The Obyan Beach Road project is ongoing.
Rep. Roman C. Benavente poses for a photo during an interview on Monday.
REPRESENTATVE Roman C. Benavente thanked Gov. Arnold I. Palacios and Department of Public Works Secretary Ray N. Yumul for making Precinct 1 road projects a reality, referring to the ongoing Obyan Beach and Ladder Beach road projects.
It was Benavente who authored Saipan Local Law 23-9, which allotted $503,900 in exclusive casino license fee and poker fee collections for the Obyan Beach Road reconstruction project; and S.L.L. 23-17, which re-appropriated $376,800 to fund the paving of the Ladder Beach Road.
In an interview on Monday, Benavente said he is happy to see that the two road projects, which are next to Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport in Dandan, are ongoing. He said both roads have been in bad shape for many years.
The Obyan Beach Road project covers the downhill stretch from Route 302 to the parking lot of the beach park, while the Ladder Beach paving project spans from Route 302 to the Ladder Beach parking lot.
“A lot of people are asking about our representation of our precinct,” Benavente said. “I know it is very valid for them to ask that question. Now I would like to report to my constituents that these infrastructure projects that had been dormant for a while will be completed soon,” he added.
He said since he was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2012, he has been focusing on infrastructure projects that directly benefit his constituents in Precinct 1.
Benavente, who is seeking reelection, said in response to Precinct 1 residents’ clamor for the improvement of the Obyan Beach and Ladder Beach roads, he identified the remaining balances of gambling revenue appropriated by various local laws.
With the help of the administration of Gov. Palacios and Lt. Gov. David M. Apatang, Benavente said he was able to tap leftover funds for the Obyan Beach and Ladder Beach road projects.
“I reconsolidated those funds and I put them together for these road projects, that will serve not only the local residents but also tourists, because I want to make our island more presentable to our visitors,” Benavente said.
He said after the governor signed the local bills, he made sure that DPW solicited bids for the projects as soon as possible. He is very grateful to the administration for making sure that his local appropriation measures were “put into action.”
Benavente also helped improve the Koblerville Children’s Park by using his office funds to purchase and install play equipment and a pavilion in the area, pending the construction of a permanent park, whose funding source is the $380,000 provided by the National Park Service’s land and water conservation program and implemented by the Office of Grants Management.
Aside from the Koblerville Children’s Park project, he said NPS also funded the construction of Pakpak Beach Park in San Antonio in the amount of $495,000.
He said he is thankful to the OGM for “moving these projects forward.”
During his second term as Precinct 1 House member, Benavente used his office funds to build bus shelters in Koblerville, two pavilions in San Antonio and two pavilions at Obyan Beach.
Today, he said, school children are still using the bus shelters in Koblerville, and local residents continue to enjoy the pavilions at Obyan and San Antonio beach parks.
