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Historic sites becoming easier to explore
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Posted on Nov 25 2005
Significant historic sites in the Northern Mariana Islands are becoming easier for residents and visitors to find and explore, thanks to new signage from the DCCA Division of Historic Preservation and DLNR Division of Parks and Recreation.
As part of the Division of Historic Preservation’s State Plan and mandate to educate and promote the CNMI’s cultural and historic sites, HPO has recently merge its resources with DLNR’s Division of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to create interpretive signage for existing and new sites on Saipan, Tinian and Rota.
HPO plans to install approximately 25 signs in December 2005 in the style of the “4×4” post with brown and yellow colors used by the Marianas Visitors Authority. The Division of Parks and Recreation has prepared 10 signs to be shipped to the island of Rota this Friday.
“We’re targeting existing and prominent sites for signage installation,” explained HPO Director Epiphanio E. Cabrera Jr. “Currently our office has a running inventory of more than 4,000 sites throughout the CNMI. Our office is prioritizing signs for sites that can be easily accessed and maintained.”
HPO also plans to produce informative brochures for each site that receives a sign. More signs will be produced in the subsequent months as funding becomes available.
“HPO has planned for this months now, but with limited funding, it was quite difficult to fully implement such a big project,” Cabrera said.
HPO assisted with the funding of the materials, while DPR provided the man-hours to assemble the posts and paint the signs. Cabrera expressed his appreciation to Parks and Recreation Director Antonio T. Benavente, supervisor Ray C. Sablan and their staff for their assistance on the project.
“Despite little money and manpower, working together has allowed us to open new sites and contribute to our tourism economy,” Cabrera said. “This initiative is one the entire Commonwealth community can take pride in, as we learn more of our own history and share it with visitors.” (PR)
