Hagåtña, Guam – Earlier this week, various GovGuam agency heads led by Department of Land Management (DLM) Director Joseph Borja, appeared before the Guam Legislature to provide information about Ypao Point also known as Oca, Oka, Satpon, and Saupon, which is a prospective property for a medical complex.
In his testimony, Director Borja and others noted the following:
- The property is now too small. After accounting for the Chamorro Cultural Center, the Naftan Mananaita, and easements, there are only 25 acres of usable property.
- The property sits on geologic fault lines which means there is a high risk of the ground breaking in an earthquake.
- The property would require installation of new water and sewer infrastructure. Guam Waterworks Authority (GWA) has recommended installing new water and sewer lines.
- The property is in such horrible environmental condition that it will take 3 years to improve the condition of the property before construction can even begin. The property has 12 residential structures that have asbestos and/or lead paint, rhino beetle breeding sites and an estimated 30 billion fire ants. It is also a staging site for old tires, white goods, construction debris, wood waste, and green waste. It is estimated to take two years to mitigate the environmental pests in addition to time needed to do an environmental assessment of the property. Only then can the removal and disposal of debris and other metallic wastes be permitted.
- The CLTC is looking to lease the property to generate revenue for the land trust. CHamoru Land Trust Commission (CLTC) Executive Director Alice Taijeron was opposed to removing the Ypao Point property from the CHamoru Land Trust homelands as the Board of Commissioners intend to issue an Request for Proposal (RFP) for a lease for commercial development to generate revenue to put infrastructure into land trust properties.
- Of all the sites considered for a medical complex, the property is the only lot that the legislature can return to its original landowners.
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