Friday, February 11, 2022
Since the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisers’ (GCEA) Public Private Partnership (PPP) program began in 2020, the Department of Public Lands (DPL) has supported its restoration, maintenance, and transformation projects for tourist and village sites on Rota, Tinian, and Saipan.
When I joined DPL, I learned about GCEA’s mission to transform the Marianas at the village, business, and school levels. It was then that I saw that the PPP program directly benefits those of Northern Marianas descent (NMD). The focus of the PPP is to help revitalize local areas commonly used by the public, such as basketball courts, youth centers, sports facilities, beaches, parks, roads, and signages.
As of February 2022, the PPP program has expanded to reach 82 sites adopted by 77 organizations. Many of the GCEA’s partners are volunteers from nonprofit organizations with limited resources and needed the financial and material support to accomplish their goals for their adopted sites. Along with the Crowne Plaza Resort, we have supported this mission through the commitment of $500,000 to the PPP program and $200,000 to restore public basketball courts and community facilities from its public benefit fund.
Our funding has directly supported the PPP program by funding professional services, the purchase of materials, and the purchase of equipment made available to the PPP partners and volunteers to use at the adopted sites. I’d like to say that I am incredibly impressed with the effort that has been invested in the renovation of sports facilities throughout Rota, Tinian, and Saipan. In just over a year, 21 basketball courts, the Garapan Skate Park, and the Capitol Hill Tennis Court were transformed.
We hope that our current and future contributions and support for various PPP projects will greatly contribute to GCEA’s mission to improve the quality of life for everyone who calls the Marianas home and to transform the Marianas into a world-class destination.
I thank the GCEA for its support and commitment to beautifying the CNMI and look forward to seeing more amazing work that the PPP has planned in the islands.
For more information, visit the GCEA at cnmieconomy.com, on Facebook and Instagram (@cnmigov.economy), or contact them at gceacnmi@gmail.com.
By Sixto Igisomar
Sixto Igisomar is the Department of Public Lands secretary. He has served the Marianas for several years as a congressman in the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st Legislature. As the Secretary of DPL, he is committed to GCEA’s mission in improving the quality of life for the Marianas.
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