WASHINGTON, D.C. (Office of the CNMI Congressional Delegate) — The Public Schools System has been awarded a grant of $6 million for construction of a technical and career education center at Marianas High School.
U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan said he received word of the award shortly after meeting Thursday with the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, Alejandra Castillo. The PSS grant is the last of seven applications from the Commonwealth with the Economic Development Administration for Super Typhoon Yutu recovery projects. EDA has now awarded $93,891,034.
“PSS has waited for over two years for this grant decision,” Congressman Sablan said. “So, I thank Assistant Secretary Castillo for taking action today. And I thank President Biden’s administration for the six long-awaited grants awarded this year.”
Funding for the EDA recovery grants and eligibility for the Marianas was included in U.S. Public Law 116-20 in June 2019 at Congressman Sablan’s request. Within a few months, Commonwealth agencies had submitted seven grant applications. But the Trump administration failed to act. Only one application — $10.7 million for Northern Marianas College — received approval.
“Congressional office staff met with the incoming Biden administration right after the November election to flag the long delay in these Yutu grants,” Sablan said. “Once President Biden was sworn in, we finally started getting help.
“All the Commonwealth’s applications for Yutu recovery grants from EDA have now been awarded,” the Congressman added.
The Economic Development Administration also granted the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation $1.7 million from the Yutu recovery funds for a court-ordered water filtration system on Saipan.
PSS plans to match the $6 million grant from EDA with another $6 million of Community Development Block Grant funds, also provided by Congress in U.S.P.L. 116-20. The new technical and career training facility at the high school is expected to increase the pool of skilled, U.S. workers in the Marianas to offset dependence on a foreign workforce and provide higher paying jobs for PSS graduates.
U.S. Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan thanked Economic Development Administration Assistant Secretary Alejandra Castillo for the Biden administration’s award of five Yutu recovery grants this year. After Sablan and Castillo met, EDA announced a sixth grant of $6 million for the technical and career education center at Marianas High School. This brings the total of EDA awards for Super Typhoon Yutu recovery to $94 million. Of seven applications from the Marianas for EDA help the Trump administration only agreed to one.
