This week, he said they will finalize the memorandum of agreement for the construction of the kennel with the Northern Marianas Trades Institute.
Initially, Hofschneider said the NMTI management agreed to help develop the animal shelter in Lower Base.
“The school will utilize their students for their hands-on class in the kennel project,” he added.
He said the mayor’s office and NMTI are drafting a “workable” agreement for the project.
Congressman Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan earlier reported that while U.S. Republicans were cutting almost $2 million from next year’s technical assistance grant funding, the Saipan mayor’s office was able to secure an $89,688 U.S. grant for its dog control project.
Sablan said the grant will be used in the procurement of essential materials to renovate an abandoned garment factory for kennel space, purchase equipment, and conduct a public awareness campaign for dog control.
In a separate interview, Ray Lizama, the dog control program director, they applied for the grant with the U.S. Office of the Interior Affairs early this year.
He thanked Gary Sword, owner of the KKMP radio station, for identifying federal funding sources for the program.
“We met last April and discussed how to get funding from the federal government,” he said.
Lizama said they are planning to buy a certified truck for the dog control program.
