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16 of 25 buildings at NMC ‘temporarily’ repaired
Attao: Community college is 90 pct back to normal
Northern Marianas College interim president David Attao explains the situation of NMC after Typhoon Soudelor during the monthly membership meeting of the Chamber of Commerce held yesterday at Kanoa Resort. (Erwin Encinares)
The Northern Marianas College is on the road to recovery after 19 out of its 25 buildings were damaged by Typhoon Soudelor in August last year.
In a presentation at the Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting yesterday at Kanoa Resort, NMC interim president David Attao said 16 of the 19 damaged buildings have already been patched up or temporarily repaired.
“Sixteen out of 19 buildings that were destroyed during Typhoon Soudelor are already usable,” he told Chamber members and guests during his PowerPoint presentation.
Attao said NMC is putting efforts into constructing a more secure campus as soon as possible for the welfare of the students who are currently enrolled in the college, even if it is only temporary.
“What we’re trying to do now is make temporary buildings and rooms and make sure they can be habitable so our students can have places to study and actually eat and have a comfortable learning environment that is conducive for them to excel,” he said.
Attao also stated that not included on the 16 buildings that are already usable are the gym and other places at the NMC campus.
“We still have the gym and some other areas that need to be replaced though. We can now have classes on these 16, but it’s only temporary,” he said, adding that repairs to the gym will be costly.
He said the NMC Board of Regents is planning to add new facilities to the campus along with the restoration of the destroyed buildings.
“Our board has directed us to try to build new facilities and move in that direction. We’re getting there. We’re trying to build up the funds and trying to get the plan up together for execution,” said Attao.
Attao claims that classes at NMC are almost back to normal and that NMC appreciates the patience that students and faculty members have toward the rebuilding of the campus.
“Classes are 90 percent back to normal. Again, we appreciate our students, faculty, and our staff for their patience during the whole process. We’re trying our best to make it safe and conducive for the students.”
The NMC campus in As Terlaje actually is the site of the old Saipan hospital. NMC hopes to build a campus for the islands’ only community college from the ground up.
