A Report on the
STATE OF THE ISLANDS

Power Generation and Distribution

The electrical power generation and distribution system is managed by the CUC. Upon commission of two new 13 MW diesel generators in March 1992, the installed capacity on Saipan is 105.0 MW. Rota has a capacity of 5.0 MW, and Tinian has 5.0 MW, making the system total 115.0 MW. Peak loads for Saipan, Tinian and Rota are 55, 2.7, and 2.0 MW, respectively. Saipan has a distribution network of 135 miles of a 13.8 KV system. Rota has 25 miles including both 13.8 KV and 4.16 KV power. Tinian has 35 miles of 4.16 KV system. Saipan has seven (feeder) distribution lines originating from the plant at Lower Base to the customers. Less than 3 percent of electric customers are un-metered. Line losses have dropped from 25 percent to 15 to 18 percent as new lines have been added or upgraded.

The CUC has aggressively built up a diesel generator based power system. Unfortunately, the growth in its distribution capacity has not been matched by its financial operations. While CUC has incurred significant amounts of debt to the Commonwealth Development Authority and to Mitsubishi, its generator supplier, the CUC Board has not been permitted by political pressure to set user fees at levels which enable the utility to recover its operating costs.

Under the Operations and Maintenance Improvement Program, the CUC has undertaken an aggressive strategic plan to improve its operations. The plan includes the hiring of a consultant to undertake a management audit to evaluate and make recommendations pertaining to legal status, utility facilities and operations, management systems, procurement, staffing levels, budgetary expenditures, and options for possible rate increases if necessary to enable CUC to become financially self-sufficient. The audit has been substantially completed, with primary recommendations for revisions to CUC's enabling legislation, cost reductions, possible rate increases, and emphasis on customer service. Formal training programs for the CUC Board of Directors continue, further improvements are being made to the financial accounting system, and a Comptroller, a Data Systems Administrator and a Professional Engineer have being hired. In 1996, $11 million will be spent on Field operations

Solid Waste Disposal

There is only one solid waste disposal area on Saipan at a location known as Puerto Rico on the northwestern lagoon. There is no municipal residential collection service offered by the government, but several contract collection services exist, charging about $40 monthly. Private contractors collect commercial and industrial waste and dump without charge at the Puerto Rico site. The existing dump site at Puerto Rico continues to be the most unsightly area on Saipan and a health hazard to anyone in the vicinity. Frequent fires pollute the nearby tourist beaches, and threaten the hospital and an adjacent elementary school.

Since 1994 the CNMI has been working to implement an integrated solid waste management plan consisting of the closure of the Puerto Rico Dump, the opening of a new landfill and operation of incinerators and transfer stations. The designated landfill site is at Kalabera on the northern end of Saipan. Covenant and local funding of $16,000,000 has been earmarked to date for the plan, and additional funds must be dedicated to the project.

The closure of the Puerto Rico dump site remains a concern of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which issued a Compliance Order to the CNMI government in September of 1994. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are reviewing the site as to its eligibility under the Formerly Used Defense Sites environmental program.

Roads

A large percentage of Saipan's and Tinian's roads were paved either during the Second World War or shortly afterward when the islands were under U.S. Navy administration. The principal road on Rota was only recently paved. The World War II roads are still in reasonably good condition on Tinian but are showing signs of rapid deterioration on Saipan where the traffic levels and axle loadings are much higher. In recent years, Beach Road, the main road on Saipan, was paved to a maximum width of 52 feet over several sections. It has been extended to a total length of about 9 miles. The airport access road has also been paved by overlaying the older pavement built by the Navy during the late 1950's. The remaining primary paved roads are those built by the Navy, which total about 25 miles in length.

There are about 225 miles of roads throughout the CNMI. During the last several years, the Commonwealth has reconstructed and paved about 33 miles of major roadways and about 36 miles of local streets. Additional construction is scheduled throughout the islands. The major thoroughfares of Saipan, particularly the primary highways of Beach Road from Garapan south to Chalan Kanoa, and Middle Road are becoming increasingly congested. Average daily traffic on Beach Road in the vicinity of Susupe exceeds 27,000 vehicle trips. To assist in handling the congestion, five traffic lights, the first in the CNMI, were installed on Beach Road and Middle Road in 1993-94 and are now operational. Additional traffic lights are expected to be added over the next two years.

Airports

The Commonwealth Ports Authority (CPA) administers airport facilities in Saipan, Rota and Tinian. Saipan International Airport is the air gateway to the CNMI and serves as the primary airport. Terminal facilities are modern and well maintained. An air traffic control tower was constructed in 1994 and commissioned in January 1995. The Federal Aviation Administration trained local residents to become certified air traffic controllers. The 8,700-foot runway is capable of handling DC-10 and B-747 aircraft.

Tinian and Rota each have modern terminal facilities. Tinian airfield has a 5,986-foot runway and an apron capable of handling two B-727 aircraft. Tinian airport is equipped with navigational aids and can now support night flights. Rota's airfield has a single 6,000-foot runway and is also equipped with navigational aids. Plans are now being prepared to lengthen the runway to no less than 8,000 feet with parallel taxiway to address the need of continued economic growth of Rota and Tinian.

Ports

The CNMI's primary seaport on Saipan is undergoing expansion of the old port (built after WWII) to accommodate increases in ocean cargo arriving at the facility and improve the harbor at an estimated cost of $37 million. This project expands the existing berthing space of 850 feet to 2,600 linear feet including dredging of the entrance channel and turning basin. This project is 70% complete.

The primary commercial port in the CNMI is Charlie Dock in Saipan's harbor. The harbor and docking area are undergoing extensive renovation and the channel areas of the harbor are being dredged to a depth of minus 35 feet. The CPA, which manages the harbor, entered into a construction contract with the lowest responsible and responsive bidder, Samsung Engineering and Construction of South Korea, to improve the Saipan seaport facility. Ground-breaking occurred in late 1993. The total cost is $37 million.

The CPA has authority to use $10 million appropriated by the U.S. Congress for the harbor project, and a loan of $13.5 million in Covenant development loan funds through the Commonwealth Development Authority. In October 1992, CPA publicly announced a Request for Proposals for construction of the Saipan Harbor Improvement Project. At that time, sufficient funds for only Phase I the Project were available. In June 1995, the CPA floated a $22 million tax except revenue bond for the needed additional funds to go forward and complete both Phases I and II of the Project.

The facility was outmoded and in a deteriorated condition. Limited shore facilities for dockage and storage created numerous ship delays and increased costs. The channel depths of 28 to 30 feet were insufficient, and so are being increased to safer depths of minus 35 feet. The redevelopment plans were developed in the 1980s by the Corps of Engineers.

Rota has two harbors. The West Harbor is the most modern port facility in the Commonwealth. It has an 800-foot channel leading to a turning basin and wharf.

Tinian Harbor was constructed by U.S. Naval engineers during World War II. The harbor is the property of the CPA but is 80 percent under lease to the U.S. military. The harbor also is a center for fish transshipment. Facilities include a cold storage center with a capacity of 2,000 tons and a new warehouse facilities. The harbor is protected by a 3,500-foot breakwater which needs rehabilitation. The dock is 750 feet long and partially constructed of reinforced concrete. The CPA is exploring funding sources to further improve and update the port and harbor facilities on the two islands.

Public Buildings

Schools

There are 25 schools in the Commonwealth; 13 are public and 12 are private schools. The enrollment in the 1995/1996 school year was 11,198 students, up from 9,015 in 1990/1991. All three inhabited islands have public schools. Enrollment is expected to grow much more rapidly in the near future as the soaring birthrate since 1990 begins to impact the school age population.

Some repairs to schools are contracted to the private sector, although building maintenance is performed by the Public School System maintenance staff.

Hospitals and Clinics

Health Status

The single greatest factor straining the resources of the health system is the rapid population growth over the past decade. The greatest increases have come from non-resident alien workers, with a growth rate of 740% over the decade and the influx of Asians, with a growth rate of over 2,400% over the decade. This rapid growth could not be foreseen during the planning phases of the current health care system or for the purposes of strategic public health planning.

The median age of the CNMI population is 17.2 years with the average life expectancy being 72 years. The CNMI has a crude mortality rate of 2.9/1000 population. The 1995 infant mortality rate was 5.3/1000 live births compared to the most recently calculated U.S. Mainland rate of 8.5/1000 live births in 1992. The number of live births has been relatively stable over the past 5 years. The ethnic makeup of live births continues to shift, with a decreasing proportion of indigenous live births and an increasing number of births among non-resident aliens. There is an increasing number of women who come to the CNMI just to deliver their babies, then leave.

The importance of infectious diseases in the CNMI is once again emerging as a major health concern. Of particular concern is HIV, TB, Hepatitis A and B, foodborne illnesses, vaccine preventable diseases and sexually transmitted diseases. The rapid influx of contract workers who were poorly screened and monitored in their home countries has contributed to these problems. The incidence of tuberculosis is over 10 times higher than the Mainland U.S. with over half of all cases among non-resident alien workers.

The Division of Public Health has over 4,000 patient encounters per month, an indication of an overburdened system. While the CNMI receives grant and other financial aid and technical assistance from the Centers for Disease Control, National Institutes of Health, and the World Health Organization, it continues to lack adequate staff and other resources to keep up with prevention, control and containment of communicable and non-communicable diseases.

HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE : The Department of Public Health is the sole provider of comprehensive health services in the CNMI. There are several small, private medical and dental clinics on Saipan, none on Rota or Tinian. Rota and Tinian have health centers and each of the inhabited other islands has one dispensary. A dispensary has been opened in the heavily populated southern village of San Antonio on Saipan; a full-time nurse provides Public Health services (immunization, prenatal, referral services, etc.)

Saipan : The Commonwealth Health Center is located on Saipan and is the principal health care facility in the CNMI. It was completed and opened to the public in 1986. Administration, Public Health, Dental, and Hospital services are housed at the Center. The hospital is a 64-bed inpatient, full service facility, as well as a 10-bed Psychiatric Unit and a 5-unit Hemodialysis service center. A recent expansion project included a respiratory therapy unit and CAT Scan unit. Additional expansion of the Hemodialysis Unit from a 5-unit to a 10-unit center is currently underway.

Tinian Health Center : Tinian Health Center was built as a primary health care facility and occupied in 1987. The building is entirely air-conditioned, with Emergency services, Treatment, two holding beds, delivery, laboratory, X-Ray, Pharmacy, Dental and Public Health services being provided. The morgue and Sanitation Office are located in a separate building.

Rota Health Center : The Rota Health Center is quite similar to the Tinian Health Center in design and type of construction, but is slightly larger in size. It provides Emergency services, delivery, minor surgery room, Dental, Laboratory, X-ray, Pharmacy, Public Health, 3 holding beds, kitchen, laundry, and medical records. Other buildings at the Rota Health Center include the administration building and the morgue. An extension of the main building was recently completed to accommodate the cafeteria and the dietary area.

Developments in Health Infrastructure : Through local appropriations and assistance from the U.S. Public Health Service and the Department of Interior, the Commonwealth Health Center (including Public Health), Rota Health Center and Tinian Health Center are well-run, clean and orderly. However, the CNMI, like most States and Territories, has traditionally had a serious problem with spiraling health care costs. The problem is worsened by the need for frequent and expensive medical referrals off island, to Guam and Hawaii. These problems are compounded by a lack of specialists and adequately trained health personnel. It is more expensive to provide quality medical services in the islands than on the Mainland. Further exacerbating these problems is the fact that the health system must, by law, provide health services to everyone, whether or not they are able to pay. Changes must be made if those services are to continue at the present quality level mandated by law.

Several developments are in process within the CNMI health system to make the system more cost-effective and cost-efficient without sacrificing quality of health care: 1) The CNMI has begun the process of privatization of otherwise government subsidized health care services; 2) the privatization of medical management for Rota Health Center means that its citizens now have 24-hour medical coverage and OB/Gyn capability (this capability greatly reduces the need to refer pregnant women to the Commonwealth Health); 3) the purchase of a new CAT Scan machine will further reduce the number of medical referrals to off island health facilities, realizing a significant cost savings in the Medical Referral Program; and 4) the Department of Public Health has developed a revised Medical Referral Policy which sets definitive limits on all medical referrals following the U.S. Poverty Guidelines used by Medicaid.

Prison Facilities

The CNMI has correctional facilities on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota. These facilities consist of a detention facility, jail, a women's unit, and a work release unit in Saipan and police lock-ups in Tinian and Rota. There is no immigration holding facility. The current facilities are inadequate and are overcrowded. The design and conditions of the facilities make renovations prohibitive.

In the CNMI, adult corrections is located within the Department of Public Safety in the Corrections Division. The inmate population is approximately 130 inmates. Public safety officers are assigned as needed to corrections with none permanently assigned to corrections. The U.S. Marshals Service has a contract with the CNMI to house federal prisoners at the detention facility.

Juvenile offenders are handled by Youth Services. A juvenile facility has been closed for repairs. Although repairs are near completion, the opening may be delayed for lack of operating funds and community resistance. If Youth Services needs to house a juvenile, the individual is housed in a local hotel.

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