In its grant application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, NMHC requested $1.3 million in community development block grant for the project.
Proposed by the Northern Mariana Islands Football Association, the complex will be constructed in Koblerville.
NMHC’s grant application, which is being reviewed by the governor’s office, described the project as a fenced sporting facility with one-regulation sized football field, several fields for children, public parking, a main entrance, a building with locker rooms, a scoring booth, restrooms, and bus/ban loading zones.
NMHC said the facility will allow the youth to participate in organized sporting and social activities that will “encourage physical fitness and lead them away from trouble, juvenile delinquency, crime, and health-related diseases.”
The project will immediately serve Koblerville with a population of 3,390 of whom 2,748, or 81.06 percent, belong to low-moderate income families.
NMHC said the project will also serve the rest of Saipan which has a population of 45,562 of whom 34,819, or 76.42 percent, are low-moderate income earners.
For this year, NMHC is seeking $2,020,822 in federal grant.
Among the alternate projects approved by NMHC for program year 2008 are the rehabilitation of GTC school buildings B, F, and G; the rehabilitation of the Tinian Marpo Heights Public Park and its basketball court; the Carolinas Heights basketball court on Tinian; the construction of beach facilities; and island beautification projects.
