Zipline application for Marpi OK’d

The Saipan Zoning board unanimously approved Thursday a company’s application to operate a zipline in Marpi.

After two hours of hearing the testimonies of supporters and opponents at the Pedro P. Tenorio Multi-Purpose Center, the board approved the application with several conditions that need to be met.

Richard Colt, who is designing the project, spoke for Saipan Adventure Tours LLC regarding the project, along with their attorney, Robert Torres, and other members of the company.

Colt, who has been doing zipline projects for 25 years, said he knows what he’s doing because of his years of experience building zipline projects in the United States, Ukraine, Latvia, and the Philippines (an ongoing project he is working on).

Colt told the board that the ziplines would be operated by a state-of-the-art system and that safety and environmental concerns are also looked at.

Colt described the ziplines as designed to be relatively quiet, high tech, and with built-in safety features.

Saipan Adventure Tours LLC submitted a site development plan to Zoning consisting of the main tower and ziplines branching out in three different areas.

The launching point of the zipline will be at Suicide Cliff and will launch to three different towers located near Banzai Cliff, Wing Beach, and Kan Pacific.

Concerns

Although safety, environment, and culture was highlighted at the presentation, several concerns were raised.

One concern from a CNMI veteran, Tony Cabrera, was that there is a Veteran’s Memorial in the area. If there was a funeral or a special holiday for veterans, would it bother them?

Torres told Cabrera that they would limit and stop the activities if any special occasion would be held in the area.

Marianas Visitors Authority managing director Perry Tenorio raised concerns about the ziplines running toward Banzai Cliff, it being a sacred area and the site of many Japanese ceremonies. He is also concerned about the visibility of the ziplines and the need for a regulatory agency to ensure its maintenance.

Kaitlin Mattos’ concern was the project’s impact on cyclists and the existing pathways for trail walking. Torres noted that the project won’t disturb existing pathways.

After several concerns were raised, majority of those present at the public hearing supported the project, saying that Saipan needs something new.

Torres then told everybody present that they still have other permits that they have to secure before they can actually break ground with the project.