CDA Executive Director Manuel A. Sablan told Variety: “We are going to solicit proposals for office for rent.”
Sablan said based on the responses that they’ll get, they’ll make a decision whether to stay or vacate their current office at the two-story Waki Building on Middle Road for which they pay around $6,000 a month.
In previous board meetings, CDA floated the idea of investing in an entirely new facility. However, the board said it would take them up to 7 years to recoup savings should it build a new facility. The board decided to study other cost-effective options.
There was also a previous suggestion to renegotiate the lease.
CDA has nine more years left in its lease that expires on Sept. 20, 2020.
The agency said it continues to find ways to cut expenses and reducing rent is one of them.
As they prepare to accept proposals, Sablan said, “We are also going to be looking at the economics of the proposal.”
He told Variety CDA is going to get the RFP out in a couple of weeks.
Sablan also said that CDA is exploring the possibility of collaborating with Marianas Public Land Trust on some projects.
“I reported to the board that I met with Chairman [Alvaro A. Santos] of MPLT a couple of weeks ago. I was suggesting to him that it would be good for CDA and MPLT boards to get together and brainstorm on certain ideas as to how the two agencies could collaborate in terms of investments and other related projects,” Sablan said.
He said Santos was receptive to the idea.
Sablan said he also met with bank representatives on Tuesday afternoon, regarding the $13 million small business credit incentive.
He said CDA had a conference call with the federal loan program’s Washington, D.C. help desk last Wednesday to provide updates as the agency prepares to file an application for the incentive in June.
