Turner says govt does not disown anything

Governor’s consultant Adam Turner said the administration never disowned anything, belying a report last month that it is disowning the Paseo de Marianas.

He said the administration fully supports and has been a leading advocate for the revitalization of Garapan, particularly the Paseo de Marianas.

“We fully supported the plans of the previous administration of Froilan Tenorio in the redevelopment of Garapan,” Turner said during a Cabinet meeting held last week at the Governor’s Office on Capitol Hill.

He also said the government has been an advocate for other redevelopment activities in the CNMI such as the Coral Street improvement and paving, the construction of the American Memorial Park visitors’ center, and the Garapan wastewater reclamation project set to begin soon, which would clean the water entering the lagoon.

Turner said the government has spent around $10 million for the redevelopment of Garapan.

A report that came out last month (not the Saipan Tribune) quoted a special advisor of the governor said the administration has nothing to do with the Paseo de Marianas and that when the Babauta administration came on board, the project plan was already 90 percent complete. A follow up report mentioned that former Gov. Froilan C. Tenorio is blaming the current administration for ruining the Paseo de Marianas.

Turner said the current administration is preoccupied with the redevelopment projects going on in “countless other places” that will result in an increased tourism experience in the CNMI when completed.

“The key word here is ‘completed,’” said Turner. He said the project is not done and the remaining improvements are necessary.

He said it is important to note that the projects are long-term improvements. He said one couldn’t make any judgment after only four months when majority of the projects are not even completed yet.

He also pointed out that when types of improvements are made to town centers, there usually are relocation of businesses. For instance, he said, the district where the Paseo de Marianas now stands used to be dominated by poker establishments and strip club karaoke bars.

“These uses [establishments] will eventually be replaced by regular bars, restaurants, and shopping opportunities, which will result in higher end traffic and business,” he said, though the result would take some months when leases end and businesses are replaced.

Turner also cited a project at the lower Key West Florida, which took two years to be completed. He said right now after a few years, Key West is enjoying one of the world’s most vibrant tourism economies.

As a professional involved in several large-scale tourism community planning project, Turner said redeveloping the downtown is usually the cornerstone event for success which, given time, would work in the CNMI as well.