In his letter to IPI resident director Jing Zhou on Tuesday DPW Secretary James A. Ada said the department is authorizing IPI to resume on Wednesday, Nov. 25, the construction of IPI’s tower from Levels 3 to 13.
Ada said the DPW Building Safety Code Division received the “teaming agreement” between DR Safety Consultant and KMFE LLC on Nov. 19.
According to the agreement, KMFE will provide engineer of record or EOR services to include a mechanical engineer, a structural engineer and an electrical engineer who will oversee the construction operations of IPI in Garapan.
Ada said DR Safety Consultant and KMFE have complied with the special inspection requirements, pursuant to the building code.
“Therefore, the Department of Public Works is allowing IPI to resume work on Nov. 25, 2020, from Level 3 to Level 13 except Level 14 until shop drawings and revised plans are submitted and approved by the Building Safety Code official,” Ada said in his letter to Zhou.
The Commonwealth Casino Commission meets with Imperial Pacific International officials and members of the community in the CCC conference room on Tuesday. Contributed photo
DPW acting Building Safety Officer Isagani Salazar, who was invited to the Commonwealth Casino Commission meeting on Tuesday, informed the commissioners that IPI had also submitted the certificates and other pertinent documents of the four EORs — a mechanical engineer and structural engineer from Saipan, and an electrical engineer and architect from Guam.
In his report to the casino commission, Zhou said that all the remaining construction workers were affected by the stop work order, but the H-2B employees continued working at warehouses.
These H-2B workers, he added, are composed of 106 construction workers from Mongolia, 63 from Taiwan, 28 from Turkey, three from Thailand and one from Italy.
For his part, former IPI construction manager Glenn Bell told the casino commissioners that “now is your opportunity to stop this IPI cancer — now is the time…to protect your children and grandchildren and your people. Please don’t let them down.”
He said IPI’s chief executive director, Donald Browne, has the responsibility to ensure that the casino investor operates legally, remains financially viable and adheres to the code of ethics.
But he said IPI as a company has “failed in all aspects and continues to fail.”
He accused its officials of “knowingly colluding to cover up the scandal that unfolded previously about workers who were unprotected for months and up to now.”
Browne, in response, said Bell is defaming those who are “trying to work hard and get people paid.”
