Bill proposes CLTC to open bid to graded Mangilao lot for mineral extraction

A bill to require the CHamoru Land Trust Commission to commercially lease an inaccessible plot of land for mineral extraction is under scrutiny.  Sponsor senator Joe San Agustin estimates the sale of the excavated material could yield $6 million in revenue for the CLTC and the graded land will provide a place for waiting land trust applicants to build their homes. But the attempt met with reservation.

With a backlog of applicants looking to build homes on CLTC property, Senator San Agustin has proposed a bill that would require the commission to put out a bid to develop a largely inaccessible plot of land.  He said, "The property is sitting and the list of folks, to include myself, hasn’t got a lease. Okay, I don’t know how many others because i signed up in '95, but you know what? As many folks have called me about 'When can I get my lease? When are they going to fix the property? When are they going to make it accessible?'"

The measure proposes CLTC Lot 5412 in Mangilao, which contains quality limestone aggregate for construction purposes, to be graded for mineral extraction. 

Hawaiian Rock president Jere Johnson is in support of the bill.  He says there’s a lack of the precious resource, especially with the military buildup.  "With this buildup that’s been going on, there’s a tremendous need that we haven’t seen in a long time. We are within a few years of really having scarce resources to draw from," he commented. "We’re looking at private property to supplement that. We’re looking at this property that would give us four or five years of aggregate if we were a successful winner of that."

Plus, San Agustin says extraction operations at the Mangilao lot may potentially yield up to $1 million per year for CLTC for the next six years - a total of $6 million of revenue. 

Still, CLTC acting administrator Joseph Cruz has several concerns with the bill, stemming from the lack of oversight with the Yigo Raceway Park. He said, "Bill 16-37 provides a positive revenue resource and an avenue to better use the parcel. However, after a review of the bill, the CHamoru Land Trust Commission has some concerns. more importantly, since the [Office of Public Accountability] has released an analysis of the CLTC oversight on the removal of coral removal from the Guam International Raceway Park."

The commission wants to ensure this time they are properly compensated. 

In the meantime, Senator Joanne Brown echoed those reservations, saying, "I understand the need to put land aside. I understand the need for aggregate. But I think we also need to balance the approach. I have a little reservation because as i read the bill, it sounds more of an agenda to address excavation than it does to actually look at these properties than, for whichever be it for construction of homes or if there’s other government needs for it. If it's land trust land, I hope it would be used for that."

San Agustin maintained the intent of the bill is to ensure waiting land trust applicants can get a land lease and the CLTC can get $6 million in revenue.