‘Guma Hustisia will not re-open this year’

The Guma Hustisia building in Susupe will not re-open this year and it is still not sure when it will re-open its doors to the public.

The building was closed to the public in March due to a severe mold infestation and air-conditioning problems. Since then, nothing much has been reported on the progress made to have the building re-opened.

A source said it in increasingly likely that the building will remain closed until the end of the year.

Based on the last news release, the Guma’ Hustisia just issued a request for qualifications last Aug. 1, seeking the services of a mechanical engineering consulting services that would help the CNMI Judiciary fix its mold and air-conditioning problem.

The requests for proposals are due at the end of August and only then will they have an estimated date to re-open the building. It remains unsure whether the building will open this year.

In the meantime, three transaction windows have been built on the side of the building’s main entrance.

The Judiciary’s accounting service unit/cashier, Commonwealth Recorder’s Office, Office of the Clerk of the Superior Court, and Law Revision Commission will serve the public at these transaction windows.

Accounting Service Unit/cashier is at Window 1, while the Commonwealth Recorder’s Office and the Office of the Clerk of the Superior Court are at Window 2. The Law Revision Commission is at Window 3.

The public will still be able to complete payments, process filings, obtain police clearances, and have access to other services at the walk-up transaction windows.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, reasonable and appropriate accommodations will be provided to persons with disabilities with the assistance of the Marshals Service Division.

Court hearings are still being held at the U.S. District Court for the NMI in Garapan and at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center in Susupe, and the Northern Marianas College.

According to a previous article on Saipan Tribune, the 22-year-old main air-conditioning system at the Guma Hustisia was temporarily fixed more than a month before the building was closed down.

As the repair was only temporary, there is a huge possibility that the system may break at anytime.

According to a previous article, the Judiciary needs an estimated $7 million to replace the main air-conditioning system and for mold remediation. The article mentioned that the estimated budget is $4.4 million to replace the air-conditioning system and $2.6 million for mold remediation.

Gov. Ralph DLG Torres has since signed into law a bill that would allocate $7 million to the Judiciary for the procurement of a new air-conditioning system and for mold remediation.