Public still can comment: Dededo residents brace for changes

Public still can comment: Dededo residents brace for changes

By Brett Kelman • Pacific Daily News • January 13, 2010














Hearing: Chamorro activists raise their fists and cheer on the testimony of We Are Guahan group's Melvin Won Pat-Borja at the last public hearing on the Guam/CNMI Military Relocation draft Environmental Impact Statement. The hearing was held at Okkodo High School, yesterday. (Jacqueline Hernandez/Pacific Daily News/jhernande7)


Although the public hearings in Guam are over, residents who still want to comment on the military buildup draft Environmental Impact Statement haven't lost their chance.

You can still submit comments through the Internet or mail, and those comments will be considered the same as those that were presented publicly over the last week.

All comments must be accepted, some comments may reshape the military's plans and some comments won't get a response, retired Marine Corps Col. John Jackson, director of the Joint Guam Program Office, said last night.

"Some of them may be 'Yankee go home' and others may be 'Hey, we are glad you are here,'" Jackson said. "That doesn't really help the decision making. That part of the process of getting comments is to assist the decision-makers, ... to give them the best information from all aspects."

Population

The final hearing last night was held at the Okkodo High School gym and many residents of Dededo attended to learn more about the busy future of their village. Dededo already is the most populous village on Guam, and the coming military buildup will only congest the village even more. The buildup is estimated to bring about 80,000 more people to Guam by 2014, according to the draft Environmental Impact Study.

John G. San Nicolas worries it may be too much. With more residents on island, everyone will have to compete over limited resources, from the shady spots at the beach to the last table at a restaurant, he said.

"With just the sheer number of people on this island, being in such a small confined space, it's only natural to expect that friction is going to occur," he said. "And friction could occur in different places -- the beach, the roads, going to the mall, parties -- from the mere fact that the frequency of us meeting each other is higher."

Many of new residents who move to Guam for the buildup will end up living in the Ukudu Workforce Village, a massive housing facility with all the makings of an entire community, that will be built not far from where the hearing was held last night.

Guam-based Younex Enterprises Corp and a South Korean construction company have already agreed to work together to build the housing facility in the Harmon Annex south of the Navy's south Finegayan housing.

According to Pacific Daily News files, the facility will feed workers and transport them to their jobs and other activities. The facility will include its own 24-hour medical clinics, religious services, entertainment, laundry, banking, convenience stores and emergency services.

The entire project should be finished by 2013, when buildup-related construction is booming. San Nicolas, who lives close to where the housing will be built, worried the facility would bring no benefit to Dededo. Although the buildup promises to bolster the local economy, the facility sounds like it will create an economic vacuum, he said.

If workers in the housing will be imported, much of the money they earn will go off island, he said. And if the workers get their food, services and fun inside the facility, their earnings won't flow through the economy, he said.

"Do I think they are going to infuse that hard-earned money they get from working here into the local economy? Probably not as much," he said. "Do I see them buying any property here? No. ... Do I see them investing in the economy such as going out and shopping at Kmart or eating at Chili's? No."

San Nicolas also worried the housing facility, which will be as big as a village, could bring all the problems of a village -- including crime.

"If it's such a close community, who knows what happens in there. There could be prostitution and there could be gambling. ... If they are totally self-contained, every society has their vices," San Nicolas said.

Landowners may again get short end of the stick

Landowners may again get short end of the stick

Posted: Jan 07, 2010 9:15 PM PST
by Janjeera Hail

Guam - Concerns are being raised over planned construction in South Finegayan, and it appears local landowners may, once again, be getting the short end of the stick. "It's all for the benefit of this construction. How about us, the property owners?" questioned Terri Aguon.

Local landowners are demanding answers as to why the Guam Land Use Commission is allowing Younex Corporation to build roads up to 100 feet wide that cut across private land. The proposed roads would create access from Route 3 to barracks that will house 18,000 of the corporation's employees in the Harmon Annex.

Land Management Chief Planner Carl Untalan says the department's hands are tied because the land was already designated as easements and is GovGuam property, separate from the lots returned to landowners several years ago. "What we try and relay to them is that this is an encumbrance that we did not create. We basically at this point in time for lack of anything else could be done to it, we'll have to live with it at least for the moment," he said.

Untalan showed KUAM News an aerial view of the property that illustrates an existing road on the designated easement and explained that Younex would only be expanding it.

But Aguon, a second-generation landowner, says that doesn't justify allowing the construction of a road up to 100 feet wide.

She said, "Maybe the road exists after the Government of Guam took over and didn't give it back to the land owners. But thing is why 100 feet wide? My surveyor found 40 feet. Why now 100 feet?"

Ike Pangelinan, a third-generation landowner, says Younex has other options. He says the corporation can create access by using an easement on their property identified on 1950's surveys of the land, that for some reason were not identified on a 1995 map by Perry and Associates.

He said, "And we noticed on Lot 53-12 through the northwest there's a bullcart trail there on the Younex side, so they don't like that because they want to take more from us, and less on their side. We're going to lose. I would recommend we follow the original map of 1953 and 1956 maps and I have those maps and I got that from land management."

The Land Use Commission, however, maintains that even if the easements aren't used by Younex, the landowners won't be able to do anything else on it except build a road, too. "If it did not do it in those fashion, none of those landowners could actually use those easements unless they individually approached the easement holder to obtain a grant of easement because it was never returned," he said.

Landowners will be able to air their grievances when the Legislature hears arguments regarding zoning changes in the area, but the Legislature will only be able to make changes if its determined that they were unfairly designated as easements. Regardless of the outcome, this issue may only be the tip of the iceberg as Guam prepares for a massive influx in population in the coming years.

As local residents prepare to bring their concerns regarding the Draft Environmental Impact Statement to the military, this episode is making it all too clear that the military buildup will bring with it a new foe: foreign corporations.

Landowners oppose GLUC roadway decision

Landowners oppose GLUC roadway decision

By Laura Matthews • Pacific Daily News • January 4, 2010

Some Harmon Annex landowners are opposed to the Guam Land Use Commission's decision to grant Younex International sections of Dededo land to build a 100-foot wide roadway that they said will take away from their properties.

Ike Pangelinan, a 57-year-old landowner, said the commission did not adequately inform all the landowners in the area before making its decision at a Dec. 10, 2009 public hearing.

Meeting

The landowners called a meeting yesterday, and only one of them, Terry Aguon, said she received a letter from the Department of Land Management outlining how the parcels of land is to be used.

Now they are asking that the department call a meeting with the landowners and all the major stakeholders so they can share their concerns.

"They skipped me," Pangelinan said. "And right now it is already passed."

According to the letter sent to Terry Aguon dated Nov. 23, 2009, Parcel J and Parcel K, which includes several lots owned by various landowners, would be reviewed by the GLUC as public access or utilities right-of-way.

Right-of-way

"Should these easements be known as Public Access or Utilities Right-of-Way, it will allow for its improvement and placement of other critical infrastructure that will benefit you as well," the letter stated.

Some of the parcels and lots, which are located off of Route 3 in Dededo and known as the Harmon Annex, were transferred from the federal government to the Government of Guam and are under the administration of the Department of Public Works.

The planned easement would allow for Younex to develop a road that will be needed for the new Ukudu Workforce Village, which is a temporary workforce housing facility for thousands of foreign laborers needed for the military buildup.

'Terrible' decision

Aguon called the land commission's decision "terrible." She noted how for one small plot of land, Lot 5315, the planned road cuts through it.

Many were left with questions they said need answering.

"Under what circumstances did they sign off on that thing? How did it get that far?" Michael Aguon, 46, asked at yesterday's meeting.

Department of Land Management officials could not be reached for comment yesterday.

David Tydingco, senior vice-president for Younex, said they, too, are experiencing similar problems that the landowners are facing.

"When we got the property, it also identified that we had limitations on how we can build our facility because pre-existing easements were there," Tydingco said. "So we are under the same dilemma that the other landowners have. We are very limited to how we can develop our property based on the easements that were pre-existing when we acquired the property."

He added that Younex has no choice but "to follow the authorities on this."

Housing facility

Last month, a South Korean construction company signed a $200 million contract with Guam-based Younex Enterprises Corp. to build an 18,000-bed facility in Dededo to house the thousands of temporary workers coming for the buildup.

The deal was signed by STX Group Chairman Duck-soo Kang and Younex Enterprises Chairman Kil Koo Yoon on Dec. 22, 2009. The housing facility will be located in the Harmon Annex adjacent to the Navy's South Finegayan family housing facility.

Younex already started the site surveying and preliminary groundwork that would lead to the opening of the first phase of the project in October 2010. It is expected to be completed around 2013 and require about 400 workers, according to Pacific Daily News files.

Land encroachment

Land encroachment

Monday, 04 January 2010 01:48
by Therese Hart | Variety News Staff

Younex development plan includes private land acquisitions

LANDOWNERS in Harmon Annex met yesterday to discuss an approved plan for Younex Corporation’s development plan for a workers village that includes taking 100 feet of private properties on various sides of the development lot for easements.

Several families would be affected by the land grab including the Manglona and Namauleg clans as well as the Ignacio Ojeda Aguon family, the Joaquin L.G. Aguon clan, Terry Aguon and Ignacio Pangelinan.

The proposed Puntan Dos Amantes zoning plan has already been approved by the Guam Land Use Commission and was transferred to Gov. Felix Camacho. It now awaits review by the legislature.

Last month Younex signed a $200 million contract with STX Group, a South Korean company, to build an 18,000-bed workers village for H2 workers.

“This is a lot of land, 100 feet on all sides of the affected properties. We're not just going to let them take our property,” Pangelinan said.

Pangelinan said that when the Land Use Commission met on Dec. 10, they did not inform him or the other administrators about the meeting and there was no public notice announcement about the meeting.

David Tydingco, president of Younex Corporation, could not be reached as of press time last night.

Open violation

“In other words, they are in violation of the open government law which requires that any government agency has to publicly announce that they're going to hold a meeting five days prior to inform the public,” Pangelinan said.

Pangelinan said Younex is using the military buildup as the impetus to quickly push forward the approval of the zoning.

“Younex is rushing this to their advantage and they're using the military buildup as an excuse in order to have the land use commission approve the two parcels,” Pangelinan said.

“Younex wants easy access to NCTAMS. They have their own agenda. But there's a problem for them with the landowners. We never sat down and talked with Younex or land management or the land use commission. And they didn't properly notify the landowners or the administrators of the Dec. 10, GLUC meeting,” Pangelinan added.

Pangelinan brought up a 1956 land map that recognized a bull cart trail within the area. The Commission recognizes bull cart trails as a road, said Pangelinan. However, another survey was taken by Perry & Associates for the Navy for military acquisition and this map did not recognize the bull cart trail.

“They're trying to follow the old military map that Perry & Associates did for the military. This is the Navy map which did not follow the 1956 map,” said Pangelinan.

Ready to march

While property owners are ready to march down to Sen. Ben Pangelinan's office to protest, the lawmaker said yesterday that before any properties are zoned, his intention is to hold public hearings on these lands.

“The GLUC approved the zoning plan, sent it to the governor who then sent it down to the legislature. We received the plan from the governor and the land use commission, proposing the different zones which included easements,” the senator said.

Senator Pangelinan said the proposal will require approval by the legislature or else it will go into default approval by law.

“If the legislature doesn't object to the proposal, then it becomes approved, but we have the option of holding hearings on it to seek additional comments and that's what I intend to do,” said Pangelinan.

Exaperated

J.R. Mateo, one of the many affected property owners in the area, spoke with Variety last night and expressed his exasperation with the situation.

“The amount of land they want to take from us is a lot,” he said. “Are they going to compensate the families or just take it and give to that Korean company?” Mateo asked in disbelief.

Another matter of concern that he questioned regarded the pace at which the permitting process had moved.

“I thought there was supposed to be some kind of environmental impact study and they first had to check the area for archeological things of significance. I don’t know when they did that if they just got the permit a few months ago,” he asserted. “We are not going to just let them take our land for nothing,” he maintained. (With reports from Romeo Carlos)

YouNex greenlit to build $200M facility

YouNex greenlit to build $200M facility

Posted: Dec 27, 2009 4:36 PM
Updated: Dec 27, 2009 6:16 PM

by Michele Catahay

Guam - YouNex Enterprises Corporation recently signed a contract to design, build and assist with the operations and management of an 18,000-bed workforce village. The project is expected to house foreign workers during the construction phase of the military buildup on Guam.

A signing ceremony was held in Seoul, Korea last week by STX Group and YouNex to pave the way for construction for a new facility to house foreign workers for the military buildup. The contract is valued at approximately $200 million to design, build and assist with the operations and management of an 18,0000-bed, fully integrated workforce village to house temporary labor. The project, Ukudu Workforce Village, will be located in the Harmon Annex, bordering the Navy's South Finegayan Family Housing Facility and just north of Two Lovers Point.

The campus will include a medical clinic and fire and security response, transportation for workers to and from worksites and non-work activities, laundry, banking and convenience store services and organized recreational and individual activities to include religious worship facilities.

YouNex Senior Vice President Dave Tydingco said, "We had to go through the land use commission process to rezone the property there, N1, which is a light industrial zone because that was the only zoning that would allow for this type of development. The second phase of planning, which allows for the Land Use Commission to review your site development plan, which was approved on October 29."

Tydingco says the first sector, which will include up to 2000 beds will open up on October 2010. He says depending on the demand of workforce housing, YouNex could construct up to 18,000 beds, if necessary. "We provide a solution that allows for maximum benefits to the customer with the customers being contractors and minimal impact to the community," he continued. "It is isolated and we'll be able to contain and control the foreign workforce population that will be there."

YouNex will not only help with work force housing, but Tydingco says there may be a possibility that his company may help construct residential housing. In fact, he says as part of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, one of the alternatives is to build housing for military personnel in areas near property they own. "We've actually had initial discussions with JGPO about proposing at least 110 acres of the 252 acres we own for residential housing and we are pursuing that with the military and we hope that if they find it a viable solution, we're prepared to move forward, finance and construct and manage that facility for them," Tydingco said.