No funding identified yet to build Koblerville Junior High

A funding source has yet to be identified by both the Public School System and the Executive Branch in order to build another middle school on Saipan, according to Education Commissioner Rita A. Sablan in her report to the Board of Education on Thursday.

This comes even as the government has already acquired a property in Koblerville for the school’s permanent location.

Sablan disclosed that she, along with some members of her leadership team, including financial consultant Ed Tenorio, federal programs officer Tim Thornburgh, and CIP committee chair Lucy Blanco Maratita, recently met with Gov. Benigno R. Fitial to talk about the ongoing preliminary efforts for the project.

The commissioner reported that PSS will receive from the Department of Public Lands in January the official documents relating to the purchase of the Koblerville property.

A private lot in Koblerville was purchased by the Northern Marianas Housing Corp. in July for the proposed middle school where some 600 students from Hopwood Junior High School will be transferred.

Each fiscal year, NMHC receives about $800,000 in community development block grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The housing corporation earlier committed to allot three years of these CDBG grants for the new middle school, which is estimated to cost over $2 million to build.

Sablan reported to the board that for the architectural and engineering design of the building, the governor has proposed to use the same CDBG block grant monies to complete the project’s A&E. The PSS-CIP office, according to the commissioner, is now working with the housing corporation in doing these preliminary works.

Saipan Tribune learned that PSS wants to construct 10 building facilities: four classroom buildings with 27 classrooms, a cafeteria, a library, a vocational building, a horticulture building, a music building, and a water storage tank. The entire facility is estimated to house up to 700 students.

In an earlier interview, Sablan had said that PSS will closely work with the Executive Branch and the office of CNMI Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan to secure the needed funding for the planned Koblerville Junior High School.This after NMHC board admitted that there is no way the agency-through its community development block grant-can provide all the needed funds for the project to the tune of $8 million.