The future Beach Road in Garapan.
The future Coffee Tree Mall as viewed from Micro Beach.
The future Palm Street in Garapan.
A new look for the future Paseo De Marianas.
The future Beach Road in Garapan.
The future Coffee Tree Mall as viewed from Micro Beach.
The future Palm Street in Garapan.
A new look for the future Paseo De Marianas.
THE Commonwealth government has issued an invitation to bid for the construction of streets and other infrastructure for the Garapan revitalization project, the Office of Planning and Development and the Garapan Revitalization Task Force announced Thursday.
The project aims to help revive the tourism industry and the local economy.
Christopher A. Concepcion, chairman of Garapan Revitalization Task Force and deputy director of OPD, said: "This gives us until September 1 to receive bids, then select a contractor that will complete the project."
The project is funded by an $11.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration.
Concepcion said the architectural and engineering design has been completed recently, and they have also received the concurrence of the grantor agency to proceed with the invitation to bid for construction services.
“This has been a long time coming,” he added. “Garapan has always been the economic center of the Commonwealth, and the hub of our tourism industry, so putting this place back in shape, bringing it up to par aesthetically with other competing tourist destinations in our region brings us one step closer to becoming the world-class destination we’ve been aiming for since the birth of the Commonwealth,” Concepcion said.
The project includes repaving and regrading these streets in Garapan: Coconut Street, Date Street, Paseo De Marianas, Palm Street, Micro Beach Road (between Coral Tree Avenue and Beach Road), Royal Palm Avenue, Coffee Tree Mall, Ginger Avenue, Plumeria Avenue and Beach Road (between Micro Beach Road and Garapan Street). It involves the construction of sidewalks and curbs on each street, the installation of new street lights, landscaping and installing approximately 350 public parking stalls within the public rights of way.
“We want the community to be aware that all work will take place within the public rights of way,” Concepcion said. “No work will take place on private property. Our hope and vision is that once private property owners start seeing the improvements around their area, it’ll incentivize and encourage them to start improving their own properties so they can start generating revenue. If there are blighted properties within the project area, it is the responsibility of the property owners to fix up their own buildings.”
He added, “None of this would’ve been possible without the support of our stakeholders, namely EDA, members of the Garapan Revitalization Task Force, Gov. Ralph DLG Torres, Lt. Gov. Arnold I. Palacios, the House of Representatives and the Senate, other key government agencies and members of the business community who have lent their support over the past couple of years."
"We still have a long way to go before we fully complete the project,” Concepcion said, “but we’re off to a good start. Once a contractor is selected and a notice to proceed is issued, we estimate it’ll take 18 to 24 months to complete. We ask for everyone’s patience as we work hard to revitalize Garapan.”
A bachelor of arts in journalism graduate, he started his career as a police beat reporter. Loves to cook. Eats death threats for breakfast.
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