Businessman Ta Bun Kuy said in an interview that the project will attract more visitors to Saipan.
“That’s better than leaving the place abandon and unproductive,” he said.
T.D. Amusement Inc. of Tony Glad wants to lease a portion of the Fishing Base in Garapan for the proposed recreation center, which is supported by the Saipan City Taxi Association.
“The zoning board should be more flexible and give special consideration to this project,” said the group’s president Rabby Syed in a separate interview.
He said their group endorses the project because “this will also help the taxi business in Saipan.”
The government, he added, should not “shut down” development opportunities.
Syed said if the Zoning Board opposes the project it should come up with an alternative plan on utilizing idle lots on Saipan.
Glad said the recreation center will offer video games, bump cars, snacks, an ice cream machine, various rides, pool tables and “other fun activities.”
But Mayor Donald G. Flores has noted that the area is also used for the annual Liberation Day celebrations.
Former Department of Lands and Natural Resources Secretary Richard Seman, for his part, said the northern portion of the fishing base proper has long been aside for the Tuesday market of the Sabalu farmers and fishermen.
The Zoning Board last month rejected Glad’s proposal, but he can still appeal the decision.
