Heinz Staffler, a contractor on Saipan for over 33 years, has built over 60 residential homes, apartment buildings, a brewery, restaurants and various other construction projects all over the island.
He conceptualized the Saipan cable car project after being inspired by his great-grandfather Josef Staffler who, in 1908, invented and built the world’s first passenger cable car in the Austrian/Italian Alps.
Heinz Staffler believes that a trip to Saipan would not be complete without visiting its highest point — Mt. Tapochau.
“This scenic treasure can be developed as one of the ‘must see’ tours for visitors,” he said.
He said he has communicated with the world’s leading cable car company, Doppelmayr of Austria, which he added has sent engineers to Saipan to look into the feasibility of a cable car project.
Staffler said the company has already prepared a technical plan which suggests a system consisting of a top and bottom station and 32 eight passenger gondolas capable of transporting 720 passengers per hour in both directions.
The cable will be supported by nine 50 ft. high towers, he said.
Both stations and half of the route will be on or over public land, he added.
“These areas should be leased from [the Department of Public Lands]. The other half of the route involves 11 private land owners with whom an easement agreement and compensation should be negotiated,” he said.
Herman Cabrera of Cabrera & Associates Engineers and Architects, one of the project’s shareholders, has already designed the buildings of the top and bottom station.
Staffler said the top station building will have an arrival lounge on the first floor with a small museum showing a cross section of the Marianas Trench and Mt. Tapochau to indicate the difference in height between the bottom of the trench and the island’s highest peak.
“That is why the project is called Top of the World Cable Car,” he added.
The second floor will have a bar and restaurant large enough for shows and conferences, as well as gift shop.
The top floor will be an observation deck outfitted with strong binoculars so visitors can enjoy the breathtaking, 360-degree view of the island, Staffler said.
There will be a chapel on the ground floor where weddings can be held, he added.
This project will boost the local tourism industry and will become the primary attraction on Saipan, he said.
It will generate additional revenue for the government and create new jobs, he added.
The project’s total cost is around $9.4 million.
“Recently some investors from Russia and China showed interest in the project but due to the uncertainty of how the federal government will decide on immigration policies, they are all holding back until Nov. 28. 2011,” he said, referring to the expiration of the umbrella permits issued to the CNMI’s nonresident workers.
The CNMI government, including the Marianas Visitor Authority, and especially the Japanese, Korean and Russian tour operators have expressed support for the project, Staffler said.
All the project needs is funding to get off the ground.
