‘Personal goal to make sure these all happen’

Governor’s authorized representative Patrick Guerrero presents updates on the bidding and completion dates for the sports facilities that will be used in the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games 2022 last Thursday at the Northern Marianas Sports Association conference room. (MARK RABAGO)

Governor’s authorized representative Patrick Guerrero last Friday gave a timeline as to when repairs to sports facilities will be done and also said he’s made it his personal goal that repairs to the Oleai track and field, Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium, and the Francisco “Tan Ko” Palacios Baseball Field, among others, will be completed ahead of the start of the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games 2022.

“I’m making it my personal goal to make sure all these happen,” he responded after Northern Marianas Sports Association treasurer John Hirsh said that the Mini Games organizing committee is already in the 11th hour of preparations for the quadrennial event the CNMI will be hosting the first time ever from June 17-25, 2022.

Guerrero added that he’s quite cognizant that time is of the essence when it comes to the completion of the sports facilities.

“That’s why we’ve asked the two bidders for the track and field if they’re sure if they can do it within the 120 days,” he said.

On a funny side note, Guerrero revealed that the first thing he did before taking the call with the two bidding companies for the track and field was go to the Mini Games website so he could see the countdown clock and sure enough it read “211” days last Thursday (206 days as of today).

As per the GAR’s timeline, he noted that the bids for the Ada Gym lower roof repairs, HVAC system installation, sport court flooring, and window replacement as well as the track’s lighting and resurfacing were all completed last Nov. 18, 201.

While the bids for the baseball field demolition and press box and field repairs as well as the rest of the repairs of the Ada Gym are expected to be completed by Dec. 15, 2021.

Bids to be completed by Dec. 31, 2021 include the baseball field bleachers, scoreboard, and backstop and the bleachers and grandstand for the track and field.

As for the schedule of completion, Guerrero said lower roof repairs and windows replacement for the Ada Gym and baseball field demolition and press box and field repairs are expected to be done in 30 days or by Feb. 1, 2022.

The Ada Gym’s sport court flooring will need a little more time to be finished with March 15, 2022 as the expected date of completion, while the track and field’s lighting is expected to be up and running by April 1, 2022.

A couple of weeks after the lights go up, the resurfacing of the track is expected to be completed by April 15, 2022, while GAR is looking at May 1, 2022 as the completion dates for the installation of the HVAC system and other repairs at the Ada Gym as well as the bleachers and grandstand for the track and field facility.

Hirsh prefaced his question to Guerrero by saying that many of the nine sports federations involved in the Mini Games are waiting with baited breath as to when the sports facilities will be completed.

“We’re really in the 11th hour now in term of getting repairs done and I think we’re all collectively a little nervous with COVID-19 and all the uncertainty right now about the work to be completed,” he said.

Northern Marianas Pacific Games Organizing Committee CEO Vicente “Ben” Babauta echoed Hirsh when he said they are basically entering crunch time with regards to the CNMI hosting of the Mini Games.

“We have about six months or about four months—counting holidays and June and May for that matter—before the start of the Mini Games,” he said.

Hirsh also asked the GAR if there’s some sort of safeguards in the contracts being signed that would guarantee the completion of the sports facilities on the promised deadlines.

“Is there a way to put a provision in these contracts that work must be completed by this date? So if you have to work seven days a week, 18-24 hours a day on three shifts to get this done, it will be done by this date. Because otherwise I’m just worried that these dates are gonna just slip and they can’t slip. Starting June 1st there will be delegations coming from all over Oceania here and you know that,” he said.

NMSA president Jerry Tan thanked Guerrero for providing NMSA and the Mini Games organizing committee an update on the bidding and completion dates of the sports facilities. He, however, reached out to the nine sports federations taking part in the Mini Game to be proactive to make sure the timelines and the correct repairs are followed.

“I think there’s more questions… maybe Jay Santos [Saipan Baseball League president] has some questions for baseball. The same goes for tennis and other sports…we shouldn’t be bothering Patrick every day. That’s not his job. We need someone else so when baseball wants to come in for an hour and sit down 1-on-1 and talk about baseball, talk about the Rota Roundhouse, talk about tennis, we can do it. Today we probably got a good general update but I think this is not really the right time and day to talk about all nine the sports at the same time,” he said.

Tan went on to encourage the nine sports to coordinate with Babauta and sit down with either Guerrero or his designate on the completion timelines and raise questions now.

“It might be already too late but at least it’s better to talk now than later…the earlier we get it done the earlier our athletes can be training on the new court, the new surface, the new baseball field. That’s the homecourt advantage that we always want to have.”