Previous Story
La Fiesta: A $3.5M investment that can’t just be abandoned
|
Posted on Aug 10 2004
Gov. Juan N. Babauta favors using the La Fiesta complex in San Roque as a campus for the Northern Marianas College.
“The governor supports La Fiesta as a campus. He’s always been supportive of it, working with NMC and the Legislature to make things happen,” said public information officer Pete C. Callaghan yesterday.
The governor, who met with NMC president Tony Deleon Guerrero and House Education Committee chair Justo Quitugua yesterday morning, has designated senior policy adviser Bob Schwalbach to work with the Legislature in identifying funds for NMC.
The college is asking anew for additional money to operate La Fiesta up to December this year. NMC said it would need a total of $350,000: $200,000 for La Fiesta’s annual lease payment on or before Oct. 31 and $150,000 as operational budget from October to December.
The college has been getting its operational funds for the new facility from the Executive Branch since December 2003.
NMC, led by its then board chair Vince Seman, purchased La Fiesta last year using a $3.5 million federal money from the Governor’s Office.
Callaghan said that a $3.5 million investment is not something that authorities could just abandon.
During the meeting, Babauta reportedly noted that the $3.5 million agreement he signed with NMC last year was meant to convert the facility into a classroom venue.
Quitugua said he and the governor both asked the college president to come up with a solid presentation as to NMC’s plan for La Fiesta.
“I have the same position as the governor in that we need to see direction from NMC. They should tell us what they really want. I told the president [that] next time we need a direction, not options. We asked them to get together and come up with what they need so they won’t be coming up here every month to ask for funds,” he said.
Quitugua said that he would look at unobligated funds for possible allocation to NMC.
“We’ll see if we can tap the unobligated tobacco control funds,” he said.
