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Community Briefs

ASPA SATALA SUBSTATION PLANT

 

The project for the construction of the Satala Substation Plant for the American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA), which broke ground last week, “will play a vital role in the power supply network for American Samoa, as ASPA will be able to link its two independent power stations together,” said Pacific Engineering Projects Limited (PEP) managing director Chandar Sen via email to Samoa News yesterday.

 

“This will allow for the operation of the more efficient generating sets, and provide a greater spinning reserve and greater operational flexibility and stability in the electrical network and power supply in the country,” he continued. “With the high cost of diesel, high operational costs and high retail costs of electricity, efficient operation of diesel generation is vital.”

 

The American Samoa Power Authority (ASPA) awarded the contract for the Satala Substation Project to Pacific Engineering Projects Limited (PEP), in favor of other international bidders.

 

The turnkey project includes the design, building, procuring, testing, shipping, installing and commissioning of the 34.5kV/13.8kV High transformers, switchgear and associated controls and protection systems.

 

The project is led by PEP Project Manager Azad Sheikh, an electrical engineer with decades of power industry experience. Sen said PEP and ASPA have worked together on the project on a very collaborative basis. This included PEP and ASPA (represented by Power Chief Wallon Young and Generation Manager Ted Lei’ato) attending the successful factory acceptance tests at ABB factories in Hanoi, Vietnam and Xiamen, China.

 

PEP was represented by its Managing Director Chandar Sen and General Manager Rajnish Sen at the recent ribbon cutting ceremony at Satala. “PEP is humbled and very proud to be the chosen turnkey contractor for such a vital project for the American Samoa Power Authority,” Sen said.

 

A NEW MISS AMERICAN SAMOA WILL BE CROWNED FRIDAY NIGHT

 

The five local beauties vying for the coveted crown and title of Miss American Samoa were put on display this past weekend, during a float motorcade that was escorted by the Dept. of Public Safety on the west side of the island.

 

The five contestants are: Anneliese Sword, Lorraine Fano, Annie Mendoza, Darlyeen Moi, and Tina Mase.

 

The 2014-2015 Ms. American Samoa pageant will be held later this week on Friday, Sept. 26 at the Governor H. Rex Lee Auditorium in Utulei where reigning Miss American Samoa Eleitino Tuiasosopo will relinquish her crown.

 

The contestants have been busy participating in different activities including the ‘Meet and Greet’ dinner where they each pulled a number to determine which order they will be competing in, and they had a chance to bond with First Lady Cynthia Malala Moliga when they visited the Government House at Mauga o Alii.

 

The contestants have already been briefed on the rules and regulations, including the criteria for each category. Right now, locals can vote for their favorite contestant to win Bluesky People’s Choice Award. Each text vote costs 25-cents and closes on Sept. 23, 2104 at 11:59 p.m.

 

The short codes are as follows:

 

Call or text “Anneliese” to 100

 

Call or text “Lorraine” to 101

 

Call or text “Tina” to 102

 

Call or text “Annie” to 103

 

Call or text “Darlyeen” to 104

 

The winner’s name will be announced on pageant night.

 

This year, Pacific Independent Distributors (PID) has signed on to be the major sponsor for the event.

 

KVZK-TV PREPS FOR 50th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

 

Employees of the Maintenance and Operations (M&O) Division of the Dept. of Public Works are busy carrying out exterior work on the KVZK-TV Building, with crew members painting the main entrance to the structure and dressing it up, in preparation for the station’s 50th anniversary celebration.

 

Office of Public Information (OPI) Director Fagafaga Daniel Langkilde told the Samoa News yesterday that the ceremony will be a ‘low-key’ one, set to be held Monday, October 6.

 

KVZK-TV went on the air for the first time, back in October 1964 and in an initial interview, Fagafaga said they were hoping the building would be restored this year to coincide with the anniversary but “it looks like the restoration project won’t happen until next year”.

 

He said at the time, “Once the building is fully restored, then we will have a big celebration.”

 

Earlier this year, local company Designer Plus submitted a draft assessment to the American Samoa Historical Preservation Office (ASHPO), saying the KVZK-TV building is salvageable. In 2013, Historic Preservation Officer David Herdrich told Samoa News that the assessment had to be carried out first, to determine if the building is structurally sound.

 

The KVZK-TV building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Everything on it is original except for the roof, which was replaced by FEMA following a hurricane.

 

Fagafaga said the interior of the building will be gutted while the outside will be fully restored to preserve its original look. He said after next month’s celebration, the entire staff will move out and the whole interior of the building will be gutted and completely restored.

 

“We’re going to re-do it all,” he said. The work will be put out for bid “because it’s such a big job.”

 

KVZK-TV was the first television station in the Pacific Islands outside of Australia and New Zealand during a time when it was hard to recruit qualified teachers to work in the territory.

 

Gov. H. Rex Lee, who was governor of American Samoa at the time, brought educational television here and with the support of Ohio Congressman Michael J. Kirwan, KVZK-TV became a reality. (The official name of the KVZK-TV building is the Michael J. Kirwan Educational Television Center).

 

Herdrich told the Samoa News last year that the current state of the TV station is a result of many years of neglect.