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Flores eyes Sugar King Park bldg. as souvenir, snack shop
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Posted on Jan 19 2012
Saipan Mayor Donald G. Flores has announced plans to rent out the building at the Sugar King Park to interested entrepreneurs who want to put up a souvenir and/or snack shop.
Flores said the building has a lot of potential given that the Sugar King Park is well-maintained and is now being used more often by tourists, including students visiting the island as part of cultural exchange programs.
Yesterday and on Tuesday, 14 students from Moon Deok Elementary School in South Korea learned about the local culture by taking part in activities such as weaving, lei, and bead making—all held at the park.
The building, Flores said, was a project of the previous administration. Since then, nobody has rented out the place “because traffic in this area is slow.”
“But I already talked to different groups, along with tour agencies, and we’re working on putting it together to revive the place for tourists and hopefully rent out the building to potential businesses,” Flores told Saipan Tribune.
Flores emphasized that he wants to have the building utilized to show that the federal funds used to maintain the park is put to a good use.
The mayor disclosed that they are also working on getting the national flags of the CNMI, United States, Japan, and South Korea flown at the park. “We’re trying to get the flags in the next few weeks,” he said.
Flores said that he also wants to restore the Sugar King train in collaboration with the Marianas Visitors Authority. He said he talked to MVA managing director Perry Tenorio about the need to restore the train and maintain the park to help entice more tourists.
Flores earlier said that he also plans to put iguanas on the trees at the park as an added tourist attraction.
