Ada presents plans to decongest Garapan area

Answering questions from the business community last week, Department of Public Works Secretary James Ada said they are sitting down with the departments of Public Lands and Public Safety on the Garapan business area that Ada acknowledges as already “congested” by 2pm every day.

During a Saipan Chamber of Commerce meeting last week, Ada noted DPW erected no parking signs in front of U Save Car Rental in Garapan, which he stressed does help decongest the side or shoulder of the roads, which he later noted also prevents DPW road sweepers from doing their work with cars parked in the area

Ada disclosed DPW has a “study on hand,” estimating a design to cost $100,000 design for a “one-way street” in Garapan to ease traffic flow.

He said they have presented a simulation to Gov. Ralph DLG Torre and the Legislature on the area and noted that construction, including road signs, would “costs in the millions.”

He also acknowledged that DPS should monitor and enforce no parking signs.

“A lot of those cars that park there most of those cars are off island…that is why we are meeting” with DPS “on right of way issue,” he said. “Believe me something is going to happen.”

Chamber: No response yet from BSI on yanking construction visas

The head of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce also told Saipan Tribune after last week’s meeting that they haven’t heard back yet from the Saipan casino on a request for the casino to pull out construction worker visas to alleviate a breached contract worker cap this year.

“No official word yet,” Chamber president Velma Palacios told Saipan Tribune.

The Chamber, among others groups, last month asked the Saipan casino and another major resort developer on island to yank out or cancel contract worker visas for construction workers “not yet on the ground,” in order to alleviate the strain these thousands of worker slots have on a contract worker program that has been capped out this fiscal year.

The groups believe this will immediately alleviate the strain of the humanitarian crisis and impending economic collapse brought about by the departure of hundreds of foreign workers who’ve been forced to leave the Commonwealth by the end of the fiscal year, because of the breached cap.

BSI and other hotel developers could have applied for construction workers under the H-visa class and this has been stressed by the Chamber and the administration of Gov. Ralph DLG Torres.

“I want everyone to know that the administration, from the policy side of it, they are really encouraging that the construction workers…move those into the H-1 visa,” Commerce Secretary Mark Rabauliman told Saipan Tribune last week.

“It will relieve the cap,” he added.

Best Sunshine International, Ltd. has yet to respond to requests for comment forwarded to casino executives on the issue.

Best Sunshine plans to complete its casino resort in Garapan by 2017 to usher the first phase of its multibillion-dollar casino industry on Saipan.