ASPA WATERLINE UP AND RUNNING FOR WESTSIDE RESIDENTS

Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga cut the ribbon during a special ceremony last Thursday, officially signifying the opening of the new water line that connects the residents of the farthest west side villages to the American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA) system.

In his remarks, Lolo thanked ASPA Executive Director Utu Abe Malae and Board Chairman Perelini Perelini for making the project a reality and said the hard work put in by the pair — as well as employees of the semi-autonomous agency — proves that American Samoans are knowledgable and more than capable of getting things done.

He said water is a free gift from God and all of the territory’s residents deserve to have access to good, clean water.

The new waterline affects the residents of Poloa, Fagali’i, Fagamalo, and Malota — the westernmost villages in the territory.

House Speaker Savali Talavou Ale spoke on behalf of the village residents and Alataua County. He expressed his gratitude and said the project is something that had been a dream for many years and it is a relief to finally see it come to fruition.

Savali explained that every time there are heavy rainfalls, the residents in the aforementioned villages have to deal with dirty, murky water but thankfully, no more.

VETERAN POLICE CAPTAIN HONORED BY DPS

Veteran Police Captain Moleli Tavai’s body arrived in the territory last Friday, escorted by his wife Lelonoa, his kids, and Police Commissioner William Haleck who was returning from an off island meeting.

The Dept. of Public Safety showed up in full force and in proper uniform to the Tafuna International Airport to escort their fellow officer to Laulii Methodist Church where final funeral services were held.

In an initial interview with Samoa News, Commissioner Haleck said that because Tavai passed away while still active on the job, DPS will carry out all the necessary arrangements, including an official police escort.

Dozens of police units were at the airport on Friday to honor the 27-year cop that Haleck described as “one of our better officers, one of our better investigators. He was well-loved, highly respected, and was one of my senior officers that I could always count on.”

Tavai was buried on Saturday at his home in Onesosopo.

LEONE BRIDGE OFFICIALLY DEDICATED

Five years after the deadly earthquake/ tsunami of Sept. 29, 2009 destroyed the Leone Bridge, the replacement structure was finally dedicated last Friday in a special ceremony attended by Governor Lolo M. Moliga, his wife, Mrs. Cynthia Moliga (who cut the ribbon), cabinet members, and chiefs of Fofo County.

Rev. Father Kolio Etuale of the Holy Cross Parish blessed the structure with the sprinkling of holy water.

Salave’a Pale spoke on behalf of Leone village and thanked Public Works director Faleosina Faiai Voigt and contractors McConnell Dowell for their ‘patience’ in carrying out the job.

In his remarks, Lolo said the Leone Bridge is a “sign of hope, a sign of the future.” He thanked the various federal agencies like the Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Highway Administration (FHwA) for their assistance, and praised McConnell Dowell for a job well done.

The Governor said the New Zealand based company “has been with us through a lot and they are here to stay.” He referred to the new bridge and said McConnell Dowell has definitely “elevated the standard” as far as quality and he hopes other local contractors will follow suit.

In her remarks, Richelle Takara of the FHwA thanked chief engineer Reuben Siatu’u and inspector Alofa and said the Leone Bridge “doesn’t look like it’s going to go anywhere anytime soon.”

Work on the Leone bridge commenced in late 2012 but there was a five-month halt, following the death of a McConnell Dowell worker at the site. Throughout the project, many issues arose, including the discovery of skeletal remains in the area. The completed project includes a sidewalk and waterline.

WASTEWATER COLLECTION SEWER PROJECT BEGINS THIS WEEK

Residents of Aua, Leloaloa, and Onesosopo are ecstatic, as a multi-million-dollar project linking them to the wastewater collection sewer system in Pago Pago begins this week.

During a brief ceremony last Friday in Aua, project contractor Dean Hudson of Fletcher Construction said they hope to start this week, and asked that villagers be patient as they try to complete the work.

Speaking on behalf of Governor Lolo M. Moliga, Attorney General Talauega Eleasaro Ale thanked all the parties involved and said American Samoa is blessed and we should be happy because of the progress and continuous improvement in our infrastructure. He said no infrastructure means people will suffer and that means there needs to be continuous improvements in areas including clean water, electricity, and roads.

The project costs in excess of $7 million and will be broken down into four parts. Once completed, the project will replace all the cesspools currently in these areas.

USCG CONDUCTS TRAINING FOR DPS MARINE PATROL

Chief Warrant Officer Chris Smanse of the US Coast Guard conducted a training session for the employees of the DPS Marine Patrol Division last week.

The course is tailored especially towards maritime professionals and teaches general seamanship skills including how to use and secure an anchor, how to stay safe while out in the open ocean, and various marine safety issues like assisting other boats and members of the general public, as well as swimmers in distress. Training continues this week.

34 SENIOR CITIZENS COMPLETE TRAINING COURSE

Nearly three dozen senior citizens employed with the Territorial Administration on Aging (TAOA) were honored last Friday during a special ceremony to recognize them for completing the hot meal program training course.

In his remarks, TAOA director Tifimalae Ale explained that the decision to change from the monthly food stamp vouchers to the hot meal program came from their main office in San Francisco and went into effect on June 10, 2014.

He said there are 15 locations in the territory that are open to serve hot meals for senior citizens and in the beginning, TAOA staff members spent numerous hours going out to the sites to ensure that the program was being carried out properly.

Ale said this caused office employees to spend too much time away from their desks so they decided to take some senior citizens already employed by TAOA and train them, so they can administer the program.

The end result was a group of 34 trained senior citizens who were all smiles last Friday when they received their certificates of completion.