US minimum wage to apply to some Plumeria Estates workers

All workers that will be involved with the infrastructure portion of the Plumeria Estates project will receive at least the federal minimum wage, but not those who will be building the actual houses.

CNMI Housing Task Force chair Mariano R. Bermudes said that the Housing Task Force wants construction of Plumeria Estates, including infrastructure, to begin by Oct. 25, and be completed within 600 calendar days after the issuance of the notice to proceed.

If things go as planned, the new subdivision would be finished by June 2006.

Bermudes said persons that will be working on the actual building of the houses will be paid the CNMI minimum hourly wage rate of $3.05. The developer will finance the construction of the homes. The mortgages of the completed homes, in turn, will be used to reimburse the developer for the costs of building.

The subdivision’s infrastructure, however, will be constructed using capital improvement funds. Pursuant to Gov. Juan N. Babauta’s directive regarding minimum wage for all CIPs, those that will be working on the infrastructure part of the project will get no less than the prevailing U.S. minimum wage rate which is $5.15 per hour. They will also receive subsequent wage rates established by the U.S. Secretary of Labor throughout the duration of the infrastructure construction.

According to Bermudes, construction firms interested in building the 128-unit Plumeria Estates subdivision in Koblerville have until 2pm today to submit their proposals to the Northern Marianas Housing Corp.

Aside from building the homes, the developer will also construct all landscaping, roadways, sidewalks, green areas, drainage, electrical distribution systems, and water distribution systems.

For its part, the Housing Task Force will provide architectural and engineering plans for all house models through NMHC, develop a government-approved subdivision layout, facilitate and assist with permitting and project management with a single-point contact, and construct a wastewater collection system through the Commonwealth Utilities Corp.

The Plumeria Estates project will be located in approximately 13 hectares of land near Tottotville Subdivision in Koblerville. It includes construction of up to seven different styles of residential homes based on plans and specifications provided by the NMHC. A total of 128 houses with two-, three-, and four-bedroom units will be available to first-time homeowners at a low price.