our alternate EOC. In the last storm we had, we operated out of that EOC so it gave us an opportunity to test how it will work for us. And it worked fine,” Goldhorn added.
The expansion and upgrade of the Agana Heights facility is funded fully through federal dollars, according to Goldhorn.