by Sabrina Salas Matanane, KUAM News
Thursday, October 04, 2007
The head of the Joint Guam Program Office provided an update on the military's plans to relocate US Marines to the island during a meeting of the Governor's Civilian/Military Task Force meeting today. And evidently, there's still much more work to be done - but officials are keeping a close eye on various properties around the island.
JGPO forward executive director Captain Robert Lee cautioned that his update on the Guam military master plan was a pre-decisional one that was not set in stone. He said, "No conclusions have been made at this time, not yet. This is a chance for you as a task force to give me more input into the planning process, that's why we're bringing it out to you as we promised in the very beginning."That being said he began with a breakdown of the Guam military master plan. Cpt. Lee says that one of the major goals of this plan is to use as much Department of Defense property as possible to keep to a "live where you work" philosophy. The DoD is currently reviewing a number of locations for the buildup, with potential sites for placing a Marine base include NCTS at Finegayan, which has been pegged as the most viable option. Then there's the Andersen Air Force Base South, the USAF's Barrigada property and the Navy's Barrigada property.
Potential housing cites for marines include NCTS and South Finegayan as the most viable option, non-DoD lands AAFB, Andy South, the Navy's Apra property, the Air Force's Barrigada property and the Navy's Barrigada property. Potential non-firing range cites for marines include Andy South as the most viable option, NCTS Finegayan, Northwest Field, the Air Force's Barrigada property and the Navy's Barrigada property, Orote Point, and the Ordinance Annex.
Potential firing range cites for Marines include AAFB and Pati Beach as the most viable option, and then Andy South, NCTS Finegayan, Northwest Field, the Air Force's Barrigada property, the Navy's Barrigada property, Orote Point Naval Magazine and non-DoD lands. Potential aviation sites include the AAFB North Ramp as the most viable, with Northwest Field, Tiyan, and Orote Point as alternatives. Potential sites for the Marines embarcation and transient carrier berthing include Polaris Point and the former SRF site as the most viable for the transient carrier; the Victor, Uniform and Sierra wharfs as the most viable sites for the Marines various transport and amphibious vehicles.
Other news from Cpt. Lee was the promise that the proposed defense access road would be used by all. He detailed, "Even when we build this defense access road - which, by the way, it'll be like the H3 in Hawaii - the public will be able to use it. It's not going to be a private, separate road so we're going to have to build access roads off of it and the whole thing." Lee also answered questions on the DoD's position on the federalization of immigration, saying that they had no official position.
Finally, the captain dispelled rumors that the Joint Guam Program Office would be leasing Harmon cliffline property. He said that they would remain co-located with the Navy admiral at the new COMNAVMAR headquarters in Nimitz Hill.
With the new Guam High DoD school finished in Agana Heights, COMNAVMAR headquarters can return to it's old site on top of Nimitz Hill, where the old Guam High School lies.
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$1.25B Guam Defense Access Road will be like Hawaii's H3
KUAM News Thursday, October 04, 2007: Guam's proposed $1.25 Billion defense access road would be used by civilians and "...it'll be like the H3 in Hawaii...[with] access roads off of it..." promises Joint Guam Program Office (JGPO) forward executive director Captain Robert Lee.
The "North-South Road" would provide military with alternative access that links Andersen Air Force Base in north and the Navy base on south. The military use Marine Corps Drive but the road can gridlock during accidents. The highway is expected to be 100% funded by American taxpayers.
Lee said DoD had no official position on the federalization of immigration. The JGPO would not be leasing Harmon cliffline property. They would remain with the Navy admiral at the new COMNAVMAR headquarters in Nimitz Hill.
Quote: "...it'll be like the H3 in Hawaii - the public will be able to use it. It's not going to be a private, separate road...we're going to have to build access roads off of it..." -Cpt. Lee
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