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New office to cost MPLA extra $10K a year
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Posted on May 18 2005
The Marianas Public Lands Authority’s decision to move to a new office will cost the agency an additional $10,000 a year for an extra 163 square feet of space.
MPLA public information officer Edward Arriola Jr. said yesterday that MPLA would be paying an annual rent of $159,322.40 once it starts to occupy the second floor of the Joeten Dandan Building, which has a total area of 14,753 sq.ft.
This amount represents a 7-percent increase over the $148,818 that MPLA is currently paying for its 14,590-sq.ft. office in Chalan Piao.
However, Arriola stressed that the new office would provide MPLA more storage space, which the agency needs given its ever-increasing volume of documents.
Unlike the Chalan Piao office, the Joeten Dandan building is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, making it accessible to MPLA clients who have disabilities.
Arriola further cited various problems that MPLA has with its current office. The building has an unreliable electrical system and water seeps through the walls when it rains, he said. It is also unsafe because it is located within 100 feet of Mobil-Chalan Piao’s gas tank.
“The move has nothing to do with the management of this building. The board and management made the decision to transfer to a new building to protect the safety of the employees,” he said.
Arriola said it was not yet definite when MPLA would start moving into the new office.
