Previous Story
OIA’s Babauta on Tinian today for harbor visit
|
Posted on Dec 05 2011
By Haidee V. Eugenio
Reporter
Reporter
U.S. Interior Assistant Secretary for Insular Affairs Tony Babauta will be on Tinian today mainly to inspect the Tinian harbor, which will soon undergo federally-funded emergency repairs that the Fitial administration approved with the concurrence of the Office of Insular Affairs.
Senate Vice President Jude Hofschneider (R-Tinian) said a notice to proceed will be issued Tuesday to Pacific Corp. Inc. for the Tinian harbor’s emergency repairs worth some $400,000.
“This is welcome news to the people of Tinian-the emergency repairs to the Tinian harbor. We’re excited to know that the notice to proceed will be issued on Dec. 6 to the contractor. We’re grateful for Mr. Tony Babauta for his support to Tinian infrastructure projects, and to the hard work of the local [capital improvement project] office, [Commonwealth Ports Authority], and the [Fitial] administration,” Hofschneider told Saipan Tribune.
OIA also confirmed Babauta’s day trip to Tinian, from Guam.
Rep. Trenton Conner (R-Tinian) separately said on Friday that Tinian officials will be welcoming and meeting with Babauta.
Hofschneider, chairman of the Tinian Legislative Delegation, said if the Tinian harbor isn’t repaired soon, it will further derail economic activities on the island. He said among other things, ships carrying fuel shipments will have more difficulty docking at the port if the bollards collapse and therefore not accommodate sea vessels carrying fuel and other supplies to Tinian.
“We’re very grateful the emergency repair project is taking off,” Hofschneider said.
During a November 2010 forum on economic and labor development, OIA’s Babauta approved $400,000 in “redirection” of a previously awarded CIP grant funding from the Tinian Airport Instrument Landing System project to make “emergency repairs to Tinian harbor’s fuel dock to ensure that fuel delivery is not interrupted, especially during inclement weather.
The emergency repair to the Tinian harbor is separate from the longstanding need to rehabilitate the harbor’s breakwater that is expected to cost millions of dollars.
