They have been here along with a contractor since Sunday to assess the physical condition of CNMI schools.
Derek J. Chow, civil and public works chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs tasked them to conduct a two-phase assessment and provide OIA with information regarding funding priorities.
Thomas A. Fee, principal of Helbert Hastert & Fee Planners Inc., which the Army Corps has contracted, said it’s time to think about replacing old MHS buildings instead of just repairing them.
The areas that need improvement in the 40-year-old school are huge, he added.
Saipan Southern High School, which they also visited, may need new facilities, although SSHS still looks “wonderful,” Fee said.
Chow and Fee, along with OIA capital improvement project coordinator Keith Aughenbaugh, discussed possible school projects with members of the Board of Education, Public School System officials and Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan yesterday morning.
Acting BOE Chairwoman Marylou S. Ada thanked the Army Corps and its contractor for conducting an initial study.
She wanted to know from Aughenbaugh if it’s possible for OIA to specifically allot a certain amount from the annual federal CIP funds for CNMI education programs.
Aughenbaugh replied that the Army Corps’ assessment of local schools may help make it happen.
But he reminded local education officials that other territories are also competing for the annual CIP funds.
He said over $10 million in CIP funds will be provided to the CNMI this fiscal year.
Chow and Fee will also visit Guam.
They have to complete the report on CNMI public schools by December so OIA can determine the amount needed to proceed with the proposed projects.
Chow said they will do the same for American Samoa, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Phase 1 of the assessment, he added, involves gathering of data, looking at schools and talking to the people who know about these schools.
Then, he said, they will develop a methodology for Phase 2.
In Phase 2, Chow said they will bring teams from multiple disciplines, composed of people trained in recognizing infrastructure problems.
He expects a huge and comprehensive report that will probably take a year to complete.
