CPA eyes $7 million from stimulus package

Commonwealth Ports Authority executive director Efrain Camacho disclosed that NMI airports are eyeing $7 million from the stimulus fund approved by the U.S. President for economic and investment recoveries of all states.

A non-competitive grant, the $7 million is the amount promised to the agency by federal officials who recently visited the islands and checked the upcoming airport projects.

“CNMI airports are going to get $7 million from that stimulus money and the amount was based on statistics used by the federal in determining the need of each airport,” said Camacho.

He said CPA submitted a stimulus distribution plan where it prioritized the rehabilitation of the runway of the Saipan/Francisco C. Ada International Airport.

“The runway rehabilitation is a ready-to-do project and we intend to use the stimulus package on this primary undertaking to avert future damage and impact,” he said.

Estimate cost for the entire rehab project is $20 million.

Camacho said the additional funding for the $7 million stimulus money will come from airport improvement project grants that provide annual assistance to CPA projects.

He said bidding for the rehabilitation project is set in June while construction is slated for August.

“We’re expecting the full rehab work to be finished in less than two years, which was also set as a condition of the stimulus package,” Camacho said, adding that the project was bid out together with the relocation of the water catchments and the temporary conversion of the taxiway to a runway.

These components, he added, are included in the estimated $20-million project to be funded by stimulus fund and the AIP grants for 2009.

Camacho said that also up for completion this year are two other priority projects of CPA. These include the procurement of a third backup generator and the upgrade of the 15-year-old public address system on Saipan airport.

It was disclosed that the cost of a third generator, and other components of the project, will cost $6.8 million to be funded by AIP grants.

Camacho also said that CPA has received the approval of FAA to fix the public address system as well as utility upgrade and renovation works at both the international and commuter terminal buildings.

The project will cost $4 million, according to Camacho.

“Hopefully, we can see a new PAS within the year,” he said, adding that construction is slated for four months.