AFTER months of being relocated from their home base in Marpi, the Hinemlu Ohala Para Enteramenti, or HOPE, Recovery Center, reopened Monday.
The center is widely known in the CNMI for its Substance Abuse, Addiction, and Rehabilitation Program.
Operations were temporarily moved to the Gold Beach Hotel for four months while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, or USACE, and stakeholders executed their mission of identifying and removing munitions and explosives of concern.
Present for the official ribbon-cutting ceremony at the HOPE Recovery Center were various members of the local administration and federal partners, led by Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, SAAR Special Assistant Yvette R. Sablan, and USACE 72nd Honolulu District Commander LTC Eric S. Marshall.
“We’re really pleased to be back. Being away from here, it was really quite challenging. While we were away, the difference really is the logistics. Being in the center of the island, we were just exposed to a lot of activity as opposed to up here. As you can tell coming in, it’s just one way in, one way out and accessibility is not easy for folks that just want to come in and do something crazy. But down there, it was just quite challenging for the residents and for ourselves, the staff, as well,” said Sablan.
She shared that she had concerns about how the compound would look, given that the project involved digging up various holes to remove the munitions and explosives of concern.
The 18-member HOPE Recovery Center team was pleased, however, to return to the site to find that everything was back in order, thanks to the combined efforts of the USACE and HydroGeoLogic, Inc.
“We couldn’t wait to come back. We were just so excited. We were really looking forward to coming in but expecting that the grounds would be a mess, as we were told that there’ll be a lot of digging. I’ve been here and seen that it was all just completely dug up, potholes everywhere. But we came back and realized how everything was really put back together,” said Sablan.
The HOPE Recovery Center currently houses 16 individuals, providing therapeutic and rehabilitative services for individuals recovering from substance abuse and addiction.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Gov. Ralph DLG Torres was held Monday to celebrate the official reopening of the HOPE Recovery Center in Marpi.
