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Grotto improvement project breaks ground
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Posted on Aug 22 2005
Local government officials led by Gov. Juan N. Babauta broke ground yesterday on a $268,000 improvement project at the Grotto, considered one of the top scuba diving sites in the world.
In his remarks, Babauta, said the renovation will make the site even better to visit.
“Saipan will be able to boast of another great attraction for tourists. We are committed to making the CNMI a place where families will want to tell their friends about and return often. The new and improved Grotto will make this happen,” said the governor.
The project, which was awarded to RNV Construction, includes the construction of a pavilion, walkways, restrooms, picnic tables and barbeque pits. It also includes a paved parking lot, an improved drainage system, and a lookout ramp for tourists.
Babauta said that stormwater runoff will be diverted to ponding basins to protect the waters below.
The construction is expected to be completed in early December this year.
“With this [improvement] project, we hope to see more tourists coming. It will become more popular. Likewise, more families will be coming here,” said MVA managing director Vicky Benavente.
About 40,000 to 50,000 tourists arrive in the CNMI every year.
Grotto was chosen as this year’s second best diving site at the Dive & Travel Awards. The awards are organized by the Marine Art Center Co. Ltd., also the organizer of Japan’s largest dive and travel show, the Marine Diving Fair.
The firm also publishes Marine Diving, Japan’s first and largest scuba diving magazine; Travel Diver, a magazine dedicated to islands and resorts; and Marine Photo, the only monthly magazine in Japan dedicated to underwater photography.
