Signature drive for marine center construction on

A signature drive for the planned Northern Marianas College Marine/Environmental Science and Mariculture Demonstration Center is now circulating around the island.

NMC’s John Furey, Sciences and Mathematics department instructor, started the signature drive Thursday and has so far gathered at least 50 signatures.

He said the petition aims to express community support for the construction of the marine center.

Furey said some support from federal grants have already been obtained to help develop the center but additional funding is still needed for the construction, hiring of personnel, and acquisition of technical equipment, supplies, solar and mainline utilities, and other cost elements.

Agriculture specialist Michael Ogo said the committee on this project met Thursday morning and finalized the petition.

He said the signature drive would hopefully get the support of the community to inform the Legislature or the Executive Branch to give the project necessary funding.

Ogo said the group was also advised to seek grants to alleviate costs but he said it would only provide equipment in the facility but not construction.

“So that part should come from the local government,” he said.

Furey said his group would forward the petition letter to lawmakers as soon as he has gathered enough signatures to inform the Legislature that the community supports the construction of the marine center.

The marine center was conceptualized to provide students, faculty, and researchers who need to conduct studies instant access to marine animals and their habitat.

The demo center would also house an energy-efficient structure for solar energy that would hold power generator systems.

Furey earlier said that NMC plans to construct rows of tanks for the propagation of marine animals such as giant clams that a similar marine center in Palau houses. He said the first floor of the renovated old building on the Pau Pau site would be utilized as a research wet laboratory.

Called touch tanks, they would allow students to interact with marine animals found in Saipan’s coral reef. The system could facilitate actual research and learning of students whose interests are toward marine biology, said Furey.

Complementary to the wet laboratory would be a research dry laboratory that would be on the second floor, which is designed for professors conducting real-time marine research.

The marine demo center would also include storage for a research vessel. They said the vessel would allow students to be taken to an offshore facility and get them closer to the actual marine environment, further aiding them in their understanding of the sea.

Last January the team rounded their budget for the demo center to around $300,000, which started with a $75,000 allotment for the construction of Phase 1.

Funds of $110,000 for the vessel or research boat will be provided by next year, according to reports.