Guam – GBB Principle Associate David Manning opened today’s [Wednesday] Quarterly Status Hearing in District Court by saying he had a “very positive report” and “a great deal of progress” has been made in the ongoing construction of the island’s new landfill site in Layon.
Among the highlights of his report:
* Cost: Construction continues to be $21 million dollars under budget
* Timeline: All projects are on schedule or ahead of schedule.
* Time Left Before Ordot Closes: Construction of Layon should be completed within 276 days. There are 351 days left before the Ordot dump must close. That leaves a 75 day window in case some projects are delayed.
* Trash Cart Program: 19,416 carts have been rolled out to island residents, a 60% increase in enrolled Solid Waste Customers
Read the August Quarterly Report
However Manning also noted a number of issues that need to be address. Among them:
* Closure of the Ordot Dump: Sometime in the middle of next year, Ordot will not longer be allowed to receive any more waste. But it will take nearly 4 years [45 months] and $40 million dollars to “cap it.” That is to ensure that the oging environmental threats from the dump are contained or mitigated.
* Delinquencies: 14% of the new customers who have signed up for the collection service have not paid their bills yet, and another 4% are late in their payments.
* Bridge & Road Access to Layon: The endangered snails have been relocated, but the replacement project has been delayed 4 months. Also, the Togcha and Talafofo Bridges need to be reinforced and work has yet to begin on those projects. Its expected that only one southbound lane on each project will be completed in time for the opening of the Layon landfill. Manning called it a “tight” schedule with a high risk of further delay.
