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FAA approves $1M to upgrade airport’s public address system
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Posted on Feb 04 2009
The Francisco S. Ada-Saipan International Airport will soon have a more reliable and accurate public address system following disclosure yesterday that the Federal Aviation Administration has verbally approved funding for the project.
Commonwealth Ports Authority executive director Efrain Camacho said that close to $1 million will be used to buy and install the new public address system.
It was learned that since the establishment of Saipan international airport, the PA system has never been repaired or replaced due to funding concerns.
Camacho placed the project among its priorities this fiscal year.
“As soon as we receive the written approval from FAA, this is the No. 1 project we will go out [and do] immediately,” he told Saipan Tribune yesterday, adding that the installation will take about four months only.
At present, Camacho said, CPA is preparing all the project’s requirements, including placing effective signages and symbols for the hearing-impaired.
“Once we complete all these requirements, works will continue as scheduled,” he said.
Camacho said the agency is conducting full assessment and study on the current PA system to determine what other components will be considered for the new system.
“Hopefully, we can see a new PA system within the year,” he said, citing the “confusion” created by the existing equipment.
Last month, representatives from FAA were on a two-day visit to ask for CPA’s list of priority projects that could be included in President Obama’s proposed economic stimulus package.
Camacho said a more “formal” discussion about the projects is scheduled next month.
The executive director said the two top airport projects that need immediate resolution are the runway rehabilitation and the public address system.
However, before runway rehabilitation can be done, CPA needs to convert the parallel taxiway to a temporary runway, which is now ongoing. Also funded by FAA, the $4 million project is scheduled for completion in July 2009.
“Once we complete the conversion, that’s the only time we can start the rehabilitation of the runway. We asked FAA to entirely fund it,” Camacho said, optimistic on the positive action by the federal government.
