On my mind

Having lived for the past 23 1?2 years on Saipan quite happily—most of the time—without a generator, I am now, for the first time, seriously considering purchasing my own source of power. Being without power during typhoons is painful, but as I see it, it comes with the territory—and besides, not only is everyone else also without power, but the outages don’t usually last that long. But being without power on a random, unannounced basis—over days, weeks, months—is something else again. Especially when, after dark, I can look up at Capitol Hill and see lights blazing forth while I and my neighbors are in darkness—again. It wouldn’t be nearly so bad if the outages were scheduled, if one could plan around them. But without warning I find them most disruptive, and the commercial sector must find them even more so. Surely these outages are not unscheduled, as far as power plant personnel are concerned? And if they know, why can’t the rest of us?

With the Water Task Force making evident and substantive progress toward its goal of providing 24-hour water, perhaps its time to appoint a Power Task Force, charged with providing reliable 24-hour power. One concern: the water task force has a rational, well-designed plan, developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, as guideline for its efforts. Is there an equivalent plan, complete with clearly defined priorities, for addressing power concerns? If there isn’t one, isn’t it high time one was developed? And if there is one, why isn’t it being followed—since if there were one, presumably the Commonwealth Utilities Commission wouldn’t be in the mess it is in now?

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According to the CNMI Historical Preservation Office, the Garapan site being considered for both a rainwater runoff pond and for relocation of the museum sits atop what may have been the last populated village on Saipan before all its residents were taken to Guam.

History reports two villages at the time: Fatiguan, further south, and Anaguan, in the vicinity of Garapan. A typhoon in 1705 destroyed both villages and their churches, but the church at Anaguan was later rebuilt. In 1721, the Jesuits withdrew from Saipan, and in the 1730’s, the last remaining inhabitants of Anaguan were moved to Guam under the Spanish strategy of bringing all Chamorros and Carolinians in the Marianas (with the exception of Rota) to Guam for easier religious conversion and political control.

According to Genevieve Cabrera, HPO staff historian, “there is no definitive proof that Anaguan is indeed that specific portion of Garapan, which today constitutes the proposed Garapan Water Quality project site. Spanish documents indicate that Anaguan ‘may have been near’ or ‘may have been in the vicinity’ of what is now modern-day Garapan.”

Yet, she adds, “ The presence of a Spanish period cemetery within the Hafa Adai archaeological site implies that there is the possibility that Anaguan was situated nearby. However, in-depth analyses of the recovered cultural material at the “Nakamoto” site must be pursued in order to obtain the larger picture of what the site entails and if, in fact, it is indeed one and the same Spanish mission village.”

Archaeological work done at the so-called Nakamoto site—in preparation for the construction of a major hotel—was never completed when the developer lost his funding as a result of the mid-1990’s decline of the Japanese yen.

Calling this a tremendously sensitive site, Cabrera has expressed concern that plans call for it to serve as a wetland/run-off basin when, she notes, “there are two obvious natural run-off areas that “Mother Nature” has more appropriately carved out over the centuries.”

Also of concern is the status of the so-called National Historic Preservation Act Section 106 Review regarding the proposed wetland. Historic sites affected by the expenditure of federal funds must undergo review according to regulations promulgated under the NHPA. The review must determine whether historic properties will be affected, explore alternatives to avoid or reduce harm to the properties, and reach agreement with the local historical preservation office on measures dealing with adverse effects.

While progress continues on the more visible aspects of the Garapan Revitalization Project—the construction of the pedestrian mall—issues regarding the construction of the proposed wetland and museum adjacent to the site have yet to be fully resolved.

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The semantic games being played by the governor of late are pretty pathetic. First there is his statement that agencies must work harder at “streamlining” their operations. While that is a noble goal, it’s clear the governor isn’t really asking for the increased efficiency that “streamlining” implies, but is asking for a reduction in their costs of operation.

Then there is the rhetorical question he seems to be asking: is the reason agencies like the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Public Health are constantly low on funds because the agencies are overspending their budgets, or is it that their budgets really are too low to begin with? Given the critical functions performed by these two agencies, and the clear evidence that they are operating on a shoestring, that their performances are not up to par despite the best efforts of top agency officials, the answer is obvious: they are underfunded.

It’s too bad the governor isn’t willing to be more forthright. Though, unfortunately, in this instance, he has no authority over the Legislature, he should call for reductions in personnel and expenditures throughout government, and particularly in the Legislature, which—of the three branches—is the only government sector that has given no signs of reducing either its expenditures or its staff.

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Did anyone else catch the contradiction in Don Farrell’s protestations that the Azmar proposal to mine ash on Pagan is benign? At one point, he wrote, in response to my concern over the destruction of Pagan’s black sand beach, “I can’t speak officially on this because I really don’t know the answer…. The question we have to ask ourselves and CNMI citizens, is the loss of the black sand beach equal to the millions of dollars in revenue it will create for the citizens of the CNMI? How do we make that decision?”

Yet later, to someone else, he wrote “Listen to these words: Azmar will not destroy Pagan’s black sand beach. It is not necessary, and we wouldn’t do it anyway…. Mr. Moore and I and the rest of the team plan on spending many a night with the workers, the returning residents and the new residents who decide to make a go of it on Pagan, sitting on that black sand beach and watching the sun set.”

Farrell also plays with words when he protests that what will happen at Pagan is not “strip-mining.” Well, strip mining, also referred to as “surface-mining,” is exactly what will occur there. True, there is little top soil to remove, but it is a mining on the surface, rather than in tunnels below ground. And the same concerns apply regarding avoidance of erosion during the process, and restoration of the area after the minerals have been removed.

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With the probable departure of several of Saipan’s garment factories in the not-too-distant future, it would behoove someone such as Northern Marianas College’s Small Business Development Center to develop a program offering assistance in dealing with the consequences to owners of the properties on which those garment factories stand. Foremost, it seems to me, would be help in re-assessing lease terms, and in ensuring that those terms are fully met before the factory owners depart.

Property owners are also likely to be in need of help in ensuring that buildings are not trashed, and that wiring, light and plumbing fixtures not stolen, and eventually, in deciding the future use of the former barracks or factory buildings. Rather than tearing them down, or leaving them to fall apart, property owners could be encouraged and assisted in “recycling” the buildings—the factories as exhibit areas, performance halls, shopping malls; the barracks as college dormitories, contract worker housing, or apartments.

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On a brighter note, former Hopwood Junior High principal Dr. Borja, the present principal and the staff at Hopwood Junior High School deserve a major accolade for establishing and maintaining the tradition of doing away with caps and gowns for students finishing Hopwood, and in keeping with that approach, using the term “promotion” rather than “graduation” for the ceremonies. Not only does it make the ceremony far less financially stressful for all involved, it also strengthens the impact of the act of graduation when it does occur—upon the completion of high school, the completion of college.

(The writer is a librarian by profession, and a long-term resident of the CNMI. To contact her, send e-mail to ruth.tighe@saipan.com.)