‘Relocate Garapan school’

The sprawling Garapan Elementary School campus at the heart of the Garapan commercial district may soon be transformed into a business park—that is, if the Public School System agrees to the government’s proposal to relocate the school to Navy Hill.

Governor’s Senior Policy advisor Robert Schwalbach presented the government’s proposal to transform the school and the surrounding MIHA Housing area into a new business district during a special Board of Education meeting yesterday at the BOE Conference room on Capitol Hill.

Board chair Roman C. Benavente said Schwalbach told them that the Northern Marianas Housing Corp. has already agreed with the plan to construct business facilities in the area.

“The government is doing this to lure in businesses,” he said.

Benavente quoted Schwalbach as telling the BOE that NMHC has already approved to sell and market the prime properties in Garapan.

“The presentation included the elementary school and they want to grab the elementary school and take a portion of it,” the board chair said.

Schwalbach reportedly told BOE members and PSS officials that the government is already looking at a new site for the school at the north side of the Commonwealth Health Center on Navy Hill.

“They [government] want to build a new school for GES on a five-hectare property there,” Benavente said.

He said the board told the governor’s adviser that they would need a comprehensive business development plan before they make the decision about it and they are not committing to the plan just yet.

“We’re very hopeful that they would come up with a good business development plan in a month,” Benavente said. “The intentions and the plans are very positive.”

He added that the plan is an excellent option to improve the CNMI economy.

Benavente said, though, that he and other board members also expressed some concerns with regard the GES relocation proposal. He said the board wants the local government to look at the consequences, whether positive or negative. He also said the government should take note of the community’s reactions to the idea.

“That must be looked at, whether it would be beneficial to the Garapan community or if there would be a negative impact on the community,” Benavente said.

Schwalbach’s presentation ended with the board members saying that they would be more ready to consider the GES relocation plan once he comes back with a more comprehensive study about it.