IMPERIAL Pacific International is “strongly urging” members of the public to stay away from the IPI construction site in Garapan until there is an “all clear” announcement from the CNMI government.
In a public announcement on Thursday, IPI said, “with the ongoing tropical depression, IPI has stepped up the monitoring of the cranes at the construction site in Garapan.”
“Out of [an] abundance of caution, we strongly urge the public to stay away from the IPI construction site in Garapan, especially away from the cranes before the tropical storm condition is cleared. We appreciate your attention. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and keep the public informed,” IPI said.
Vince S. Aldan, a former IPI facility manager, told the House Gaming Committee last week that the unfinished casino hotel resort poses danger to the public.
“There’s a lot of things that [are] wrong with that building. The basement is flooding. The walls are falling apart and molds are growing on carpets because the building is not properly maintained,” he said.
“I would really love to see a third-party inspector do an independent report that should be available to the public,” Aldan said.
In January 2021, District Court for the NMI Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona issued a stop order at IPI’s hotel/casino construction site for IPI’s violation of a previously entered consent judgment.
Like most tourism-related businesses on island, IPI shut down in March 2020 amid the global Covid-19 pandemic.
One of the two cranes at the unfinished Imperial Pacific International hotel-casino in downtown Garapan is seen on Thursday.
