Community Briefs – March 1, 2018

Tumon Bay Music Festival returns
The 10-day Tumon Bay Music Festival, brought to you by the Guam Territorial Band Society and presented in association with the stations of kUAM, Uno magazine and Yahama Music Center Guam, is celebrating its 14th year of promoting musical arts in the Marianas. 

Come and enjoy the music at venues across central Guam beginning March 1 and ending with the grand finale concert on March 10 featuring the combined choir, festival honor bands and the Tumon Bay International Wind Orchestra.

Go to tbmfguam.org now to find the latest information on performance schedules, venues and ticket information.

Free business seminar for veterans & spouses
The CNMI Military/Veterans Affairs Office and the Small Business Development Center will be offering a free business seminar called “Reboot to Business” at Fiesta Resort & Spa Saipan’s Azucena Room on March 26, from 9am to 4pm, presented by Dennis Kwak, director, Veterans Business Outreach Center of the Pacific. To register, contact Velma Del Rosario at 664-2650 or visit https://sbavets.force.com/s/. (PR)

Guam naval base sets force protection drill
SANTA RITA, Guam—U.S. Naval Base Guam will conduct a Force Protection Condition drill on March 6, from 9am to 2:30pm.

Multiple entry control points, to include the main gate, will be closed from 9am to 10am. There will be no inbound and outbound traffic during this time with the exception of emergency vehicles. From 10am to 2:30pm, all inbound traffic will be directed to Post 2, the commercial vehicle entrance near Visitor Control Center, and all outbound traffic will routed to the back gate. The Naval Hospital gate will not be affected during this drill.

There will be increased traffic around base and delays in base access. Employees, residents, and patrons of NBG are advised to plan accordingly and to monitor NBG social media for updates during the drill.

During the exercise, the FPCON will be elevated requiring full ID card checks at the gates. Additionally, the Trusted Traveler program—a program that authorizes DoD ID card holders to escort guests onto NBG—will be suspended during the higher FPCON. All vehicle occupants will be required to provide an approved base access credential.

The drill is designed to enhance the training and readiness of Navy security forces to respond to threats to installations and units. It is not in response to any specific threat, but is a regularly scheduled exercise. (PR)

Free seminar on business plan
The CNMI Small Business Development Center will be offering a free business seminar called “How to Write a Business Plan” at the Commonwealth Development Authority boardroom on Wednesday, March 7, 2018 from 8:30am to 10am. It will be presented by Nicole Babauta, director/business adviser, CNMI SBDC. To register, contact the CNMI SBDC office at 664-3018 or visit http://pisbdcn.ecenterdirect.com/events. (PR)

Art-in-the-Park at the AMP
In March and April, the American Memorial Park is partnering with artists and organizations to provide free art classes to the community under the 2nd annual Art-in-the-Park series. All ages are welcome.

There will be banana painting with Joy Rankin Santos on March 10, from 9am to 12pm. The Carolinian Affairs Office will teach beading on March 24, from 9am to 12pm. Kimberly Mendiola will teach watercolor painting on April 7, from 9am to 12pm.

At the end of the art sessions, on April 21, artwork will be displayed at the Visitor Center for the National Park Week. Space is limited so register soon! To register for a class, visit the American Memorial Park Visitor Center. The center is open daily from 9am to 5pm. For questions contact ranger Brooke Nevitt or education specialist Jovanna Mafnas at 234-7207×2020 or email brooke_nevitt@nps.gov. (NPS)

Power interruption on March 3
There will be a scheduled power interruption on Saturday, March 3, 2018, from 7am to 12pm to allow the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. line crew to replace three 55-foot concrete poles with three 45-foot concrete poles along Chalan Pale Arnold Road in San Roque. The outage will affect San Roque and As Matuis, and also water wells MQ-1, MQ-5, MQ-8, MQ-9, MQ-10, MQ-13, MQ-14, MQ-15, and MQ-16. Two wastewater lift stations—SR-land SR-2—will be affected, while water services to San Roque, Tanapag, and As Matuis will be interrupted during the power interruption; however, all services should be restored after the power is re-energized. Because of the scale of work that will be performed, CUC asks travelers to take alternate routes or to exercise caution when driving through the affected areas. For more information, contact the CUC Customer Call Center (664-4282) or monitor its Facebook page for the latest updates. (CUC)

OPA ethics presentation on Rota, Tinian
The Office of the Public Auditor will be conducting ethics presentations on Rota and Tinian. OPA staff will be on Rota today, March 1, 2018, at the Northern Marianas College Rota Instructional Site, Room A-1 and on Tinian, March 9, 2018, at the Northern Marianas College Tinian Instructional Site, Room D. There will be a morning and afternoon session on each island at 10am and 2pm. If an agency or group of government employees are interested in the presentation, contact the Office of the Public Auditor at telephone number (670)322-6481/2.

While on Rota and Tinian, the staff of the OPA will be notarizing and accepting filings of financial disclosure statements from government officials. All filers are reminded to bring with them some form of photo identification, such as a driver’s license or a passport. Failure to do so may result in the denial of notary services. (OPA)

SCC now accepting scholarship applications
The Saipan Chamber of Commerce is now accepting applications for its Educational Scholarship Fund. Hard copies of the Chamber scholarship applications are available at the Chamber office and can also be delivered to schools upon request. Applicants are encouraged to complete the application which are due on or before 5pm on Friday, April 20, 2018, at its office in the Marianas Business Plaza, third floor, Suite 315. The scholarships will be awarded at the Chamber’s monthly general membership meeting on June 6, 2018. Chamber scholarship applications are also available on the website, www.saipanchamber.com. For more information call the Chamber office at (670) 234-7150 or email administrator@saipanchamber.com. (PR)

Public comments sought for OVR state plan
The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation in partnership with the State Rehabilitation Council invites the public to share comments regarding the updates/modifications to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act’s Office Vocational Rehabilitation services portion of the 2016-2020 unified state plan.

The CNMI OVR is providing an opportunity for public comment on, and input into, the updates/modification prior to its submission to the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Education-Rehabilitation Services Administration. The modified plan can be viewed at the OVR website, ovrgov.net, and electronic copies can also be emailed upon request.

All comments regarding the plan should be submitted:
via email to: nmidir@ovrgov.net
Subject: State Plan Public Comments
or mailed to: Office of Vocational Rehabilitation
Attn: USP Coordinator
P.O. Box 501521, Saipan, MP 96950 or faxed to (670) 322-6548
To ensure comments are considered, they must be received no later than 4:30pm on March 8, 2018. Contact Elvira Seman with requests for alternate formats at 322-6537/8. (PR)

2018 lunar calendars now available
The 2018 traditional lunar calendars for Hawaii and the CNMI are now out. The intent behind these calendars is to raise awareness about traditional ecological knowledge and enhance community involvement in fishery management. Download and print the PDF copies of the calendars.  The American Samoa and Guam calendars will be available soon. (PR)