Tagachang Beach main pavilion deemed unsafe

by Jolene Toves

Guam - Tagachang Beach main pavilion will soon be demolished. "The universe is a plain canvas and we are the painters" this is the message Yona mayor Ken Jo Ada stressed when he issued a challenge to our island's dignitaries to look inside and find the help they could give.

The pavilion is over four decades old and after years of neglect and disrepair a challenge issued to islands senators is finally being answered.

The Tagachang Beach pavilion has been deemed a danger to the health, safety and welfare of patrons, a danger the mayor has experienced for himself. He said, "Last year we had the Family Unity Day we were playing under there and because of the loud noises itself one of the small pieces of cement hit me on the head."

Meanwhile, Yona resident Norma Jean Cruz feels it is not just unsafe, as she said, "The place is like its neglected its not being upkept so our ancestors the Taotaomona they are kind of angry so they want the place fixed cause that place use to be so pristine no its it just looks like a jungle."

$25,000 from the General Fund to the Yona Mayor's Office for the demolition and disposal of the park's main pavilion. "So we got the three quotes and obviously we submitted it to Senator Frank Aguon's office and they were able to put it together and figure out what is the best route for us," she said.

Mayor Ada says his vision for the main pavilion is to replace it with a open beach court for sports activities - surrounded by smaller more manageable pavilions so that more families can make use of the beach grounds. Cruz shares what she thinks should be done with the park, saying, "The current state of Tagachang Beach its unsafe and the whole place should be renovated into like a cultural park."

Meanwhile Ada says he plans to reach out to the business community for their help in hopes that major corporations will sponsor the construction of the smaller pavilions.