AFTER more than 10 years of planning and debate, the island’s streets may finally start having names, according to Saipan Mayor Juan B. Tudela.
This was made possible by the signing this week of Saipan Local Law 13-4, which sets aside at least $600,000 for phase three of the project—the actual procurement and posting of street names.
“We can start. I’ll try to finish it before the end of this year,” Tudela said, adding that he has sent a letter to the Department of Finance requesting that an account be opened for the purpose.
Tudela said he had been meeting regularly with a local contractor to finalize the specifications of the project.
Tudela said $600,000 is still not enough, and an additional $300,000 is needed to name all the streets on the island, including those in homestead areas.
He said there are plans to tap resources from the Marianas Public Lands Trust through legislation or a “mechanism” that will allow MPLT to release additional funds.
Earlier this year, Gov. Juan N. Babauta also signed a statute setting aside $162,100 for phase two of the project, which involves numbering the streets.
The amount was derived from excess funds originally appropriated for the architectural and engineering design of the hemodialysis center on Saipan.
Plans to name Saipan’s streets took off more than 10 years ago with the signing of Saipan Local Law 5-6 by then Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio. It created a Street Directory Commission that was, however, abolished by then Gov. Froilan C. Tenorio through Executive Order 94-3.
The 11th Legislature later passed the Saipan Street Naming and Street Address Act of 1998, which became Saipan Local Law 11-3.
That law enumerates a list of names for the streets, which will be used by Tudela.
