Marshalls capital building to be demolished and rise again
BY GIFF JOHNSON Marshall Islands Correspondent
MAJURO, Marshall Islands — A once-iconic Marshall Islands government building that commanded the attention of all who passed by or entered will soon be demolished.
The back side of the former capital building shows the effects of vandals and neglect. Photo by Giff Johnson
The four-story capital building in Majuro, which has been abandoned for more than a dozen years, is a deteriorating behemoth situated next to the single-story hospital and houses and stores that dot the area around it. Without use, vandals attacked and in the past half a dozen years, turned this once stellar facility into an ugly eyesore.
Majuro contractor Pacific International Inc. has been hired to demolish the large structure so that a new capital building can rise in the same spot.
The aging capital building is scheduled to be demolished later month. The Republic of China (Taiwan) has pledged more than $30 million to support both demolition and construction of a new capital facility.
Pacific International Inc. workers began putting up a perimeter fence to block off the area late in January.
“Late arrival of our long-reach excavator (delayed the start of demolition work),” said Bobby Muller, senior project manager at PII. The large piece of equipment “can only be carried on Kyowa’s roll-on/roll-off vessel but the operator uses this specialty vessel less frequently now,” he said.
With the arrival of the equipment in early February, PII is gearing to launch the demolition work soon.
The capital building was originally opened for use in August 1993. By 2008, however, pieces were falling from the ceilings on various floors. Engineering reports from the early 2000s had warned that the four-story building was in desperate need of major maintenance to ensure its longevity. But serious attention to maintenance was never forthcoming.
Occupants of the fourth floor, including the President’s Office and Council of Irooj (Chiefs), moved to the second floor of the International Conference Center next door in 2007, where they remain till this day.
The building has been vacant since 2011, except for an office/work area for Public Works staff on the ground floor. mbj
