Brian Shin, right, the president and chief executive officer of E-Land Group’s Micronesian Resort Inc., and Gloria Cavanagh, the acting vice president of E-Land, attend a meeting with the Senate Committee on Resources, Economic Development, Programs & Gaming and the Department of Public Lands in the Senate chamber on Friday.
SUWASO Corp., which owns Coral Ocean Point Golf & Resort in Koblerville, is seeking help from the government and members of the community to protect its golf course and beach area from litterbugs and thieves.
During a meeting with the Senate Committee on Resources, Economic Development, Programs & Gaming on Friday, Senate Floor Leader Corina L. Magofna brought up the condition of the golf course and its surrounding areas. She wanted to know if the golf course follows certain standards and how the nearby beach and other public areas are maintained for the safety of anyone visiting the place.
She said she visited the place and saw the barbecue area littered with trash including old tires.
Brian Shin, the president and chief executive officer of E-Land Group’s Micronesian Resort Inc., which is the parent-company of Suwaso Corp, said: “The unfortunate part is that the public is using us as a dumping ground and after they use the barbecue area, they never clean up.”
He said COP has installed trash bins in the area and conducts beach cleanups every Monday and Tuesday.
But the littering in the public areas adjacent to the golf course has become a “vicious cycle,” he added.
He said it appears that there are people who, at night, dump their household trash in the bushes of the golf course. All kinds of trash including old appliances are dumped there, he added.
Gloria Cavanagh, the acting vice president of E-Land, said an old car dumped at the golf course was set on fire.
Shin said COP has asked the Department of Public Lands and the Department of Public Works if COP can somehow restrict entry to certain areas at night to prevent people from dumping their garbage there.
Shin said there were also incidents of thefts at COP, and the victims were visiting golfers.
Thieves, he said, were hiding in the bushes waiting for an opportunity to steal the golfers’ belongings. Most of the items that were stolen were wallets.
Shin said there were six theft incidents last year, and there have been two so far this year.
At one time, he said COP employees found home-made guns in the bushes of the golf course. There were also two incidents when grass on the green was dismantled and taken away. They also lose an average of 10 flags a month, and even the convex mirrors for safe driving on the pathway are stolen. Six of those have been stolen within a week, Shin said.
“It’s a constant battle for us. I’m not complaining, I’m not blaming any particular individual, but I just hope there’s some understanding and cooperation, and that we can get some help from the government so we can clean up the area, maintain it and open it up to the public,” he said.
Shin said they understand they cannot restrict people from the beach and other public premises in the area. What they are trying to do is to clean and maintain the premises, he added.
“We will not give up,” he said. COP needs to do a better job in maintaining its premises, “but at the same time we also need some help from the public to recognize that [the area] is not a dumping ground,” he said.
In response, Sen. Celina Babauta said, “I share that frustration with you.” She said the Legislature can come up with something to assist COP.
Magofna, for her part, said it is unfortunate that COP is facing such challenges.
“We’ll be more than happy to sit down and brainstorm some of the ways we can implement [the] law if that’s what it takes to minimize a lot of the unnecessary challenges you are facing because at the end of the day, your success is our success,” she said.
The Suwaso officials, along with Department of Public Lands officials, met with the Senate committee on Friday to discuss COP’s request for a 15-year extension of its land lease agreement with the government.
