By Pacific Island Times News Staff
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Honolulu District is scheduled to host another community event next week to answer residents' questions about the right-of-entry process that would pave the way for inspecting Yigo properties formerly used as bomb disposal sites.
The event, set for April 16 and 17, is the continuation of a series of meetings hosted by the corps in September last year.
The right-of-entry form is required to support the remediation of the Area 101 formerly used defense site.
Area 101 in Yigo consists of approximately 842 acres immediately south of Andersen Air Force Base. It was designated for use as a U.S. Army Garrison Forces Bomb Disposal site from April 1945 to September 1946.
“Last year’s event gave us a great opportunity to meet community members, answer their questions and collect more than half of the ROEs required to start the remedial investigation process,” said Iwona Jeanbaptiste, project manager with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Honolulu District’s Environmental Branch.
“Our goal this year is to continue this successful campaign of providing community members accurate, up-to-date information and to finish gathering as many signed ROE forms as possible so we can start the RI process," Jeanbaptiste said.
The Department of Defense is responsible for the environmental restoration of properties that were formerly owned by, leased to or otherwise possessed by the U.S. and under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Defense prior to October 1986.
Such properties are known as formerly used defense sites, or FUDS. The U.S. Army is DoD’s lead agent for the FUDS program.
A right-of-entry is a legal document that grants USACE and government contractors access to a resident’s property to determine whether military munitions are present.
Signed forms are necessary to start field investigations that will include surface and subsurface removal of munitions and debris within areas that pose a risk to the public.
The Corps has notified all landowners in Area 101 by phone or postal mail of the ROE request; however, this two-day event is an opportunity for the community to ask questions and sign ROEs in person.
The information booth will be at the St. Lourdes Church Social Hall at 153 Chalan Pale’ Ramon Lagu, Yigo, Guam, April 16 and 17 from 4 to 7 p.m. 