VETO OVERRIDE BALLOT MEASURE DISCUSSED WITH OSA

The Office of Samoan Affairs (OSA) was packed on Monday with village mayors and county chiefs who attended a special Q&A session hosted by the public awareness committee selected to educate the public about the veto override amendment which will be on the ballot during Election Day in November.

(The referendum was put out for a vote during the 2012 elections but didn’t garner enough votes to pass).

Monday’s session was led by local attorney Fainu’ulelei L.F. Ala’ilima Utu, who explained the true meaning of the veto override amendment, and said the reason why the amendment didn’t pass the first time around was because a lot of locals didn’t understand what it was about.

He also said it was critical to get the information out to the village mayors and county chiefs as they are the ones who assist greatly during the election process.

The referendum amends the American Samoa Constitution and if passed, will give the Fono the authority to override the governor’s veto, instead of the U.S. Secretary of Interior.

Fainu’ulelei said American Samoa is unlike any other US territory or state, in that the local Legislature does not have the power to override the governor’s veto.

He said although our local faipule and senators are referred to as ‘lawmakers’ their authority is limited, based on the lack of veto override power. He said Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga has expressed his support of the referendum and added that it was the Governor who appointed the members of the pubic awareness committee to conduct outreach about the veto override. Committee members include Fainu’ulelei, Attorney General Talauega Eleasalo Ale, Sen. Afoa Moega Lutu, and Tapa’au Dr. Daniel Aga.

 The committee made a presentation last night for the residents of Tafuna and Ili’ili at the Fagaima Methodist Church hall and tomorrow, they will head over to the Fagatogo CCJS Church hall to speak to villagers from Fagatogo, Fagaalu and Utulei.

Fainu’ulelei said the goal of the outreach is to keep people ‘well-informed’ about the subject matter so they can have a full understanding of the referendum when they cast their votes later this year.

NO SCHOOL BUS TRANSPORTATION FOR ECE STUDENTS

Youngsters enrolled in the Early Childhood Education (ECE) program which officially started this past Monday, Sept. 8, will have to be dropped off and picked up by their parents until such time that approval is granted for them to utilize school buses.

A DOE official told the Samoa News earlier this week that school bus transportation for the more than 1,300 children enrolled in the ECE program this school year has been discontinued, after federal representatives inspected the school buses and discovered that they were unsafe to transport the territory’s youngest students, as the buses are not equipped with child restraints (seat belts).

Parents were informed of the decision last week during orientation sessions hosted by the ECE administrators.

PNRS APPROVES PERMIT FOR NEW ASPA POWER PLANT

Last Wednesday, the Project Notification Review System (PNRS) under the Dept. of Commerce unanimously approved, with special conditions, a Land Use Permit Application  for the construction of a new power plant for the American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA) in Satala, where it was located before it was completely destroyed by the Sept. 29, 2009 earthquake/tsunami.

The multi-million-dollar project is being funded by insurance monies and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), who conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment of the site two years ago.

Samoa News understands that the PNRS took some time to approve the permit because of strict FEMA guidelines.

Last year, ASPA put out a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the design and construction of the Satala Power Plant and at the time, ASPA Executive Director Utu Abe Malae explained that the RFP “is open to any contractor who does this kind of work,” but added that the work is somewhat specialized and challenging, because bids for the generators are separate from the building. 

The new power plant will include office spaces that Utu said would be limited to the plant operators and plant engineer. The engineering and administrative staff will remain at the ASPA Tafuna office.

Since the Satala power plant was damaged in 2009, all of ASPA’s administrative personnel and operations had to be relocated to Tafuna. 

Once work on the project begins, it is expected to be completed within an 18-month time period. 

Samoa News asked Utu in an initial interview if there is a difference between the new proposed power plant and the old one that was damaged in the ‘09 tsunami (i.e. more generators, structure size, etc).

Utu responded that the new power plant will be about the same size, “but these newer engines are more ‘fuel efficient’.”

There will be seven engines with a total of 23MV and the equipment costs $36 million. The building and facilities have a separate price tag of $14 million.

Utu said the new plant will be located on slightly higher ground and the critical equipment will be outside the "VE Flood Zone boundary".

VA REPS FROM HONOLULU SET TO ARRIVE NEXT WEEK

Local veterans will have the chance to voice their concerns about home loans and any claims for assistance next week as three representatives and counselors from the VA will arrive in the territory next Monday to answer any and all questions. Those who want to voice their complaints about their claims are also welcome.

Interested veterans who want a chance to have their issue addressed are mandated to set an appointment with the local VA office. This is to ensure that everyone gets a chance to speak to the counselors. In addition, everyone is required to bring with them a copy of their claim(s) and a DD-214 form.

The sessions will be held at the VA Center at the Tradewinds Hotel in Ottoville beginning Tuesday, Sept. 16.

DYWA SETS SEPT. 25 AS FINALE FOR AS BEST DANCE CREW COMPETITION

In two weeks, the title of American Samoa’s Best Dance Crew (ASBDC) and the grand prize of $2,000 will be awarded to one of the ten local dance groups taking part in the ongoing competition sponsored by McDonald’s American Samoa and hosted by the Dept. of Youth and Women’s Affairs (DYWA). The competition is aired live on KVZK-TV Channel 2 every Thursday and can be seen live at the Fale Laumei in Utulei free of charge.

The first five groups performed last Thursday and the remaining five will take center stage tomorrow night. But tomorrow’s performance could be the last for some of the groups, as four teams will be eliminated. the remaining six will move on to the Dance Off competition set for next Thursday, Sept. 18. Two acts will be eliminated that night.

The show’s finale is scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 25 during which the Top Four will compete in a dance-off before awards are presented and the names of the winners announced.

In addition to the grand prize, second place winners will receive $1,500 third place will get $1,000 and fourth place will go home with $500 - all provided by McDonald’s.

Consolation prizes will be awarded to the remaining groups.

Consolation prizes will be awarded to the remaining groups.