$54M poured into Garapan revitalization

The outgoing administration has committed a total of $54 million in the last four years to redeveloping Garapan, Gov. Juan N. Babauta reported yesterday.

The Garapan revitalization program includes the newly built Paseo de Marianas, Hotel Street renovation, new visitors center at the American Memorial Park, and the Puerto Rico dump closure.

Yesterday, the administration cut the ribbon on one more element of the proposal—the $1.1 million Garapan Street reconstruction.

The Garapan development plan also involves improvements to the Garapan Market, Orchid Street, Dai Ichi Drainage, Sugar King Park Arts and Culture Center, and the park’s tennis court and wetland.

“The key to a thriving tourism industry is to have a destination that is safe, beautiful, and enjoyable. That is why, for the last four years, Lt. Gov. Benavente and I have been working to make the Commonwealth a more attractive destination for tourists,” Babauta said. “Altogether in the last four years, we have committed some $54 million to Garapan as part of our tourism strategy.”

Maeda Pacific Corporation president Thomas J. Nielsen said that in the past two years alone, his company has contracted about $8 million worth of construction projects.

This includes $4 million for the pedestrian mall, $2.5 million for the Hotel Street, and $1.1 million for the Garapan Street.

Nielsen said that, although he has been criticized for his use of subcontractors, he believed it was a good practice because other companies got to benefit from government contracts.

“It spreads the money out. It also means more revenues for government; I pay taxes and they pay taxes,” Nielsen said.

Babauta also noted that the infrastructure projects have been successful in promoting local employment. In accordance with the governor’s directive, workers in government-funded projects are paid the federal minimum wage.

“There has been a significant number of local people earning U.S. minimum wage. Up to now, local people have not been involved in the construction industry. But we have proven that, if you paid the right amount, they would come out and work. [The projects also provide] a good starting point for local workers, a chance for them to learn the trade and move up in the industry,” he said.