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Admin mulls $15M central govt bldg.
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Posted on Apr 03 2006
The Fitial administration is mulling the possibility of constructing a $15-million building that would house most, if not all, government agencies.
Press secretary Charles P. Reyes Jr. said that a presentation was made on the planned capitol building during yesterday’s Cabinet meeting.
The Governor’s Office, the Legislature and other government offices are expected to be relocated to the capitol building. The proposed site is the location of the old court, next to the Multi-Purpose Center and the Department of Public Safety office in Susupe.
Reyes reported that the government currently spends a total of $3.2 million annually on rent or lease of office space. He added that most of the government buildings on Capitol Hill are old and date back to the Trust Territory period.
“Instead of paying $3.2 million a year, maybe we can enter into an arrangement to finance a $15 million building that would house most of the government agencies, if not all of them. That would save the government money in the long run,” he said.
In other news, the Department of Commerce yesterday opened a one-stop business licensing center at the Registrar of Corporations office at the Joeten Dandan Commercial Building.
This will allow members of the private sector to pick up and drop off applications for business licenses, including those for selling alcoholic beverage and tobacco, banking, insurance, foreign investment, and taxicab.
“We’ve provided another location to make it more convenient and easier for business owners to comply with application requirements,” Reyes said.
Business license applications may also be submitted at the Department of Commerce building on Capitol Hill.
