NMI govt needs to commit to college reconstruction with more CIP funds

The Northern Marianas College needs more executive commitment in the form of CIP funds to complete a multi-million dollar reconstruction laid out in recent years for the school’s campus, according to regent William Torres, who chairs the fiscal and finance committee on facilities.

Torres cited Rep. Ramon Tebuteb’s letter to the Office of the Governor’s Capital Improvement Project office, asking it to reserve up to $3 million a year in CIP funds for NMC.

He said $3 million would be “significant” for the college’s projects.

“If the government commits $3 million on CIP [funds] to NMC the next 15-20 years, then that should come close to doing the first phase of the BECA plan,” he said.

Beca International designed the architectural plans for the college’s reconstruction in past years.

The college adopted a master plan developed by Beca in November 2011, according to board meeting minutes from that time.

According to former regent Andrew Orsini, the project would be built in phases and cost around $34 million to $37 million.

Over a $1 million were spent by NMC for Beca’s four designs, according to both Torres and Orsini.

An estimated $27.54 million is needed for the first stage of the Beca-designed project, according to board minutes.

Torres said if the Executive Branch can commit around $3 million a year in CIP money, NMC can leverage that amount and move forward with necessary improvements to the college.

In 2012, an ad-hoc committee was established to lead the facilities master plan project. Also in 2012, the board declared As Terlaje as the permanent location for NMC for the next 15 years.

Orsini, who was involved with facilities planning at that time, said it seems there has been “really no improvement” on that front since 2012.

“It’s a matter of procuring funds, start moving,” he said.

He said a good amount of money has been spent on the designs and he hopes the college moves forward with this “worthwhile, long-term investment.”

He warned against how the appraised value of materials, and minimum wage changing over the years may have caused initial costs to go up.

While there has been no major construction on campus since then, Torres said there have been renovations procured using Office of Insular Affairs money.

NMC’s building K’s renovation, completed this year, was one.

While Torres pointed to a greater commitment from the government, he said NMC is not just relying on government help.

Recently, the college issued request-for-proposals to build a student center and student housing building. Torres described these plans as private-public partnerships.

Essentially private companies would build on NMC land without charge of rent; in return they would finance, construct, and maintain these buildings.

He said NMC has two assets working for them: land and customers in the form of students.

The 2011 NMC program review data showed a jump of Tinian high school graduates attending NMC in years past.

NMC has all the plans in place, but the college needs more commitment from the government, Torres said.

He pointed to a tourism and business hospitality center building whose plans were completed in 1998 as one project that has not been constructed yet.