By Bryan Manabat
bryan@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
GARAPAN Central Park has reopened to the public after Division of of Parks and Recreation staff repaired power lines that were deliberately cut earlier this week.
Parks and Recreation Director Mike Cruz said Tuesday that crews worked quickly to restore electricity following Monday’s discovery that multiple electrical lines leading into the park had been intentionally severed.
“Repairs at Central Park were completed by Parks and Recreation staff,” he said Tuesday. “Scheduled events and activities will resume. Garapan Central Park is again open.”
The park had been closed since Monday morning, when maintenance staff found that power to a pole, the main service entrance, and lines feeding the park’s main panel had been cut. At the time, Cruz described the incident as deliberate vandalism that “hurts the entire community.”
He said the repairs were completed sooner than expected, allowing the park to reopen ahead of previously anticipated timelines.
Cruz said they are still working with authorities to determine when the vandalism occurred and who may be responsible. The investigation remains ongoing.
Despite the quick restoration, Cruz emphasized that the incident underscores the need for community vigilance.
“Acts like this disrupt public spaces that families rely on,” he said. “We’re grateful to our staff for responding immediately and ensuring the park could reopen safely.”
All recreational activities and scheduled events at Garapan Central Park have now resumed.
Bryan Manabat was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College where he also studied criminal justice. He is the recipient of the NMI Humanities Award as an Outstanding Teacher (Non-Classroom) in 2013, and has worked for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Literacy Program as lead facilitator.
