Relief money on the way for DCCA

The lights perched atop the poles at the Francisco M. Palacios Baseball Field will soon be lighting the field below, as the relief funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency for damages caused during typhoon Chaba and Tingting has finally been secured.

According to Department of Community and Cultural Affairs administrator Tony Rogolifoi, there will be plenty of repairs made to sporting facilities around the island beside the lights at the ballparks of the Oleai Sports Complex, and he hopes that everything can be completed in two months.

“I am hoping that everything should be finished by next February. It’s a good sign that all of the federal money has been appropriated. It’s just a matter of the paperwork now,” he said.

Some of the paperwork to which Rogolifoi was referring was the bidding on the repair contracts. One they are opened up for bidding, local companies will have the customary 15 days to submit an offer to the DCCA. From there, the work can commence right away.

The most immediate concerns that need to be addressed are the lights at the Palacios Baseball Field and the adjacent softball field.

Rogolifoi said that he needs the repairs to these facilities completed as soon as possible to ensure a timely start to the Saipan Major League season and the Little League seasons.

He said that if the repairs to the lights, bleachers, press box, and bullpen are not made in time, he foresees difficulties with the training for the South Pacific Mini Games.

“There will be too many teams competing for the use of the facility during the limited daylight hours, and unfortunately the only ones that will suffer are the players.”

While the battered facility will have to endure the bidding process before repairs can be made, Rogolifoi said that there are some things that can be done with a little help from the community.

Currently the nets meant to protect the area surrounding the softball field are in tatters, and have been blown out of position by the high winds. There remains a portion of netting along the back of the field that could be repositioned to cease property owners from incurring additional damage to their structures, but Rogolifoi can’t move it alone.

“All I’m asking for is the use of a boom truck from the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation for just one day. With that we could keep the homerun balls from hitting the hotel behind the field and reposition some of the lights to maximize their use,” he said.

Rogolifoi could also benefit from a lift inside the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium as well, and he said that he is awaiting help from the United Filipino Organization to shed some much-needed light on the situation.

“I am trying to borrow a lifter so I can replace the bulbs inside the gym. It is so dark in there (at the south side of the building) that it makes playing difficult. We have the bulbs, but we have no way of getting them changed out.”

There are also a number of additional items on the list for repairs inside the gym, such as the walls, carpets, ceiling panels, awning windows, the ventilation system, the chain link fence, and the air conditioning unit in the weight room.

Aside from the main facility in Oleai, Rogolifoi said that there are some 15 basketball courts from San Antonio to Kagman that will also receive funds from the DCCA, to include the repainting of backboards, the repositioning of overhead lights, new nets, rims, and chain link fencing.