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A ‘hot’ time on Tinian
Kudos are due to Tinian Mayor Edwin Aldan and his employees for doing a superlative job of preparing Tinian for the annual Pika Festival. Whomever he has assigned to manage the new road-clearing project has done a great job. The roadways on the civilian one-third end of Tinian are in better shape today than they have been for a long time, certainly before Yutu. Guests visiting Tinian for the Pika Festival will be amazed at the condition of San Jose Village, Marpo Heights, and Carolinas Heights, and all our historic sites, especially in light of the massive destruction our island suffered during Super Typhoon Yutu a year ago October.
The mayor of Tinian cannot be held responsible for the maze of potholes on Broadway, heading north from the airport toward Runway Able, the Atomic Bomb Loading Pits and the Atomic Bomb Assembly areas. That problem could have been resolved some years ago through the Tinian Civilian-Military Advisory Council. Unfortunately, neither the late Gov. Inos nor Gov. Torres have allowed the mayors of Tinian to initiate these dialogues with Joint Region Marianas, even though it is clearly prescribed in the Technical Agreement to the Covenant for exactly such purposes. The personnel hired for this purpose through grants from the Office of Economic Adjustment have been retained in the governor’s office.
Nonetheless, visitors to this year’s Pika Festival (Feb. 15-16) are in for a “hot time” on Tinian, even though the trade winds are blowing cool and steady. The festival grounds are in great shape and the people of Tinian are as excited as ever.
We hope that our visitors from Saipan, particularly elected and appointed officials who always join us, will enjoy passing through the quaint Saipan commuter terminal. No doubt, CPA will have the porta-potties cleaned. The open-air seating for customers awaiting their flights is memorable. The parking for Saipan guests is spacious. And the service at the commuter terminal restaurant is exceptional. And when you get to the Tinian festival grounds, there will be food and cold drinks to help visitors forget about the commuter terminal and enjoy a getaway on our pristine, green flagged beaches.
Don Farrell
Marpo Heights, Tinian
