CIP PROJECTS IN HANDS UNABLE TO MOVE THEM FORWARD
The cash-strapped Commonwealth government has over $50 million in grant funds that it has left sitting with the U.S. government, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
To help the CNMI get capital improvement projects moving, DOI's Office of Insular Affairs has allowed the use of CIP funds to partially pay for the salary of local CIP administrator Vicky Villagomez.
It had been OIA's practice to fund only CNMI government contractors, rather than regular government employees. In recent years, CIP funds were allowed to be used to fund contract positions, including project managers for the three main islands and certain employees working to improve the water system. “One of our main objectives in funding such positions is to ensure that the CNMI has the capacity to keep CIP projects progressing in a timely fashion. If we don't see significant improvement on that score in the coming year, OIA will likely reevaluate its willingness to provide financial support for these positions,”
The grant funds include $3.7 million for the Puerto Rico dump closure, $1.7 million for the Kagman wastewater treatment plant project, and $2.3 million for Saipan water infrastructure projects.Some $1.285 million each is also provided for the Tinian landfill and for Rota's ecotourism program.
Herein lies the problem, no one is taking charge of moving and organizing these bits and peices of projects. I'll wager that not one of these projects will move forward. Hence this next bit....
'One project at a time on CIPs'
House Speaker Arnold I. Palacios expressed outrage yesterday over the CNMI's $57.4-million backlog of federal grants for infrastructure. Palacios said the government should rethink its infrastructure plan and consider working on projects one at a time, rather than all at the same time. For many years, he noted, the CNMI has sought federal funds for capital improvement projects on a piecemeal basis. A $10-million grant, for instance, would be divided to fund portions of numerous projects, with each one getting $1 million to $3 million. Often, this results in a $15-million project getting delayed for years and years and the money being left untapped. As of Thursday, Jan. 24, 2008, the CNMI had unspent balance of CIP funds amounting to $57.4 million. If you snooze you lose!
Now I could move these projects along as this is what I do, but I guess my name isn't of the right ethnic spelling, if only they would ask me...
.....GED.....
The cash-strapped Commonwealth government has over $50 million in grant funds that it has left sitting with the U.S. government, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior.
To help the CNMI get capital improvement projects moving, DOI's Office of Insular Affairs has allowed the use of CIP funds to partially pay for the salary of local CIP administrator Vicky Villagomez.
It had been OIA's practice to fund only CNMI government contractors, rather than regular government employees. In recent years, CIP funds were allowed to be used to fund contract positions, including project managers for the three main islands and certain employees working to improve the water system. “One of our main objectives in funding such positions is to ensure that the CNMI has the capacity to keep CIP projects progressing in a timely fashion. If we don't see significant improvement on that score in the coming year, OIA will likely reevaluate its willingness to provide financial support for these positions,”
The grant funds include $3.7 million for the Puerto Rico dump closure, $1.7 million for the Kagman wastewater treatment plant project, and $2.3 million for Saipan water infrastructure projects.Some $1.285 million each is also provided for the Tinian landfill and for Rota's ecotourism program.
Herein lies the problem, no one is taking charge of moving and organizing these bits and peices of projects. I'll wager that not one of these projects will move forward. Hence this next bit....
'One project at a time on CIPs'
House Speaker Arnold I. Palacios expressed outrage yesterday over the CNMI's $57.4-million backlog of federal grants for infrastructure. Palacios said the government should rethink its infrastructure plan and consider working on projects one at a time, rather than all at the same time. For many years, he noted, the CNMI has sought federal funds for capital improvement projects on a piecemeal basis. A $10-million grant, for instance, would be divided to fund portions of numerous projects, with each one getting $1 million to $3 million. Often, this results in a $15-million project getting delayed for years and years and the money being left untapped. As of Thursday, Jan. 24, 2008, the CNMI had unspent balance of CIP funds amounting to $57.4 million. If you snooze you lose!
Now I could move these projects along as this is what I do, but I guess my name isn't of the right ethnic spelling, if only they would ask me...
.....GED.....
6 comments:
Maybe you could start by writing a few change orders. That's one way to grease the squeaky wheels.
What a waste!
The post-photo is hilarious. Poor Herbert. :) Look what the DOI did with the $400,000 grant for Labor.. they doled it out to local non-profits. Part of the problem here I think, is the government personnels inability or unwillingness to manage the federal paperwork and other requirements. There was a story in the papers about a year or so ago about the NMI's grant funds mismanagement. This wasn't one office, but a number of offices, who are or were recipients of various federal grant funds.. the newstory stated that a great many grantees here, simply don't manage the funds, the reports, or respective projects properly.
Its such a waste of money to not use it. I could surely put some of it to work..
Who is Vicky Villagomez, Is she related to Tim amd Kevin?
Giving her all for disaster relief Saipan Tribune
Thanks Kap....
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