Commonwealth Utilities Corp. personnel are expected to finish replacing all wooden power poles on Saipan way ahead of the extension deadline given by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. <\/p>\n
The original deadline for the project to be completed was Aug. 31; CUC asked for an extension, which FEMA set on Feb. 4, 2019.<\/p>\n
CUC executive director Gary Camacho told Saipan Tribune that they asked for the extension since they were not about to meet the August deadline, with 50 more wooden power poles to be replaced back then.<\/p>\n
\u201cFEMA granted us the extension. However, we\u2019re not going to wait until the Feb. 4 deadline to finish the last 50. Since the extension, we\u2019ve already done 26,\u201d added Camacho, who attended yesterday\u2019s Saipan Chamber of Commerce meeting with CUC legal counsel James Sirok and board chair Miranda V. Manglona.<\/p>\n
As of yesterday, CUC was already down to 24 and CUC personnel would continue with the project, part of FEMA\u2019s Hazard Mitigation Grant 406, until all poles are replaced with concrete ones.<\/p>\n
Adrian Reyes is the project engineer.<\/p>\n
Camacho said that what they would do now is to complete the project of replacing the wooden power poles so that areas that have critical need for uninterrupted electricity won\u2019t be affected by future storms.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe idea now is to strategically do them and not affect the schools or any critical facility that needs power to be secured. That\u2019s kind of our target, having the critical facilities to have uninterrupted power like the [Commonwealth Health Center],\u201d Camacho said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to\u2026continue completing this project and hopefully be able to do it without affecting these critical facilities. As I said, there were 50 power poles left when we asked for the extension and we\u2019ve done 26 since then. The extension is through Feb. 4, 2019, but we plan to finish the project prior to the 2019 deadline.\u201d<\/p>\n
CUC\u2019s project aims to replace all 787 wooden power poles on the island supported by a $7.2-million grant from FEMA. It is also part of FEMA\u2019s hazard mitigation project, which CUC aims to strengthen the CNMI\u2019s power and water supply and distribution in the event of disasters.<\/p>\n
The project cost for labor, materials, and other equipment is 100 percent covered under FEMA\u2019s Section 406 assistance program. FEMA\u2019s Hazard Mitigation Grant 406 is a public assistance program that provides funds for mitigation measures to repair disaster-damaged facilities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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