Lease negotiations for former Rudolpho’s Restaurant okayed

In a move that would soon reopen a new restaurant at the former Rudolpho’s site, the Board of Public Lands authorized the staff of the Division of Public Lands to begin negotiating a long-term lease with S&A Enterprises for the leasing of the vacant building in Sadog Tasi, Saipan.

S&A Enterprises, a locally-owned company, proposes to continue using the building for the operation of a restaurant, whereby local foods and other delicacies are served.

“This is the beginning of an extensive negotiation process for both parties,” said Manuel P. Villagomez, chair of the Board of Public Lands. “In the end, we hope to reach an agreement that is both fruitful for the developer as well as the owners of the public lands of the NMI descent.”

The Board had made its decision in its fourth regular meeting held recently. In that meeting the members also unanimously voted to allow the US Broadcasting Board of Governors to construct an administration building and a warehouse on the leasehold premises located in Agingan, Saipan.

With respect to homestead matters, the Board approved the issuance of certificates of compliance and quitclaim deeds to 14 village homesteaders from Rota, Saipan, and Tinian who were compliant with the terms and conditions of the homestead permits.

The Board also issued six quitclaim deeds for agricultural homesteaders in Tinian. A grant of public domain was also given to the Northern Marianas Housing Corporation for four lots of homesteaders whose residential home loan applications have been pre-approved.

The members of the Board also approved the following government requests:

• A designation of public land in Lower Base to the Department of Public Works for the construction of the new Technical Services Division Office Building. According to DPW officials, the funding for the building construction will come from a grant provided by the US Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration.

• A designation of public land (south of the PSS bus maintenance facility) in Lower Base to DPW for the construction of a Refuse Transfer Station. One of the many benefits the facility will be able to provide includes the efficient screening of incoming waste on the tipping floor to ensure that no hazardous waste or other unwanted matter end up at the landfill.
The Transfer Station will also help reduce the potential problems with illegal dumping resulting from small haulers unwilling to travel the extra distance to the landfill.
Finally, the Transfer Station will, according to DPW officials, greatly reduce the overall costs of waste management to local businesses and the general public who contract for residential collection by consolidating loads and providing an alternative to long-distance hauling.

• A designation of public land in Lower Base to the Division of Fish and Wildlife for the construction of a boat-launching ramp. The new ramp aimed for the use of smaller boats will help reduce shoreline erosion, shoreline vegetation depletion, and other adverse effects caused by direct boat launching from a beach. DFW officials have assured the Board the funding for the project has been secured.

• A designation of public lands in the Chalan Laulau and Fina Sisu for the construction of roads to various tracts of land that currently cannot be accessed or whose access road needs to be widened.

“I am sure that the long-term benefits that result from the designation of public lands to the respective government agencies will be realized very soon,” Mr. Villagomez added.