by Ken Quintanilla

Guam - If one company has its way, residents may soon enjoy the spectacle of an inflatable balloon ride a hundred feet above the ground at a new amusement park in Tumon. With the Liberation Carnival scheduled to end next week, one Guam company hopes to continue the island's offerings in terms of recreation and fun activities with a new amusement park in Tumon.

The Guam Land Use Commission heard from Tagada Guam today regarding its plans to build an amusement park in Tumon. The park would be done in two phases, with the first consisting of three rides including a huge swing called The Viking, a gravity-defying ride called The Tagada and bumper cars. Phase II will consist of an inflatable balloon ride rising to 100 feet above the ground and a 3-D plane ride.

The property is estimated at over 11,000 square meters, but Tagada Guam plans to only lease about 3,760 square meters over seven-year period between the Ohana Bayview and the Pacific Place in the island's tourism hotbed.

Willy Flores from W.B. Flores and Associates, who represents Tagada Guam, says the project is intended to enhance the Tumon experience for residents and visitors alike. The estimated cost for the park is over $2,000,000 and will be marketed with travel packages. He adds the rides were modeled after stateside parks and the Slingshot ride in Tumon, telling KUAM News, "I think between the two, we're going to have some really great opportunities for local residents and the visitors who come out to get some thrilling rides and get some distractions and enjoyment on different scales in the exact same place."

However, at today's GLUC meeting some discrepancies were brought up regarding the actual lot number for the site. Tagada's application state its lot is Number 5051-2-New-6-New-R3. Chairman Jay Lather said, "So now the whole big lot including the big area on the left right there, it's an L-shaped lot, that's all 'dash R-3', but your lease is only for that little tiny piece up there which is the old six new, so your lease doesn't match your application. You see what I'm saying? Help me how to understand it more and how we're going to proceed."

The Commission voted unofficially to approve the plan pending clarifications on the lease, which Flores says he will submit next week. Once its tentative development plan is approved, it will obtain building permits and seek direct input from various GovGuam agencies with hopes residents and tourists can enjoy the new park within a year. "The projections show that it should be able to be very successful, the rides themselves are not going to be expensive as you might think in terms of bringing a family," he said.

Meanwhile, the Commission also approved two, three-story structures in Barrigada to house 250 temporary workers to include an office, dining area, lounge, recreation area and other support facilities for the operating of temporary workforce housing.