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Koblerville basketball court has new boards, rims
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Posted on Oct 23 2011
Residents of MIHA Housing in Koblerville will now be able to utilize their basketball court after the Saipan Mayor’s Office donated boards and balls.
Mayor’s office staff replaced the old boards with the new ones last Friday. They also installed the rims donated by lawyer and basketball player Bruce Berline.
Mayor Donald G. Flores, in an interview, said they saw the dilapidated condition of the boards as they made rounds in the southern village for the dog control program.
“I think the basketball court has been bare for five years so we thought of doing something for the MIHA Housing community,” he told Saipan Tribune.
Flores said he first consulted with the Northern Marianas Housing Corp., which is in charge of the housing project, to see if they have any funding for it but was told that there was none.
He said they used spare wood used during one of the Liberation Day festivities in making the boards. Meanwhile, Berline decided to donate the rims and Elias Rangamar of the Basketball Association of Northern Mariana Islands donated balls.
“I want the residents here, especially the youth, to make use of this basketball court to promote health and fitness as well as minimize crimes,” said Flores.
The mayor noted that MIHA Housing leaders Ron Sablan and Mike Nakama Taikichy will be in charge of maintaining the boards, rims, and balls that have been donated to their village.
Sablan and Taikichy, in separate interviews, expressed appreciation for the donation that will allow them to use the basketball court even if it’s only during daytime since the facility is not hooked up with electricity for night use.
“The donation is a great help as it will lessen violence and keep the kids busy and off the streets,” said Sablan.
Taikichy, for his part, said that they will no longer have to walk the way to the basketball court near the Koblerville Fire Station like they used to just to play the sport.
“We really appreciate what the mayor did for this community,” Taikichy said. “This is really for the new generation, our kids here, so they can stay out of trouble.”
The mayor added that he will ask both Sablan and Taikichy to regularly check on the basketball court to keep it clean and alcohol free.
