By Pacific Island Times News Staff
Power, water and other infrastructure projects on U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz in Dededo are in their final stages while road construction in the peripheral areas has been completed, according to Joint Region Marianas.
The 4,000-acre Camp Blaz, which was activated on Jan. 26, will be home to the 5,000 Marines who will be relocated from Okinawa as part of the 2005 agreement between the U.S. and Japan. The Japanese government agreed to contribute about $3 billion to help fund the construction of facilities to support the move.
“Any new installation requires a significant amount of infrastructure, and it’s great to be able to coordinate with the island and give back where we can," said Rear Adm. Benjamin Nicholson, JRM commander.
Part of the infrastructure work in the area was road improvements to support the residents' and military personnel's daily commute.
"In partnership with Guam Department of Public Works, approximately $114 million worth of public road improvements have already been completed and an additional $250 million worth of improvements to Route 1 are planned," JRM said.
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Cmdr. Brian Christner, public works officer at Camp Blaz, said facility projects on base were being undertaken in collaboration with Guam Waterworks Authority, Guam Department of Public Works and Guam Power Authority.
"Together with these agencies, the construction related to the Marine installation has brought new or improved water, sewage, energy, and road capacity to the area," JRM said.
The projects included a $173 million expansion to the Northern District Wastewater Treatment Plant, which was completed in 2022, increasing the capacity for water treatment in the northern part of the island.
Additional water infrastructure in the works for the MCB Camp Blaz include improvements to four existing potable water wells, a 5-million-liter tank with water treatment buildings, and three generator buildings.
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To meet the new power requirements for Camp Blaz, JRM officials said community energy infrastructure has been bolstered through significant upgrades for the Harmon Power Substation.
A total of $62 million went toward installing an underground power line. The upgrades increase the capacity of the existing electrical infrastructure in the northern region of Guam.
Electrical power in Dededo is now fully interconnected between the Harmon Substation, the MCB Camp Blaz substation, and an existing substation on Andersen Air Force Base.
Essential infrastructure for Camp Blaz is being finalized in accordance with the Green Guam initiative.
Studies to add solar power capacity to Camp Blaz are in progress.
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Housing facilities on base are well underway as well, officials said. The first batch of Marines is expected to flow in 2025.
On Jan. 20, the military marked the completion of the first phase of Marine Corps housing projects that will accommodate the Marines and their families.
The first phase delivered 44 duplexes or 88 units of housing. Each unit includes garages and fenced yards. The duplex units are for junior and mid-grade (E1-E6) Marine families.
The next two phases will be completed this summer.
Also about to be completed are eight multi-story bachelor-enlisted buildings that will provide a total of 4,784 units for unaccompanied E1-E5 Marines.
“We are aware of the housing crunch additional military personnel could potentially put on the local market,” Nicholson said.
“We are constructing a significant amount of additional family housing on Department of Defense property. This gives our military service members a community to hold them accountable and gives them the unique support they need with other members of the military community. The goal is also to keep more local housing in local hands," the JRM chief added.
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