Businesses near BSI project air concerns

Operators of marine sports activities have expressed concern that Best Sunshine International, Ltd.’s ongoing construction in Garapan could affect their respective businesses.

For many of these businesses, it is not so much the construction work inside the fenced area where a 14-storey, 250-room hotel casino is being constructed that concerns them, but the construction work outside of it, at the nearby Hibiscus Street, fronting the beach.

Photo shows workers and heavy machinery at an ongoing construction at the end of Hibiscus Street on Garapan on Monday. The construction resulted in an “obstruction,” which alarmed nearby businesses along the beachfront. (Joel D. Pinaroc)

Ashraful Alam, who heads Asia Marine Sports, said he is concerned that the construction might block parking areas that tourists and visitors use.

The area is parallel to the Garapan public property that Best Sunshine has leased.

Alam’s business and two others are located in the vicinity immediately facing the beach.

“It’s just that the construction might block the parking area. Where are tourist buses going to park, and how will locals reach the beach?” asked Alam. He pointed to a “detour” that the contractor of Best Sunshine apparently created while the construction is ongoing.

The area in question is also used as a takeoff point to nearby Managaha Island, Alam said.

Alam clarified that “he has no problem” with the hotel construction itself, but that the construction at Hibiscus Street is his main “issue.” He also said he was not informed of the construction work, which started only yesterday.

He also claimed that the owners of TaoTao Marine Sports were also not informed. TaoTao Marine Sports, which also leases a nearby public land, was not open yesterday.

George Taguchi, owner of Tropical Leisure Sports, Inc., said Hibiscus Street is the main access point for his business.

Unlike Asia Marine Sports, the location of Tropical Leisure Sports is under a private land lease. “But we use this [Hibiscus Street] as our main access point for pickups and drops for our customers.”

He also made it clear that he is “not against” Best Sunshine but he hopes to get a clear layout on what Best Sunshine plans to do with the specific area.

“Perhaps it is best that business owners are informed of these construction,” Taguchi said, adding that he, too, was not informed of the construction.

“I don’t want to interfere with what’s going on, without knowing what the boundary line is,” Taguchi said. “I want to find out where the easement is.”

“If this is area is fenced, where are our customers going to park their vehicles?” Taguchi asked.

He stressed however, that it is best to wait in the next three or four days and find out if there will be fencing on the “blockage.”

“I’ve been informed that the construction began only now [Monday], and it seems this will be a bit inconvenient for us,” Taguchi said. “What will [Department of] Public Lands give to us? Will we be given parking spaces?”

Currently, a detour has been created. Visitors taking the short Hibiscus Street cannot go straight to the beachfront but needs to go around a temporary bend to access the beach.

This temporary bend is what concerns these adjacent businesses.

Both Alam and Taguchi said they hope that the ongoing construction at Hibiscus Street is just “temporary.”

Gordon Shu, chief engineer of MEP, who was on site, said Best Sunshine has secured all the clearances to proceed with the construction.

MEP is a contractor of Best Sunshine.

Shu also confirmed that the construction started only yesterday.

Shu also said a representative from one of the businesses along the beachfront was informed of the construction. Shu declined to provide more details on the construction.