By Courtesy of Office of Sen. Telo T. Taitague,Pacific Daily News
Copyright guampdn
The Chalan Pago-Ordot Multipurpose Emergency Shelter opened on Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, some four years after its November 2021 groundbreaking.
Part of the funding used to build it was the money Chalan Pago-Ordot receives each year as the host community for the now-closed Ordot dump, along with a federal loan and grants.
Sen. Telo T. Taitague in 2010 introduced the “Host Community Benefits” bill that would provide funding to the villages of Inalåhan and Chalan Pago-Ordot, allowing funds to be used to develop youth, senior, and community centers, and recreation areas such as parks, sports fields, and public gathering areas.
The Host Community premium for Chalan Pago-Ordot is $150,000 per year and the funds are managed independently by the Department of Administration and are not subjected to the governor’s transfer authority.
When Bill 303-30 became law on July 15, 2010, then Chalan Pago-Ordot Mayor Jessy Gogue saved the money received each year from the Host Community premium until it reached $1 million.
This became the seed funding needed for the Multipurpose Emergency Shelter, as well as for other funding opportunities which require matching funds, Taitague said.
After accumulating the seed money, the mayor sought additional funding for this facility and was awarded multiple federal grants from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment Defense Community Infrastructure Pilot Program, with support from the Guam State Clearinghouse and Guam Military Buildup Office, as well as American Rescue Plan funding.
Taitague, in a release, said the Multipurpose Emergency Shelter facility has been in development since 2010 and as of today, it is the only facility not managed by the Guam Department of Education that can be used as an emergency shelter.
This facility will also serve as a space for gatherings, events, and celebrations and will have dedicated areas for childcare, fitness, and other programming that will strengthen and benefit the people of Chalan Pago-Ordot, the senator said.
“This shelter is more than just a building, it’s a promise fulfilled. It represents years of hard work, collaboration, and the unwavering belief that the people of Chalan Pago-Ordot deserve a safe, reliable space in times of emergency,” Taitague wrote in a letter to the new mayor of Chalan Pago-Ordot, Wayne San Nicolas Santos, on the completion of the facility
Taitague said this project is “a testament to what can be achieved when leaders and community members come together with a shared vision.”
“I’m honored to have played a role in its journey, and I look forward to seeing the positive impact it will have for generations to come,” the senator added.
Taitague said she will be introducing a bill to ensure the intent of the 2010 law to adjust for inflationary costs is met, as well as finding additional funding needed to maintain the facility.
