Military may build new power plant

BY DIONESIS TAMONDONG • PACIFIC DAILY NEWS • 

The military may have to have a power plant built in Piti to accommodate the capacity needed for the Guam buildup, especially when a Navy carrier docks in Apra Harbor and connects to the local power grid.

Critical utility upgrades, the need for more land for training and firing ranges and ways to temporarily house construction workers were among the updates provided by retired Marine Maj. Gen. David Bice, executive director of the Joint Guam Program Office, during yesterday's opening of the three-day Guam Industry Forum.

Bice gave a progress report on many of the planned projects slated for the historic buildup during the first session of the third Guam Industry Forum yesterday.

More details of the projects will come out when the Environmental Impact Statement is published. The document, which Bice said was more than 8,000 pages, must be approved before any military construction projects slated for early next year can break ground.

Bice said an area in Finegayan, Dededo is the top choice for building homes for the more than 8,000 Marines being relocated to Guam. The parcel of land is located between the existing Navy South Finegayan housing area and the Naval Communication and Telecommunication Station.

But the area is partly under the control of the Ancestral Lands Commission and a few private landowners. Those issues still need to be sorted out, Bice said.

The military may also have to acquire private and government of Guam land to develop firing ranges on Pagat, Mangilao. As well, Route 15, known as the back road to Andersen Air Force Base, may also have to be rerouted to accommodate those training areas.

"We are still evaluating those options," Bice said.

The island's current power system won't meet the military's future requirements, Bice said, adding the military will continue to work with the local government and utility officials to upgrade the system so that it meets the needs of both the military and the civilian population.

The wastewater treatment plant in northern Guam will also have to be expanded to deal with the population influx, he said.

Bice said there may be a need to drill for new water wells, adding the military is also aware of the need to protect the island's aquifer.

Landfill Plans

Navy officials and the solid waste receiver in charge of Guam's solid waste facilities continue to work on an agreement that will ensure the military will be a customer of the local government's landfill, which has yet to be built. If that takes place, trash collection fees will be much lower than the proposed rate, which is between $30 and $40 per month.

Bice remarked on the progress made by the Port Authority of Guam, which officials just a year ago called a "potential chokepoint" for cargo. Cargo activity at the port is expected to increase from 103,000 lifts per year to a peak of 190,000 during the buildup. More than $200 million in capital improvement upgrades are slated for the 34-year-old facility.