GES relocation gets House support

The plan to relocate Garapan Elementary School and convert the area into an extension of the village’s business district has gotten the support of the Legislature.

The House of Representatives adopted last week House Resolution 15-2, authored by Rep. Ramon Tebuteb, requesting the Marianas Public Lands Authority to reserve lot numbers 098-D04 and 098-D05 “to serve as the new location of the Garapan Elementary School.”

The Legislature said the reserved lots are undeveloped public lands available at the Lower Navy Hill area just north of the Commonwealth Health Center and would make an ideal location for GES.

“Garapan Elementary School is located on public land that has potential to be developed into an area enticing to investors and tourists,” said the resolution.

The Legislature also said GES is overcrowded as evidenced by three classrooms being housed temporarily at the MIHA Housing units adjacent to the school.

Since the Public School System is planning to build additional Head Start Program classrooms and new schools and to renovate school facilities, it would be best to invest in a new facility instead of trying to renovate the existing structure to meet the growing demands of the student population, the resolution pointed out.

The plan of relocating GES and transforming the area into a new business park was first presented to the PSS and the Board of Education by former governor’s senior policy adviser Robert Schwalbach during a special Board of Education meeting in November.

The board told the government that it would need a comprehensive business development plan before it can make the decision about the matter. The board refused to commit to the plan yet.

BOE chair Roman C. Benavente said that the government has not gotten back to them yet with the proposal. He said he had hoped that the government would come up with a good business development plan in a month.

Benavente told the media yesterday that if the government’s proposal includes a new state-of-the-art campus that could accommodate at least 1,000 students and has all the appropriate amenities and facilities, the board would definitely jump on the idea.

He earlier said that he and other board members also expressed some concerns with regard to the GES relocation proposal.

Benavente said the board wants the local government to look at the consequences, whether positive or negative. He also said the government should take note of the community’s reactions to the idea.