AIRPORT ROAD PROJECT

Work on the Airport Road is nearly complete. The only thing left to do is tie up some loose ends such as paperwork  and documentation.

This is according to an official from the Department of Public Works who explained that only minor issues, including drainage, are left to be addressed and it is expected that the leftover work will be bundled up into one single project that will be put out for bid at a later date.

The DPW official explained that there is no point dragging out the project any longer as only minor details are yet to be resolved. He said that in addition to the actual road work, DPW will be collaborating with the Department of Port Administration about a project that will address much needed repair work for the airport loop that rounds the ticketing terminal all the way around to the parking lot and back out to the main road.

EAST SIDE ROAD PROJECT

The stretch of main road from Visa Point in Lauli’i heading east to Faga’itua village is  better now than it has been over the past decades, thanks to McConnell Dowell carrying out the 3-R (rehabilitate, restore, and resurface) project that will, weather permitting, be fully completed by the end of this month.

Last weekend, there was not that much left to do, except paint the middle divider line that separates the two lanes. Also, the area in front of Faga’itua High School and the DPS Substation East is almost completed, with one side of the road (west bound) already flattened and smoothed out while the east bound lane was being prepped for the asphalt to be laid.

Earlier this year, Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga explained during the groundbreaking ceremony for the project, that the delay in getting the project going was the lack of funds, and his office continues to work closely with the Legislature to resolve the issue. The east side road project proceeded as planned, despite the lack of adequate funding.

The project costs in excess of $2.8 million and once completed, the 3-R project will move to the west side to resurface and restore the portion of the main highway from Futiga to Leone.

Yesterday, an official from the Department of Public Works said that there are some other road projects in the pipeline but a complete list will not be available until later next month.

SOFIAS DONATE TO DIALYSIS UNIT

This past Wednesday, the LBJ Dialysis Unit received a generous donation of $2,000 from the Sosaiete O Faafafine I Amerika Samoa (SOFIAS).

The money comes from funds that were collected during the recent SOFIAS sanctioned pageants: the Miss SOFIAS 2015 where Erica Fonoti emerged victorious, and the second annual Mr. American Samoa pageant that was held last Friday and resulted in Folasa Allen being crowned.

Wednesday's donation included $1,000 each from the two pageants.

The check was presented by SOFIAS president Dawn Malae Vaavale to Dialysis Unit officials Bernardo Raphael and Myah Ierome who expressed their sincerest gratitude to the SOFIAS organization.

Along with Va'avale, other SOFIAS representatives who were instrumental in making the donation a reality include Leatumauga Seti, Shawnie Masoli, Jayleen Chun, Athena Mauga, Tasha Atio'o, Ipi Ieli, and Poe Mageo.

Throughout the years, the SOFIAS and its members have contributed thousands of dollars to different local causes including the American Samoa chapter of the Red Cross, the Hope House at Fatuoaiga, and the Pediatric Ward at the LBJ Medical Center.

STORY WRITING WORKSHOP

The American Samoa Council on Arts, Culture, and Humanities will be hosting a Story Writing Workshop featuring nationally recognized teaching artist and author Daniel A. Kelin II. The four-day event will be held July 28-31 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the Jean P. Hayden Museum in Fagatogo.

Right now, there is a call for local residents 16 years old and older to stop by during those dates to share their stories about living in the territory.

Entitled: “Tell Your Side of the Story About Living in American Samoa,” the workshop will feature stories shared by participants about their experiences as residents living here and 15-29 slots are available.

Samoa News understands that the stories will be transcribed and published by Kelin, who arrives in the territory on Monday, July 27th.

Kelin has served as the Honolulu Theatre for Youth Director of Drama Education since 1987 and also the president of the American Alliance for Theatre and Education (2011-2013).

According to his website, Kelin is a nationally recognized master teaching artist in drama and theatre, and he is on the National Teaching Artist roster of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

He holds an MFA in Child Drama from the University of Hawaii and has served as a consultant and trainer for many arts and social service organizations both on the national and international level.

“Dan co-founded the Hawaii Professional Development Task Force which guides the statewide development of art education programming and training. He was also part of the team that created the Hawaii Arts First K-5 Toolkit for classroom teachers.”

More information on the workshop can be obtained by calling 633-4347/4490/5613.