Sugar King estate eyed as a major tourist spot

By Marconi Calindas
Reporter

Officers from the USS Gary naval ship, which has been on the island for a four-day recreational visit since Monday, participated in a cleanup drive Tuesday morning at the Sugar King estate in Garapan as part of community relations efforts.

The naval officers spent the morning trimming trees, raking leaves and trash, water blasting the slab pavements and vehicle parking, re-painting the historic buildings and structures in the area, and planting trees, flowers, and shrubs.

They also cleared the drainage and cleared the overgrown nature trails.

Former congressman William S. Torres said the cleanup effort is part of the beautification project of the Office of the Mayor for the area.

He said one of the goals of the Office of the Mayor is to make the Sugar King estate one of Saipan’s major tourist spot and a source of local pride.

Torres said that Saipan Mayor Juan B. Tudela envisions a cultural center at the estate, complemented by a miniaturized “locomotive” that will take visitors around the park depicting the sugar industry on Saipan during the mid-‘30s and early ‘40s.

Torres said that when the trail is cleared all the way up to the summit of Mt. Tapochau, there is a plan to construct a cable car that will connect the estate all the way up to the top. The park is also planned to house a stargazing observatory for public admission.

“We need to reopen the trail up there in the summit,” Torres said, adding that visitors and tourists will marvel at the scenery from the peak of Mt. Tapochau. “That would be the area of concentration from here on.”

The Office of the Mayor, he said, would soon station officials to take care of the park.

Tudela confirmed that every Friday one of his staff will be stationed in the area to do some cleaning starting Feb. 11. His office will soon release bid bulletins for the construction of the multi-functional cultural and performing center at the Sugar King estate.

Torres said that the mayor’s office will do this in phases. Phase I will be for the construction of the amphitheater. Phase II will be for the other buildings for different functions and the last phase would be the locomotive that will run around the park. They will also construct a building to connect the park to the NMI Museum of History and Culture. Landscaping will be the finishing touch on this project.

“This will be for the benefit of tourism and the people on Saipan,” said Tudela, promising fun-filled entertainment once the center is erected.

He said the public and tourists will revel in the cultural center’s entertainment, which would be provided by local artists. Tudela targets to accomplish this project by 2006.

This project is in cooperation with the Department of Public Works, Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, Marianas Public Land Authority, Office of the Governor, Saipan Chamber of Commerce, Japanese community and others, with the assistance from all government permitting agencies.