DOE budgets $416K for renovations

by Krystal Paco

Guam - Governor Eddie Calvo may have plans to revitalize the village of Hagatna as the island's capitol, but that leaves the fate of some nearby buildings in limbo. Department of Education superintendent Jon Fernandez says the agency's Fiscal Year 2014 budget includes $416,000 for renovations in the event DOE stays in the dilapidated office downtown.

He told KUAM News, "Obviously, there are a lot of needs at the schools and that's really where our focus has been, but we've been ignoring this building because it's actually the Legislature's building. But there are also plans for this broader area in terms of the Hagatna restoration."

DOE shares the building with the Department of Administration. Both agencies have expressed concerns for employee health and last year GFD inspectors issued a notice of hazard for poor conditions.

Fernandez says discussions continue with the governor and Legislature on the fate of their Central Office with the possibility of moving into the schools or the CoreTech facility in Tiyan.