The CNMI ARRA Office would like to reiterate the importance of distinguishing between the amounts awarded to the central government directly and those applied for and received by autonomous agencies.
The central government awards total approximately $88 million with the largest grants being the $44 million awarded for the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund and the $29 million awarded to the CNMI Division of Energy for the State Energy Program for its programs.
Other agencies to include the Workforce Investment Agency, the Department of Public Works, the Division of Environmental Quality, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Public Safety, the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs and the Department of Commerce comprise the rest of the funding.
These funds we have direct control over and thus far with the $49 million in expenditures reported, and the office has expended over 55 percent of these funds.
The ARRA Recovery site, however, does not distinguish between central government awards and those awarded to autonomous agencies, the amounts are reported cumulatively. A prime example of this would be the recent awarding of the Sandy Beach Home Project which increased the CNMI’s ARRA funding total to the current $120.9 million mark. This along with the $8.1 million award given to IT&E last year account for nearly one-fourth of the CNMI’s total ARRA funds. Although the CNMI government does not have control over these projects we have continued to partner with ARRA recipients to ensure the proper administration of expending these funds.
As of the 2nd quarter reporting period several agencies to include WIA and DCCA have successfully expended their respective ARRA grant awards. A liquidation period of 90 days is given under each grant to finalize all expenditures relative to the grant. Both WIA and DCCA’s funds should be fully completed by the September reporting period.
Funding benefits
The CNMI continues to make steady progress toward the completion of several major projects and the complete expenditure of its ARRA funds.
The progress made thus far can be evidenced by the impact several major grant funds have made to include the following examples.
The State Fiscal Stabilization Fund has helped to save 44 teaching jobs at Garapan Elementary School while providing for Laptops for its secondary students and numerous infrastructure projects.
The State Energy Program has provided for lighting retrofits at the Commonwealth Health Center, the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library, and the Legislature, air-conditioning retrofits in the Senate chamber and CHC, tinting of the Saipan, Tinian, and Rota health centers, and the street light retrofits to light emitting diode lamps for the islands of Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.
Several other notable projects include the installation of solar powered school zone and pedestrian crosswalk beacons, the retrofitting of CUC’s turbochargers, and the cross-island road improvement project are currently on-going.
The CNMI ARRA Office continues to go through painstaking measures to ensure that all ARRA guidelines and protocols have been adhered to in the execution of these projects.
“Our office continues to work closely with our local agencies, leadership, and federal counterparts to ensure that we not only expend the funds prior to the established deadlines but do so in a responsible manner displaying the CNMI’s commitment to quality assurance,” CNMI ARRA communications/compliance director Fred Camacho said.
