OPA offers building for the use of MPLT

The Office of the Public Auditor has offered one of its buildings for use by the Marianas Public Land Trust.

Public Auditor Michael S. Sablan made the offer following a report that MPLT is planning to buy land and construct a new office building. The plan, recently approved by the MPLT board, has sparked public controversy because of its tentative cost of approximately $700,000 and its proposed location on private land.

“To prevent any unnecessary expenditure of trust money or public funds and to avoid further public controversy, OPA offers to donate one of our buildings located on Capitol Hill to MPLT as headquarters for its operations,” said Sablan.

The recently vacated OPA building is located on Yap drive, just east of OPA’s administrative building and near MPLT’s current location at the Northern Mariana Islands Retirement Fund building.

According to Sablan, the building’s interior has been recently renovated inside and its exterior has been recently repainted. The building has office space for four to six staff members, conference space, file storage room, partial furnishings, air conditioning and a private parking area.

“OPA is confident the building would serve MPLT’s office needs adequately and provide a suitable location to headquarter MPLT’s operations at no cost to MPLT,” Sablan said.

OPA recently vacated the building to consolidate operations and to reduce operation costs after staff downsizing in recent years. The building remains in good condition.

“OPA will gladly offer a tour of the building to the MPLT board and staff members and will press for an official transfer of the building to MPLT through the Office of Personnel Management should MPLT wish to accept this offer,” Sablan added.

MPLT, the agency tasked with managing the money generated from leases of public land, is currently housed at the Retirement Fund building on Capital Hill. 

In May, the agency’s board approved a plan to purchase 4,000 square meters of private land and construct the new building at a cost of roughly $700,000. Former House Speaker Oscar Rasa, a spokesman for CNMI Descent for Self Government and Indigenous Rights, has raised questions about the agency’s purchase, saying it should have used public land instead.