Touring proposed project sites and discussing with leaders there, Babauta spent the whole day on the island that’s faced with pressing issues that include the lack of doctors and stevedore services and the looming oil price increase once the Guam Legislature lifts the tax exemption for transshipment of fuel there.
Babauta will be back on Saipan on Monday next week and will go to Rota on Tuesday, according to the Office of Insular Affairs here.
Senate Vice President Jude U. Hofschneider, R-Tinian who chairs the Tinian and Aguigan Legislative Delegation, told Variety that they showed Babauta the sites of Tinian’s priority projects.
Sen. Frank Q. Cruz, R-Tinian said they had a very good meeting with Babauta as they discussed the CIP funds.
He also said they asked Babauta if they could reprogram some of the CIP funds for urgent projects including renovation of the Tinian Health Center.
Aside from Tinian and Aguigan Legislative Delegation members, Hofschneider, Cruz, Sen. Henry H. San Nicolas and Rep. Trenton B. Conner; the other officials who joined Babauta were Tinian Mayor Ramon M. Dela Cruz; CNMI-CIP officials Jim Stump and Vicky Villagomez and OIA officials.
In a telephone interview, OIA’s CIP coordinator Keith Aughenbaugh enumerated some of the CIP projects on Tinian.
There’s a $5 million new landfill project currently in the design phase. This includes the construction of a transfer station the environmental assessment of which is now in the final stage.
Aughenbaugh said the $2.1 million Tinian airport renovation project “is ready to go.”
Also, Tinian has the $500,000 emergency harbor repair project which is also ready for construction.
Aughenbaugh said there is a $2.8 million “leftover” from previous years originally allotted for an instrument landing system that was held back because the federal government now requires an up-to-date landing system at the Tinian airport.
The Tinian leaders want $1 million of this to be reprogrammed to fund the purchase of heavy equipment for the existing dump site. The $800,000, they said can be used to renovate the Tinian Health Center while the $1 million has yet to be decided where to go.
Babauta’s visit, Aughenbaugh said, assured the people of Tinian that these projects will move ahead. The leaders along with CNM CIP officials have also come to an agreement on how to use the remaining $2.8 million CIP funds.
