Southern residents testify about DEIS
Posted: Jan 31, 2010 4:24 PM
Updated: Jan 31, 2010 4:24 PM
by Michele Catahay
Guam - Congresswoman Madeleine Bordallo hosted a couple of town hall meetings this afternoon to receive public testimony on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. Southern residents testified at the Agat Community Center about issues ranging from traffic congestion, the lack of schools and hospitals needed for the buildup, as well as the socioeconomic issues that could potentially impact the island.
Santa Rita resident Tom Barcinas says while the United States needs the island and Guam needs the U.S., there are still issues. He says Chamorros currently make up 46% of the population, and that number is expected to decrease to 31%. In addition, lands could also be acquired by the military.
"The federal government owns about one-third of the island with requirements for more space for construction of a firing range, and trail up Mount Lam Lam for other purposes," said Barcinas. "It's sad to think that the people of Guam will be a minority in their own land."
Showing posts with label Traffic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Traffic. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Officials foresee more problems
Officials foresee more problems
By Dionesis Tamondong • Pacific Daily News • January 27, 2010
The traffic on Guam's northern roads is congested already. Community health centers are overwhelmed. And incidents of littering and illegal dumping are persistent problems in the villages.
These are among the issues Guam's mayors deal with constantly, and Dededo Mayor Melissa Savares said she expects these problems to grow with the population boom expected from the pending military buildup.
Savares was among those who spoke at yesterday's legislative hearing on the military buildup.
Officials from the police department, Guam's court system, corrections department, customs agency and the Guam Preservation Trust also spoke about the concerns facing their respective agencies when the buildup takes place.
The hearings are being held at the Legislature to allow residents to share their concerns and provide comments on the draft Environmental Impact Statement. The document details the military's plans and potential impact to the island in regard to the buildup.
As part of the series of hearings, the Committee on Utilities, Transportation and Public Works today will present a briefing by Guam's utility agencies.
The hearing is scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. at the session hall.
By Dionesis Tamondong • Pacific Daily News • January 27, 2010
The traffic on Guam's northern roads is congested already. Community health centers are overwhelmed. And incidents of littering and illegal dumping are persistent problems in the villages.
These are among the issues Guam's mayors deal with constantly, and Dededo Mayor Melissa Savares said she expects these problems to grow with the population boom expected from the pending military buildup.
Savares was among those who spoke at yesterday's legislative hearing on the military buildup.
Officials from the police department, Guam's court system, corrections department, customs agency and the Guam Preservation Trust also spoke about the concerns facing their respective agencies when the buildup takes place.
The hearings are being held at the Legislature to allow residents to share their concerns and provide comments on the draft Environmental Impact Statement. The document details the military's plans and potential impact to the island in regard to the buildup.
As part of the series of hearings, the Committee on Utilities, Transportation and Public Works today will present a briefing by Guam's utility agencies.
The hearing is scheduled for 6 to 9 p.m. at the session hall.
Legislature continues DEIS hearings
Guam road construction to increase
Posted: Jan 25, 2010 9:02 PM PST
by Janjeera Hail
Guam - Expect more delay when it comes to traffic on Guam's roadways. Department of Public Works Director Larry Perez says with the agency advertising approximately $20,000,000 worth of projects per quarter, he says residents will see road construction increase. Contractors are working on pavement markings, signage, widening and resurfacing in all areas on island.
"The Route 4/Route 10 intersection," described Perez, "we have pavement markings happening down south happening on Marine Corps Drive. We're going to be doing resurfacing on Route 14, Chalan San Antonio. Reconstruction on Route 25. There will be an intersection near the Las Palmas area."
Perez warns residents to drive cautiously and safely through the roadways during the daytime.
Posted: Jan 25, 2010 9:02 PM PST
by Janjeera Hail
Guam - Expect more delay when it comes to traffic on Guam's roadways. Department of Public Works Director Larry Perez says with the agency advertising approximately $20,000,000 worth of projects per quarter, he says residents will see road construction increase. Contractors are working on pavement markings, signage, widening and resurfacing in all areas on island.
"The Route 4/Route 10 intersection," described Perez, "we have pavement markings happening down south happening on Marine Corps Drive. We're going to be doing resurfacing on Route 14, Chalan San Antonio. Reconstruction on Route 25. There will be an intersection near the Las Palmas area."
Perez warns residents to drive cautiously and safely through the roadways during the daytime.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
AAFB’s road expansion project begins
AAFB’s road expansion project begins
Monday, 25 January 2010 01:22
by Tiffany Sukola | Variety News Staff
Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas last week unveiled plans to improve several roads on Andersen Air Force Base, joining the growing list of agencies preparing for the upcoming military buildup.
“This project is meant to improve the safety, quality of life and operation readiness on base,” said NAVFAC assistant operations manager Commander Keith Barton during Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony.
According to Barton, the much-needed upgrades to several of Andersen’s roadways are necessary in order to support the upcoming population spike associated with the relocation of thousands of marines and their dependents to Guam.
The project involves widening Arc Light Boulevard, Andersen’s main thoroughfare, as well as several surrounding streets.
According to a NAVFAC press release, the project outlined in a 2009 congressional insert will include adding a median divider, bike lane and sidewalks to the current road. In addition, three roundabouts will be installed at various intersections on base.
The $5.6 million construction contract was awarded to Reliable Builders, Inc. last September.
According to Brigadier General Philip Rhulman, the realignment of Arc Light Blvd. is just one of many ongoing buildup related construction projects.
“This strategic buildup will last many years and we need to ensure efficient operations,” said Rhulman, noting that even as Andersen grows in size, base operational capability must also increase.
Rhulman also went on to explain that creating a new traffic flow was needed to decrease the number of traffic jams and accidents that already occur at Andersen.
Rhulman added that the number of cars traveling on base will dramatically increase with the arrival of the estimated 8,000 Marines and their families. And more cars, he said, meant more traffic.
Rhulman said that since studies show that roundabouts are safer, installing them around Andersen will make existing intersections less dangerous, especially during peak traffic hours.
Barton added that the construction should be completed by the end of this summer.
Monday, 25 January 2010 01:22
by Tiffany Sukola | Variety News Staff
Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas last week unveiled plans to improve several roads on Andersen Air Force Base, joining the growing list of agencies preparing for the upcoming military buildup.
“This project is meant to improve the safety, quality of life and operation readiness on base,” said NAVFAC assistant operations manager Commander Keith Barton during Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony.
According to Barton, the much-needed upgrades to several of Andersen’s roadways are necessary in order to support the upcoming population spike associated with the relocation of thousands of marines and their dependents to Guam.
The project involves widening Arc Light Boulevard, Andersen’s main thoroughfare, as well as several surrounding streets.
According to a NAVFAC press release, the project outlined in a 2009 congressional insert will include adding a median divider, bike lane and sidewalks to the current road. In addition, three roundabouts will be installed at various intersections on base.
The $5.6 million construction contract was awarded to Reliable Builders, Inc. last September.
According to Brigadier General Philip Rhulman, the realignment of Arc Light Blvd. is just one of many ongoing buildup related construction projects.
“This strategic buildup will last many years and we need to ensure efficient operations,” said Rhulman, noting that even as Andersen grows in size, base operational capability must also increase.
Rhulman also went on to explain that creating a new traffic flow was needed to decrease the number of traffic jams and accidents that already occur at Andersen.
Rhulman added that the number of cars traveling on base will dramatically increase with the arrival of the estimated 8,000 Marines and their families. And more cars, he said, meant more traffic.
Rhulman said that since studies show that roundabouts are safer, installing them around Andersen will make existing intersections less dangerous, especially during peak traffic hours.
Barton added that the construction should be completed by the end of this summer.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Guam residents voice concerns about military's expansion plans
Guam residents voice concerns about military's expansion plans
Story and photos by Teri Weaver, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Monday, January 11, 2010
MANGILAO, Guam — Hundreds of people on Guam showed up at public hearings last week to question, protest or try to understand a proposed U.S. military expansion that would add more than 9,000 troops to the island.
Some shouted against the move, which could increase the island’s population of 178,000 by an estimated 19 percent in seven years. A few cried in anger and sadness, saying they feared losing more of the island’s Chamorro culture. One high school student rapped his message. A college student sang his. A handful of older residents spoke only in Chamorro.
Still others cited the military’s environmental impact statement chapter and verse. And they challenged the military on a range of concerns — crime, sexually transmitted diseases, pollution, noise, traffic, health, trash, public schools, jobs.
"This is not normal population growth," Kenneth Leon-Guerrero, of Santa Rita, said at Saturday’s hearing in the University of Guam’s field house. "This is whether-you-want-it-or-not growth."
Until mid-February, the military is collecting written and verbal comments on its impact statement, a federally required study that explains how the military plans to avoid adverse effects, or mitigate them, as it expands. Six public hearings this month — four in Guam and two on nearby Tinian — are letting people sound off.
The Guam buildup plan was announced in 2006 as part of an agreement struck between the United States and Japan to move 8,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam — then priced at $10.29 billion. Other parts of the buildup include an Army air defense unit and a new pier for extended berths for aircraft carriers.
More recently, a newly elected Japanese government has balked at the plan because it relocates, rather than removes, a Marine air station on Okinawa. U.S. military officials, however, say they believe the move will go forward as planned.
Between the 2006 announcement and now, local Guam officials and residents heard few details about the plan. Just before Thanksgiving, the military issued the environmental impact statement, giving residents an in-depth look at what the military has in mind — nearly 80,000 extra people, for a time, on the 212-square-mile island.
“It has spurred considerable concern in the community,” said Guam Senator B. J. Cruz, who is considering reviving an effort to call for a public referendum on the buildup.
David Bice, a retired Marine general charged with shepherding the project, said the military wants the public unified behind the project.
“We want a one-Guam approach,” he said.
Deciding whether to embrace the project or reject it can be hard for some Guamanians.
Since 1993, Elizabeth and Richard Reed have lived next to the Navy’s 8,800-acre munitions storage base in the southern part of the island. More recently, they’ve seen the military surveying the area, and they feared the Navy was going to build a fence that would block the Reeds’ view.
Before Thursday’s hearing at Southern High School in Santa Rita, a Navy representative said no fence was planned. Elizabeth Reed, a local teacher, was relieved.
Reed said she has conflicting views about the buildup. Her husband is an architect, and the project could be a boon. But she also worries about the natural resources and added traffic on the island.
“I don’t dislike the military,” Reed said Thursday evening. “It’s just that it’s a small island.”
Some at the week’s hearings encouraged the crowds to welcome the buildup, as long as the military respects the island and its people.
Vicente Gumataotao, mayor of Piti, which includes Apra Harbor, was a boy during World War II when first the Japanese and then the Americans took over the island.
“If you lived through my life, you would be glad to see the Marines here,” he said.
But many didn’t buy the message.
“Guam is not a strategic location,” said Melvin WonPat-Borja, another local teacher and son of one of the Guam legislators critical of the plan. “Guam is the people.”
WonPat-Borja, his sisters, their friends and others organized We Are Guahan (Guam), a group protesting the buildup. At the hearings Thursday and Saturday, the group submitted many comments and posted protest signs outside and inside the hearing venues, including one that said: “8,000? How will it change our lives?”
Col. Robert Loynd is one of two Marines on Guam who currently make up Marine Forces Pacific (Forward) Guam, the unit proposed to grow to 8,600 Marines.
Many of the Marines would work in headquarters units and leadership roles, but all the Marines would need constant training in air movements, shore landings, small-arms firing and battalion-level maneuvering. An air station and more small-arms ranges are planned for Guam, while landing and mechanized maneuvering practice would be on nearby Tinian.
“This will not be a garrison force,” Loynd said later. “It will be a ready-to-go force.”
Carl Peterson has lived on Guam for 44 years and used to be a Russian linguist for the Navy. He spoke Saturday, saying the island needs the military for its industry and jobs.
“We need the money,” Peterson said of the island that relies mainly on tourism and has no major exports. “We can mitigate the challenges. We just need to find solutions to the problems.”
Christopher Salas, 16, is a junior at Southern, and he was interested to hear about some of those jobs.
The project is expected to create 43,000 jobs at its peak, with 7,000 long-term positions. About a quarter of all the jobs created would go to local residents, with the balance going to immigrant workers and other U.S. residents. As of September, 9.3 percent of people in Guam were out of work, just below the 9.8 percent average for unemployment nationally during the same month.
Salas said he’s worried about the Marines and about too many people coming to Guam to work and then staying. He fears locals would lose even more of their Chamorro heritage. And he said he’s troubled about rumors that Okinawans were kicking out the Marines because they committed too many crimes.
“I don’t want them coming here and disrespecting us,” said Salas, whose T-shirt read Guahan Soldier for Life. “I want to know the real reason the people in Okinawa want the Marines out.”
Bice said Friday he was pleased with the hearings so far.
He said public concerns already have affected plans. A firing range planned for the eastern side of the island would have hurt tourism and fishing, so the military now proposes putting the ranges elsewhere.
Dan Jackson lives near that proposed area on the eastern shores. He opened Saturday’s hearing by blowing a conch to announce the gathering. Then, in Chamorro, he encouraged the group to ban together against the buildup.
“This kind of strategy can be stronger than a typhoon,” Jackson said later in English.
Comments can be submitted at www.guambuildupeis.us until Feb. 18, 3:30 p.m. Guam time.
Story and photos by Teri Weaver, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Monday, January 11, 2010
MANGILAO, Guam — Hundreds of people on Guam showed up at public hearings last week to question, protest or try to understand a proposed U.S. military expansion that would add more than 9,000 troops to the island.
Some shouted against the move, which could increase the island’s population of 178,000 by an estimated 19 percent in seven years. A few cried in anger and sadness, saying they feared losing more of the island’s Chamorro culture. One high school student rapped his message. A college student sang his. A handful of older residents spoke only in Chamorro.
Still others cited the military’s environmental impact statement chapter and verse. And they challenged the military on a range of concerns — crime, sexually transmitted diseases, pollution, noise, traffic, health, trash, public schools, jobs.
"This is not normal population growth," Kenneth Leon-Guerrero, of Santa Rita, said at Saturday’s hearing in the University of Guam’s field house. "This is whether-you-want-it-or-not growth."
Until mid-February, the military is collecting written and verbal comments on its impact statement, a federally required study that explains how the military plans to avoid adverse effects, or mitigate them, as it expands. Six public hearings this month — four in Guam and two on nearby Tinian — are letting people sound off.
The Guam buildup plan was announced in 2006 as part of an agreement struck between the United States and Japan to move 8,000 Marines from Okinawa to Guam — then priced at $10.29 billion. Other parts of the buildup include an Army air defense unit and a new pier for extended berths for aircraft carriers.
More recently, a newly elected Japanese government has balked at the plan because it relocates, rather than removes, a Marine air station on Okinawa. U.S. military officials, however, say they believe the move will go forward as planned.
Between the 2006 announcement and now, local Guam officials and residents heard few details about the plan. Just before Thanksgiving, the military issued the environmental impact statement, giving residents an in-depth look at what the military has in mind — nearly 80,000 extra people, for a time, on the 212-square-mile island.
“It has spurred considerable concern in the community,” said Guam Senator B. J. Cruz, who is considering reviving an effort to call for a public referendum on the buildup.
David Bice, a retired Marine general charged with shepherding the project, said the military wants the public unified behind the project.
“We want a one-Guam approach,” he said.
Deciding whether to embrace the project or reject it can be hard for some Guamanians.
Since 1993, Elizabeth and Richard Reed have lived next to the Navy’s 8,800-acre munitions storage base in the southern part of the island. More recently, they’ve seen the military surveying the area, and they feared the Navy was going to build a fence that would block the Reeds’ view.
Before Thursday’s hearing at Southern High School in Santa Rita, a Navy representative said no fence was planned. Elizabeth Reed, a local teacher, was relieved.
Reed said she has conflicting views about the buildup. Her husband is an architect, and the project could be a boon. But she also worries about the natural resources and added traffic on the island.
“I don’t dislike the military,” Reed said Thursday evening. “It’s just that it’s a small island.”
Some at the week’s hearings encouraged the crowds to welcome the buildup, as long as the military respects the island and its people.
Vicente Gumataotao, mayor of Piti, which includes Apra Harbor, was a boy during World War II when first the Japanese and then the Americans took over the island.
“If you lived through my life, you would be glad to see the Marines here,” he said.
But many didn’t buy the message.
“Guam is not a strategic location,” said Melvin WonPat-Borja, another local teacher and son of one of the Guam legislators critical of the plan. “Guam is the people.”
WonPat-Borja, his sisters, their friends and others organized We Are Guahan (Guam), a group protesting the buildup. At the hearings Thursday and Saturday, the group submitted many comments and posted protest signs outside and inside the hearing venues, including one that said: “8,000? How will it change our lives?”
Col. Robert Loynd is one of two Marines on Guam who currently make up Marine Forces Pacific (Forward) Guam, the unit proposed to grow to 8,600 Marines.
Many of the Marines would work in headquarters units and leadership roles, but all the Marines would need constant training in air movements, shore landings, small-arms firing and battalion-level maneuvering. An air station and more small-arms ranges are planned for Guam, while landing and mechanized maneuvering practice would be on nearby Tinian.
“This will not be a garrison force,” Loynd said later. “It will be a ready-to-go force.”
Carl Peterson has lived on Guam for 44 years and used to be a Russian linguist for the Navy. He spoke Saturday, saying the island needs the military for its industry and jobs.
“We need the money,” Peterson said of the island that relies mainly on tourism and has no major exports. “We can mitigate the challenges. We just need to find solutions to the problems.”
Christopher Salas, 16, is a junior at Southern, and he was interested to hear about some of those jobs.
The project is expected to create 43,000 jobs at its peak, with 7,000 long-term positions. About a quarter of all the jobs created would go to local residents, with the balance going to immigrant workers and other U.S. residents. As of September, 9.3 percent of people in Guam were out of work, just below the 9.8 percent average for unemployment nationally during the same month.
Salas said he’s worried about the Marines and about too many people coming to Guam to work and then staying. He fears locals would lose even more of their Chamorro heritage. And he said he’s troubled about rumors that Okinawans were kicking out the Marines because they committed too many crimes.
“I don’t want them coming here and disrespecting us,” said Salas, whose T-shirt read Guahan Soldier for Life. “I want to know the real reason the people in Okinawa want the Marines out.”
Bice said Friday he was pleased with the hearings so far.
He said public concerns already have affected plans. A firing range planned for the eastern side of the island would have hurt tourism and fishing, so the military now proposes putting the ranges elsewhere.
Dan Jackson lives near that proposed area on the eastern shores. He opened Saturday’s hearing by blowing a conch to announce the gathering. Then, in Chamorro, he encouraged the group to ban together against the buildup.
“This kind of strategy can be stronger than a typhoon,” Jackson said later in English.
Comments can be submitted at www.guambuildupeis.us until Feb. 18, 3:30 p.m. Guam time.
Wednesday, January 06, 2010
Make your voices heard: Dededo, Yigo mayors urge residents to testify on buildup
Make your voices heard: Dededo, Yigo mayors urge residents to testify on buildup
By Erin Thompson • Northern Weekly • January 6, 2010
Fears of condemnation of private property, inaccessible hiking trails, a proposed firing range and the relocation of Route 15 are some of the buildup issues worrying residents in the northern part of Guam, according to Dededo Mayor Melissa Savares and Yigo Mayor Robert Lizama.
Residents in the northern part of the island will have an opportunity to voice concerns about how the buildup will affect their community at two public hearings next week. The first will happen on Monday at the Yigo Gymnasium, the second at Dededo's Okkodo High School on Jan. 12.
The hearings are a part of an island-wide process allowing residents to make comments in response to the draft Environmental Impact Statement released in November. The 11,000-page EIS, which is available for review at the University of Guam Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Library in Mangilao and the mayors' offices in Yigo, Dededo, Barrigada, Agat and Mangilao, provides a break-down of the social and environmental impact of the buildup.
Yigo Mayor Robert Lizama says that while only four people to date have come by to browse the EIS and take home a copy of the available CD, he has heard many residents express "frustration" over some of the proposed changes to the area, which include the construction of a firing range along the island's northeast coast. The range would require the leasing or condemnation between 1,100 and 1,800 acres along Route 15 in Mangilao and Yigo, according to the Northern Weekly files.
Dededo resident Anthony Artero, who is planning on attending the hearing next week, told Northern Weekly that he is concerned about how the increased population could strain water and power infrastructure and increase traffic flow on the island. He also pointed to fears about how the rights of property owners would be affected, citing his family's own personal experience.
According to Artero, whose family owns land at Urunao in the Ritidian area, prior to World War II the family owned the land at Anderson Air Force Base, only to see it condemned after the war and bought for a fraction of its value.
"The U.S. military on this island has a track record of treating the people locally unfairly, in terms of taking their land away," says Artero, who says he fear islanders could face land condemnations or restrictions on land development following the buildup.
His biggest concern, however, was that the U.S. military was "not giving the local people an opportunity to be part of the buildup," he says.
As one of the key opportunities for islanders to get their voices on the record about the buildup, Savares says that the Dededo's mayor's office is working hard to get the word out about the hearings.
"We're trying aggressively," says Savares, who says her office is reaching out through media, at public events and by word of mouth, and even sending home messages through school children to get parents to attend.
"It's important that individuals, that residents come out to these hearings, and be heard and see what the EIS -- the findings, the draft studies -- are," says Savares.
"Because it's in draft form now and all comments will really be taken into consideration once final decision is made," she says.
"We want our residents who live here to be heard, make a difference making comments."
By Erin Thompson • Northern Weekly • January 6, 2010
Fears of condemnation of private property, inaccessible hiking trails, a proposed firing range and the relocation of Route 15 are some of the buildup issues worrying residents in the northern part of Guam, according to Dededo Mayor Melissa Savares and Yigo Mayor Robert Lizama.
Residents in the northern part of the island will have an opportunity to voice concerns about how the buildup will affect their community at two public hearings next week. The first will happen on Monday at the Yigo Gymnasium, the second at Dededo's Okkodo High School on Jan. 12.
The hearings are a part of an island-wide process allowing residents to make comments in response to the draft Environmental Impact Statement released in November. The 11,000-page EIS, which is available for review at the University of Guam Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Library in Mangilao and the mayors' offices in Yigo, Dededo, Barrigada, Agat and Mangilao, provides a break-down of the social and environmental impact of the buildup.
Yigo Mayor Robert Lizama says that while only four people to date have come by to browse the EIS and take home a copy of the available CD, he has heard many residents express "frustration" over some of the proposed changes to the area, which include the construction of a firing range along the island's northeast coast. The range would require the leasing or condemnation between 1,100 and 1,800 acres along Route 15 in Mangilao and Yigo, according to the Northern Weekly files.
Dededo resident Anthony Artero, who is planning on attending the hearing next week, told Northern Weekly that he is concerned about how the increased population could strain water and power infrastructure and increase traffic flow on the island. He also pointed to fears about how the rights of property owners would be affected, citing his family's own personal experience.
According to Artero, whose family owns land at Urunao in the Ritidian area, prior to World War II the family owned the land at Anderson Air Force Base, only to see it condemned after the war and bought for a fraction of its value.
"The U.S. military on this island has a track record of treating the people locally unfairly, in terms of taking their land away," says Artero, who says he fear islanders could face land condemnations or restrictions on land development following the buildup.
His biggest concern, however, was that the U.S. military was "not giving the local people an opportunity to be part of the buildup," he says.
As one of the key opportunities for islanders to get their voices on the record about the buildup, Savares says that the Dededo's mayor's office is working hard to get the word out about the hearings.
"We're trying aggressively," says Savares, who says her office is reaching out through media, at public events and by word of mouth, and even sending home messages through school children to get parents to attend.
"It's important that individuals, that residents come out to these hearings, and be heard and see what the EIS -- the findings, the draft studies -- are," says Savares.
"Because it's in draft form now and all comments will really be taken into consideration once final decision is made," she says.
"We want our residents who live here to be heard, make a difference making comments."
Sunday, January 03, 2010
EIS hearing Thursday at Santa Rita
EIS hearing Thursday at Santa Rita
By Laura Matthews • Pacific Daily News • January 4, 2010
Southern residents will get the first chance to provide feedback on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement with public hearings starting this week.
The first round of hearings on the draft EIS begins 7 p.m. Thursday at Southern High School in Santa Rita, and Agat Mayor Carol Tayama is encouraging people in the south to come out and express their views.
The mayor said she has been receiving e-mails from residents in her village informing her of their concerns, and she wants them to know that this is the venue where they can act.
"They have to come out and voice their concerns," Tayama said. "This is the time now if they want to see any changes. I really encourage residents in the south that if they have any concerns, that this is the time to bring them up."
The draft Environmental Impact Statement will provide a detailed account of how Guam's community will be affected through changes caused by the buildup. These include access to recreation locations, safety, labor-related issues, population increase and associated effects, increases in traffic, utility requirements, noise, land use, educational facilities, public health and social services and impact to tourism.
Concerns
Tayama said she plans to attend the public hearing to listen and make her concerns known.
Other residents are planning to do the same.
Cerila P. Skvaril, a 52-year-old living in Nimitz Hill, said she plans to attend at least one of the hearings on the environmental impact report because she has five children who are likely to be affected by the decisions that will be made with the military buildup.
Skvaril is concerned about the environmental impact of the military buildup on the island, and the fact that local land could be taken by the federal government.
"It is devastating to know the United States government has so much resources and the little resources we have they want to destroy it," Skvaril said.
She said residents who will not attend the hearing should remember that in the end "they will pay for it and their children will pay the price."
Nevertheless, there are some who won't be sharing their point of views at the upcoming hearings.
"I will not attend because I don't have the time. I am always working," said Jhune Cortes, 39, from Astumbo. "But I think people should say whether they want the buildup or not, and I think the buildup is going to be better for the economy."
By Laura Matthews • Pacific Daily News • January 4, 2010
Southern residents will get the first chance to provide feedback on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement with public hearings starting this week.
The first round of hearings on the draft EIS begins 7 p.m. Thursday at Southern High School in Santa Rita, and Agat Mayor Carol Tayama is encouraging people in the south to come out and express their views.
The mayor said she has been receiving e-mails from residents in her village informing her of their concerns, and she wants them to know that this is the venue where they can act.
"They have to come out and voice their concerns," Tayama said. "This is the time now if they want to see any changes. I really encourage residents in the south that if they have any concerns, that this is the time to bring them up."
The draft Environmental Impact Statement will provide a detailed account of how Guam's community will be affected through changes caused by the buildup. These include access to recreation locations, safety, labor-related issues, population increase and associated effects, increases in traffic, utility requirements, noise, land use, educational facilities, public health and social services and impact to tourism.
Concerns
Tayama said she plans to attend the public hearing to listen and make her concerns known.
Other residents are planning to do the same.
Cerila P. Skvaril, a 52-year-old living in Nimitz Hill, said she plans to attend at least one of the hearings on the environmental impact report because she has five children who are likely to be affected by the decisions that will be made with the military buildup.
Skvaril is concerned about the environmental impact of the military buildup on the island, and the fact that local land could be taken by the federal government.
"It is devastating to know the United States government has so much resources and the little resources we have they want to destroy it," Skvaril said.
She said residents who will not attend the hearing should remember that in the end "they will pay for it and their children will pay the price."
Nevertheless, there are some who won't be sharing their point of views at the upcoming hearings.
"I will not attend because I don't have the time. I am always working," said Jhune Cortes, 39, from Astumbo. "But I think people should say whether they want the buildup or not, and I think the buildup is going to be better for the economy."
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Opinions vary on military buildup
Opinions vary on military buildup
By Amritha Alladi • Pacific Daily News • November 24, 2009
As details of the proposed military buildup emerge, Guam residents continue to be at odds about whether it will bring more benefits than harm to the island.
Some of the island's residents shared some of their concerns and expectations yesterday as the draft Environmental Impact Statement, released by the Defense Department on Friday, outlines how the military expansions might mean to the host community.
Some residents living near the proposed site for the Marine base and housing complex in Dededo said the plentiful job opportunities will boost the island's economy and thus, reduce crime; others said they fear traffic congestion and crime will increase.
According to Dededo Mayor Melissa Savares, only one person had visited her office to look at the document as of yesterday morning.
The draft EIS indicates that 33,000 new jobs will be created by 2014, and the island will generate $325 million in revenue that year alone.
However, Dededo resident Marina Camacho, 59, said the island's economy has managed to stay afloat until now and it isn't in need of a military buildup to save it from sinking.
"We can still survive," she said.
Her nephew, 48-year-old John Babauta, said he is worried that the increased military activity on Guam will make the island a potential target for foreign attacks.
Neither Camacho nor Babauta has seen the EIS or has plans to do so.
Babauta said he feels the EIS is just for show. If the Department of Defense really valued residents' comments, they would have taken residents' concerns into account about five years ago, he said. The EIS process does give Guam residents 90 days to comment before the buildup plans are finalized.
"They own Guam," Babauta said of the military. "It's already a done deal."
A major component of the buildup is the proposal to move more than 8,000 Marines and 9,000 of their dependents from Okinawa to Guam.
"The problems that Okinawa sees, the same thing will happen here," he added. Babauta said the local government should learn from the Japanese leadership's desire to remove the American military presence from Okinawa altogether.
The Agence France Presse reported last week that members of the Japanese coalition, including newly elected Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, are suggesting the possibility of moving the entire Futenma base off of Okinawa altogether. Guam and Iwo To -- the former Iwo Jima -- have been suggested by Japanese officials as possible locations to shift the remaining American troops.
"The base, unpopular because of aircraft noise and the risk of accidents, is due to be moved from an urban to a coastal area by 2014 -- but Hatoyama has said the base may have to be moved off Okinawa or even out of Japan," according to the AFP report. "Okinawans have long complained about the burden of hosting more than half of the 47,000 U.S. troops based in the country, and residents have been angered especially by crimes committed by American servicemen in the past."
Yet Simon Sanchez, chairman of the Consolidated Commission on Utilities, said the idea that more U.S. troops will be moved from Japan to Guam -- in addition to the current 8,000 Marines who are being relocated under the current plan -- is only speculative. During his discussions with Joint Guam Program Office officials, there has been no mention of such additional relocation, and the draft EIS further confirms only a partial relocation of Marines from Okinawa to Guam, he said.
But Marilyn Tablante, a staff employee at the Dededo Mayor's Office, said she wouldn't mind an increased military presence on the island.
She added that those residents who have not looked into the EIS yet should take the time to do so because it provides a clear picture of how Guam will change as a result of the buildup.
"Tell them to read all of this," she said pointing to the binders filled with the 8,000 pages of the EIS. "They might change their mind."
If more people are employed by jobs created by the buildup, crime would actually decrease on the island, she said.
"The crime rate will go down because they will have a job," she said.
Keekah Mendiola, an employee at the R.S. Taitano convenient store in Dededo, said she, too, felt the positive impact of the buildup will far outweigh its negative effects.
"Look at how many people are losing their jobs," she said. Those people who are currently using federal welfare assistance may not have to do so anymore, she said.
Additionally, 28-year-old Rolly Nicolas, also a Dededo resident, said the shift of more U.S. troops to Guam would actually give the island more protection.
By Amritha Alladi • Pacific Daily News • November 24, 2009
As details of the proposed military buildup emerge, Guam residents continue to be at odds about whether it will bring more benefits than harm to the island.
Some of the island's residents shared some of their concerns and expectations yesterday as the draft Environmental Impact Statement, released by the Defense Department on Friday, outlines how the military expansions might mean to the host community.
Some residents living near the proposed site for the Marine base and housing complex in Dededo said the plentiful job opportunities will boost the island's economy and thus, reduce crime; others said they fear traffic congestion and crime will increase.
According to Dededo Mayor Melissa Savares, only one person had visited her office to look at the document as of yesterday morning.
The draft EIS indicates that 33,000 new jobs will be created by 2014, and the island will generate $325 million in revenue that year alone.
However, Dededo resident Marina Camacho, 59, said the island's economy has managed to stay afloat until now and it isn't in need of a military buildup to save it from sinking.
"We can still survive," she said.
Her nephew, 48-year-old John Babauta, said he is worried that the increased military activity on Guam will make the island a potential target for foreign attacks.
Neither Camacho nor Babauta has seen the EIS or has plans to do so.
Babauta said he feels the EIS is just for show. If the Department of Defense really valued residents' comments, they would have taken residents' concerns into account about five years ago, he said. The EIS process does give Guam residents 90 days to comment before the buildup plans are finalized.
"They own Guam," Babauta said of the military. "It's already a done deal."
A major component of the buildup is the proposal to move more than 8,000 Marines and 9,000 of their dependents from Okinawa to Guam.
"The problems that Okinawa sees, the same thing will happen here," he added. Babauta said the local government should learn from the Japanese leadership's desire to remove the American military presence from Okinawa altogether.
The Agence France Presse reported last week that members of the Japanese coalition, including newly elected Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, are suggesting the possibility of moving the entire Futenma base off of Okinawa altogether. Guam and Iwo To -- the former Iwo Jima -- have been suggested by Japanese officials as possible locations to shift the remaining American troops.
"The base, unpopular because of aircraft noise and the risk of accidents, is due to be moved from an urban to a coastal area by 2014 -- but Hatoyama has said the base may have to be moved off Okinawa or even out of Japan," according to the AFP report. "Okinawans have long complained about the burden of hosting more than half of the 47,000 U.S. troops based in the country, and residents have been angered especially by crimes committed by American servicemen in the past."
Yet Simon Sanchez, chairman of the Consolidated Commission on Utilities, said the idea that more U.S. troops will be moved from Japan to Guam -- in addition to the current 8,000 Marines who are being relocated under the current plan -- is only speculative. During his discussions with Joint Guam Program Office officials, there has been no mention of such additional relocation, and the draft EIS further confirms only a partial relocation of Marines from Okinawa to Guam, he said.
But Marilyn Tablante, a staff employee at the Dededo Mayor's Office, said she wouldn't mind an increased military presence on the island.
She added that those residents who have not looked into the EIS yet should take the time to do so because it provides a clear picture of how Guam will change as a result of the buildup.
"Tell them to read all of this," she said pointing to the binders filled with the 8,000 pages of the EIS. "They might change their mind."
If more people are employed by jobs created by the buildup, crime would actually decrease on the island, she said.
"The crime rate will go down because they will have a job," she said.
Keekah Mendiola, an employee at the R.S. Taitano convenient store in Dededo, said she, too, felt the positive impact of the buildup will far outweigh its negative effects.
"Look at how many people are losing their jobs," she said. Those people who are currently using federal welfare assistance may not have to do so anymore, she said.
Additionally, 28-year-old Rolly Nicolas, also a Dededo resident, said the shift of more U.S. troops to Guam would actually give the island more protection.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Military to increase road capacity
Military to increase road capacity
By Brett Kelman • Pacific Daily News • November 21, 2009
Main roads in Yigo and Dededo will be widened and strengthened in the next few years, or the population boom caused by the coming military buildup would create traffic congestion that would clog the northern half of Guam.
According to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement released yesterday, the military expects to increase the capacity of many roads so more motorists and heavy military vehicles can maneuver with ease. For example:
•Route 3, which splits from Marine Corps Drive in Dededo and stretches to the northwest corner of the island, must be widened from two to four lanes;
•Route 9, which snakes from the Ritidian area to Andersen Air Force Base, must be widened from two to four lanes; and
•Parts of Route 16, which narrows from the airport overpass to Barrigada and provides an alternative route from north to south, must be widened from four to six lanes.
These are just some of the 49 off-base roadway improvements proposed in the preferred solution to traffic congestion provided in the draft EIS.
The projects include eight roads that must be widened, five bridges that must be replaced, one brand-new road and road strengthening all over the island -- including Marine Corps Drive.
According to projected traffic maps provided in the draft EIS, the improvements could prevent Guam from being paralyzed by traffic congestion.
If nothing is done before 2014, roads in Dededo and Yigo will be flooded with more cars than they were built for day and night. Thoroughfares like Y-Sengsong Road would have nearly as many cars on it as it should, the draft EIS predicts.
But if improvements are made, main roads will be able to handle traffic so motorists won't be forced onto smaller roads to escape congestion.
Paying for it
Although civilians will benefit from outside-the-gate improvements to most roadways, the federal government will pay for much of the projects, according to draft EIS executive summary.
Projects may be funded by the Federal Highway Administration and the Defense Access Road Program, the document states.
"The Defense Access Road Program provides the means for DOD to pay a fair share for public highway improvements required as a result of a sudden or unusual defense-generated traffic impact or unique defense-related public highway requirement," the document states.
By Brett Kelman • Pacific Daily News • November 21, 2009
Main roads in Yigo and Dededo will be widened and strengthened in the next few years, or the population boom caused by the coming military buildup would create traffic congestion that would clog the northern half of Guam.
According to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement released yesterday, the military expects to increase the capacity of many roads so more motorists and heavy military vehicles can maneuver with ease. For example:
•Route 3, which splits from Marine Corps Drive in Dededo and stretches to the northwest corner of the island, must be widened from two to four lanes;
•Route 9, which snakes from the Ritidian area to Andersen Air Force Base, must be widened from two to four lanes; and
•Parts of Route 16, which narrows from the airport overpass to Barrigada and provides an alternative route from north to south, must be widened from four to six lanes.
These are just some of the 49 off-base roadway improvements proposed in the preferred solution to traffic congestion provided in the draft EIS.
The projects include eight roads that must be widened, five bridges that must be replaced, one brand-new road and road strengthening all over the island -- including Marine Corps Drive.
According to projected traffic maps provided in the draft EIS, the improvements could prevent Guam from being paralyzed by traffic congestion.
If nothing is done before 2014, roads in Dededo and Yigo will be flooded with more cars than they were built for day and night. Thoroughfares like Y-Sengsong Road would have nearly as many cars on it as it should, the draft EIS predicts.
But if improvements are made, main roads will be able to handle traffic so motorists won't be forced onto smaller roads to escape congestion.
Paying for it
Although civilians will benefit from outside-the-gate improvements to most roadways, the federal government will pay for much of the projects, according to draft EIS executive summary.
Projects may be funded by the Federal Highway Administration and the Defense Access Road Program, the document states.
"The Defense Access Road Program provides the means for DOD to pay a fair share for public highway improvements required as a result of a sudden or unusual defense-generated traffic impact or unique defense-related public highway requirement," the document states.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
20 Years of Growth in 5
20 years of growth in 5:
Guam population will add 42,000 by 2013
By Gaynor Dumat-ol Daleno
Pacific Sunday News
September 14, 2008
During rush-hour traffic in Dededo, Tamuning and Tumon, cars often move at barely a crawl in bottleneck areas...
That's Guam today, with its population estimated at close to 173,000.
Add more than 42,000 people to that figure five years from now, according to data from a draft transportation plan.
"Guam will experience 20 years of population growth in just five years with the military buildup," the 2030 Guam Transportation Plan states.
The plan, which takes into account the U.S. military buildup, outlines massive projects that include widening and building new roads for civilian as well as military needs. The plan includes a mass transit system that would work for a lot more people than its current small pool of riders.
The military buildup has been projected to cost as much as $15 billion, and would include: relocating thousands of U.S. Marines and their families from Okinawa; expanding the Navy and Air Force bases; and building an Army ballistic missile defense facility.
By 2015, when the military buildup is expected to be complete, Guam's population will top 231,000, according to the report. Without the military buildup, it would take Guam at least two decades to reach that level of population growth.
The Department of Public Works plan proposes seeking a combination of funds from the Department of Defense, the Federal Highway Administration and other pockets within the federal government.
Some members of the community have voiced a mix of optimism and concern regarding the growth.
Preparation
John M. Lee, who owns a Shell service station along Route 3, in the general area of the preferred site for a Marine base, said he welcomes the anticipated growth.
"Wow," was Lee's initial comment when he heard of the population growth projection.
A larger population means more opportunities for entrepreneurs such as Lee, who's also opening popular Japanese pastry shop Beard Papa's at Guam Premier Outlets.
But, at the same time, Lee would like to see Guam -- as a community -- prepare better to handle the projected growth. He offered the analogy of would-be parents who must learn parenting skills as best as they can before having children.
"If we are going to expect that," he said of the population surge, "we must do our homework."
And that homework, he said, includes establishing social safety nets and a system that makes sure quality of life for those who already call Guam home doesn't suffer.
Potential strain
Economist Joseph Bradley said the bottom line is that, yes, Guam can handle the projected growth.
"After all, we did so during World War II, and again during the Vietnam War," said Bradley, a senior vice president at the Bank of Guam.
Defense Department representatives have called the proposed buildup the biggest military move in Guam since World War II.
The host community, Bradley said, won't like the potential strain of that growth -- crowding, traffic congestion, sewer overflows and water shortages.
"Unless we make some rather enormous moves now, today -- which we should have made last year, or the year before -- if we don't do whatever we can in the civilian community to prepare for what we know is coming, we will come nowhere close to optimizing the benefits that we might still receive," Bradley said.
"It is time to make the tough decisions and take the aggressive actions that are needed for the prospective growth and prosperity of Guam. Given the global economic situation, we can't afford to wait," Bradley said.
Housing
Part of the challenge when 20 years of growth is compressed into five years is whether there will be enough homes for all the newcomers.
Between 1990 and 2000, Guam has seen a population growth rate of 14 percent.
In five years, if the plan's projection is correct, the number of people on Guam will surge about 24 percent -- that means one additional person for every four people who currently live on Guam.
There's no reason to doubt the population growth projection in the transportation plan, states SMS Research and Marketing Inc., a Honolulu research partner for PCR Environmental Inc. PCR has been selected to conduct a housing study for the government of Guam.
Accommodating a population of 215,000 by 2013 would require housing construction rates on Guam to increase by 40 percent to 50 percent, according to SMS.
"If ... the 215,000 projection is used, and there is no change in the housing production rate, Guam would need an additional 5,573 new units, or almost 1,115 units per year, between 2008 and 2013," SMS officials said.
Contrasting markets
The military buildup puts Guam's economic outlook in stark contrast with the gloom engulfing the housing market in the U.S. mainland.
In most of the nation, the number of new homes being built has fallen to lows not seen in decades, while home purchases have seen double-digit drops, according to wire news service reports.
In contrast, Guam faces an overall construction boom that's in the billions of dollars for both private-sector and military projects.
Based on the 2015 population projection, Guam would need about 7,500 more civilian housing units, said Nick Captain, president of Captain Real Estate. His company tracks local housing data.
The military also is expected to build houses within the proposed Marine base in the Finegayan area on Route 3. About 8,000 Marines and their 9,000 dependents are expected to move to Guam.
The bulk of the military buildup construction is expected to start in 2010 -- if the military receives all the environmental clearances it needs by early next year.
During the buildup's construction phase, 12,000 to as many as 20,000 additional construction workers are expected to be needed on Guam, and their count is included in the 2015 population projection.
The military, in an industry forum on Guam earlier this year, floated the idea of Olympic-village-style housing for the temporary workers. The worker housing could be converted into low-cost housing for Guam residents when the projects are completed, according to initial discussions between the local government and Defense Department representatives.
Captain emphasized that Guam is in a unique position of being perhaps the only U.S. location with guaranteed and significant major boost in population and economic growth within the next several years.
"Guam is looking at a phenomenal period of population and economic growth over the next five years, and there will be good and bad accompanying that growth," Captain said. "It is a phenomenal growth."
Guam currently has about 26,500 stand-alone housing units and approximately 5,000 condominium units, according to Captain's estimates. The vacancy rate for the stand-alone houses, or single-family dwellings, is around 10 percent at this time, he estimated.
"If we play our cards right, and the government makes good decisions, the quality of life will increase," Captain said.
Developing social safety nets for local residents is key to helping Guam residents as the island transforms into a much bigger community, Captain said.
Guam population will add 42,000 by 2013
By Gaynor Dumat-ol Daleno
Pacific Sunday News
September 14, 2008
During rush-hour traffic in Dededo, Tamuning and Tumon, cars often move at barely a crawl in bottleneck areas...
That's Guam today, with its population estimated at close to 173,000.
Add more than 42,000 people to that figure five years from now, according to data from a draft transportation plan.
"Guam will experience 20 years of population growth in just five years with the military buildup," the 2030 Guam Transportation Plan states.
The plan, which takes into account the U.S. military buildup, outlines massive projects that include widening and building new roads for civilian as well as military needs. The plan includes a mass transit system that would work for a lot more people than its current small pool of riders.
The military buildup has been projected to cost as much as $15 billion, and would include: relocating thousands of U.S. Marines and their families from Okinawa; expanding the Navy and Air Force bases; and building an Army ballistic missile defense facility.
By 2015, when the military buildup is expected to be complete, Guam's population will top 231,000, according to the report. Without the military buildup, it would take Guam at least two decades to reach that level of population growth.
The Department of Public Works plan proposes seeking a combination of funds from the Department of Defense, the Federal Highway Administration and other pockets within the federal government.
Some members of the community have voiced a mix of optimism and concern regarding the growth.
Preparation
John M. Lee, who owns a Shell service station along Route 3, in the general area of the preferred site for a Marine base, said he welcomes the anticipated growth.
"Wow," was Lee's initial comment when he heard of the population growth projection.
A larger population means more opportunities for entrepreneurs such as Lee, who's also opening popular Japanese pastry shop Beard Papa's at Guam Premier Outlets.
But, at the same time, Lee would like to see Guam -- as a community -- prepare better to handle the projected growth. He offered the analogy of would-be parents who must learn parenting skills as best as they can before having children.
"If we are going to expect that," he said of the population surge, "we must do our homework."
And that homework, he said, includes establishing social safety nets and a system that makes sure quality of life for those who already call Guam home doesn't suffer.
Potential strain
Economist Joseph Bradley said the bottom line is that, yes, Guam can handle the projected growth.
"After all, we did so during World War II, and again during the Vietnam War," said Bradley, a senior vice president at the Bank of Guam.
Defense Department representatives have called the proposed buildup the biggest military move in Guam since World War II.
The host community, Bradley said, won't like the potential strain of that growth -- crowding, traffic congestion, sewer overflows and water shortages.
"Unless we make some rather enormous moves now, today -- which we should have made last year, or the year before -- if we don't do whatever we can in the civilian community to prepare for what we know is coming, we will come nowhere close to optimizing the benefits that we might still receive," Bradley said.
"It is time to make the tough decisions and take the aggressive actions that are needed for the prospective growth and prosperity of Guam. Given the global economic situation, we can't afford to wait," Bradley said.
Housing
Part of the challenge when 20 years of growth is compressed into five years is whether there will be enough homes for all the newcomers.
Between 1990 and 2000, Guam has seen a population growth rate of 14 percent.
In five years, if the plan's projection is correct, the number of people on Guam will surge about 24 percent -- that means one additional person for every four people who currently live on Guam.
There's no reason to doubt the population growth projection in the transportation plan, states SMS Research and Marketing Inc., a Honolulu research partner for PCR Environmental Inc. PCR has been selected to conduct a housing study for the government of Guam.
Accommodating a population of 215,000 by 2013 would require housing construction rates on Guam to increase by 40 percent to 50 percent, according to SMS.
"If ... the 215,000 projection is used, and there is no change in the housing production rate, Guam would need an additional 5,573 new units, or almost 1,115 units per year, between 2008 and 2013," SMS officials said.
Contrasting markets
The military buildup puts Guam's economic outlook in stark contrast with the gloom engulfing the housing market in the U.S. mainland.
In most of the nation, the number of new homes being built has fallen to lows not seen in decades, while home purchases have seen double-digit drops, according to wire news service reports.
In contrast, Guam faces an overall construction boom that's in the billions of dollars for both private-sector and military projects.
Based on the 2015 population projection, Guam would need about 7,500 more civilian housing units, said Nick Captain, president of Captain Real Estate. His company tracks local housing data.
The military also is expected to build houses within the proposed Marine base in the Finegayan area on Route 3. About 8,000 Marines and their 9,000 dependents are expected to move to Guam.
The bulk of the military buildup construction is expected to start in 2010 -- if the military receives all the environmental clearances it needs by early next year.
During the buildup's construction phase, 12,000 to as many as 20,000 additional construction workers are expected to be needed on Guam, and their count is included in the 2015 population projection.
The military, in an industry forum on Guam earlier this year, floated the idea of Olympic-village-style housing for the temporary workers. The worker housing could be converted into low-cost housing for Guam residents when the projects are completed, according to initial discussions between the local government and Defense Department representatives.
Captain emphasized that Guam is in a unique position of being perhaps the only U.S. location with guaranteed and significant major boost in population and economic growth within the next several years.
"Guam is looking at a phenomenal period of population and economic growth over the next five years, and there will be good and bad accompanying that growth," Captain said. "It is a phenomenal growth."
Guam currently has about 26,500 stand-alone housing units and approximately 5,000 condominium units, according to Captain's estimates. The vacancy rate for the stand-alone houses, or single-family dwellings, is around 10 percent at this time, he estimated.
"If we play our cards right, and the government makes good decisions, the quality of life will increase," Captain said.
Developing social safety nets for local residents is key to helping Guam residents as the island transforms into a much bigger community, Captain said.
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