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Rising to 95 feet above the sea level, the new Governor Eloy S. Inos Peace Park offers panoramic sea views on the Pacific island of Saipan, part of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).
One of the world’s leading engineering, environmental and construction services companies, GHD, provided design, construction management and construction quality assurance services to convert a former waste dump into the stunning new park.
The site began its life as a docking facility for the US Military, before turning first into a scrap metal dumping site and then into the official solid waste disposal site, known as Puerto Rico Dump. Due to environmental issues and community concerns, the dump was officially closed in 2003.
The park design was approved in 2014 and, in 2015, construction work commenced to reshape 110,000 cubic yards of waste. A protective liner system comprising multiple layers was installed to cover the 21 acre site, while plants were specifically selected to avoid roots damaging the liners. The project also included 23 methane gas vents connected to a network of more than 2000 feet of pipe. During the project, 76 pieces of unexploded ordnance were discovered and safely detonated off-site.
Paul Baron, GHD’s Principal for Guam and Saipan, says, “As a leading consultant in CNMI, it’s a tremendous honor to contribute to this emblematic project for the island. By turning a long-running environmental issue into an attraction for locals and visitors from around the world, the project has created a lasting benefit for future generations.
“We would like to acknowledge our client, the Capital Improvement Projects office, the contractor Black Micro Corporation, our people in Saipan, and numerous specialist contractors and subconctractors whose hard work and commitment has made this project possible.”