Capt. Kenneth Branch, left, commander of Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas, talks to Denny Watts, president and CEO of Watts Constructors, following the groundbreaking ceremony for phase I of the North Tipalao housing replacement project on Naval Base Guam in February. (Frank Whitman / Special to S&S)
Capt. Kenneth Branch, left, commander of Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas, talks to Denny Watts, president and CEO of Watts Constructors, following the groundbreaking ceremony for phase I of the North Tipalao housing replacement project on Naval Base Guam in February. (Frank Whitman / Special to S&S)
One of the 126 housing units slated for demolition in the North Tipalao housing area. (Frank Whitman / Special to S&S)
If the current trend continues and funding remains intact, no less than four Navy housing areas on Guam comprising at least 474 units will be renovated or rebuilt in the next few years.
Two projects worth a combined $57 million are under way.
A $21 million contract to replace or repair 99 housing units in the South Finegayan housing area is scheduled to be completed by March 2008, according to the Commander Naval Forces Marianas Public Affairs Office.
At the North Tipalao housing on Naval Base Guam, a $35.9 million project involving the demolition of 126 units and the construction of 96 new homes started in February.
The new North Tipalao housing areas will include new playgrounds, jogging and bicycle trails, playing courts and fields, and pavilions. The homes will feature laundry rooms, covered patios, privacy fencing, energy-efficient air conditioning and increased storage space, according to a CNFM news release.
A second phase of the North Tipalao work — the replacement of another 108 units — is an option on the contract and officials are waiting for Congress to approve funding. The work, worth about $78.6 million, should be complete by September 2008.
Another contract awaiting funding approval is the demolition of existing houses and the construction of 61 new homes in the Old Apra officers family housing area, about 3 miles from the Naval Base main gate.
These projects will replace housing that was built in the 1950s and is not related to the planned relocation of 8,000 Marines to Guam from Okinawa, said officials.
“[These projects were] all programmed in previous years to meet our requirement today for our families today,” said Capt. Kenneth Branch, commander of Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas.
Photos by Frank Whitman/Special to Stars and Stripes
Capt. Kenneth Branch, left, commander of Naval Facilities Engineering Command Marianas, talks to Denny Watts, president and CEO of Watts Constructors, following the groundbreaking ceremony for phase I of the North Tipalao housing replacement project on Naval Base Guam in February.
One of the 126 housing units slated for demolition in the North Tipalao housing area.
