Journal Staff
The village of Chalan Pågo-Ordot marked a historic milestone on Sept. 15 with the ribbon cutting of its long-awaited Multipurpose Emergency Shelter, the island’s first designated emergency facility built outside Guam Department of Education schools. Two other ribbon cuttings have been held through the years at the facility.
After a decade-plus journey of planning, layered funding, and military-backed support, officials emphasized that the project still requires equipment and financing to reach full, permanent operation.
He said, “In our district, we face challenges from natural events such as typhoons, flooding, and earthquakes. This shelter is designed to offer refuge, essential resources, and critical support when you need it the most. … We are proud to partner with the Guam Trades Academy, the Guam Community College, and the University of Guam to offer extension classes and educational programs for the community at large.”
The 30,000-square-foot facility sits beside the village baseball field and community center and includes classrooms, a kitchen and serving room, weight room, men’s and women’s locker rooms and restrooms, a squash court, a gymnasium, a child-care room and a pantry. It is intended to support residents and military families alike, including personnel assigned to U.S. Naval Hospital Guam and the Guam Army National Guard Readiness Center.
The shelter’s opening caps a long timeline that began with former Mayor Jessy C. Gogue’s push for village capital improvements more than a decade ago. In 2010, then-Sen. Telo T. Taitague authored Bill 303-30, the “Host Community Benefits” law that granted Chalan Pågo-Ordot $150,000 annually as compensation for hosting the island’s landfill. Funds are managed independently by the Department of Administration and not subject to the governor’s transfer authority. Once the bill became law on July 15, 2010, Gogue banked the payments until they reached $1 million, which became seed money to pursue matching grants.
“Since we started receiving [off-set payments] in 2012, we have set aside over $700,000 to show the seriousness of our commitment to build these facilities,” Gogue told the Journal on Feb. 19, 2018. By Sept. 23, 2020, as federal support arrived, he added, “This will be the first designated emergency shelter outside of [the Guam Department of Education]’s footprint.”
Support deepened in September 2020, when the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Community Infrastructure Pilot Program awarded $3.51 million toward what became a $6.5 million package. Capt. Jeffrey M. Grimes, then commander of Naval Base Guam, endorsed the application on June 19, 2020, saying the center would enhance the “One Guam initiative” and provide centrally located recreation and shelter capacity. Guam National Guard Commander Maj. Gen. Esther J.C. Aguigui added on June 25, 2020, that the facility would help Guard families connect with Guam’s culture and history. Gov. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero’s administration later aligned American Rescue Plan funds to keep the project on track as construction costs rose.
At the Sept 15, 2025, ceremony, Lt. Gov. Joshua F. Tenorio praised the project’s community-driven persistence. “This project truly is born by this community,” he said. “Many people thought that this project could not happen… He said the administration worked with the Bureau of Budget and Management Research to assemble additional financing as costs escalated, calling the center “hyper-focused on children” and residents “that are less fortunate.”
Gov. Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero tied the center to CHamoru values. “This community center isn’t just a building. This is a demonstration and a reflection and a representation of who we are as a CHamoru,” she said. “When people are in distress, they’ll come to this place. When people need to socialize and bond with their families, neighbors, they will come to this center.”
Regarding ARPA funding, she said, “I think we gave you like three million dollars … with multiple, multiple, multiple yields.” Leon Guerrero pledged to continue to work with mayor Santos to locate remaining funds.
Santos said the facility will double as a skills hub. “The Trades Academy will actually start a class here tomorrow,” he said on Sept. 15, adding that he envisions a bamboo festival and year-round programs “not just for Chalan Pågo-Ordot, but really for the people of Guam.” He also thanked legislative leaders and said he will seek an appropriation to complete outstanding work “The building speaks for itself. … I need their help to finish what we have started here.”
Director of Public Works Vincent P. Arriola called the shelter a testament to persistence. “It was [former] Mayor Jessy’s persistence, his perseverance,” he said on Sept. 15. “You don’t take no for an answer. … And this is what we have, ladies and gentlemen, a beautiful facility.”
Arriola told the Journal the building currently has a temporary occupancy permit while the village builds capacity and finances to purchase a fire suppression system and an emergency generator. He said DPW and other agencies stand ready to assist as the project transitions to full operation.
Gogue emphasized that work remains. “There’s still other things left to do,” he said. “We’ve got to try to get the funding for the parking. As a shelter, we really need to put some wood floors in this facility … so long-term-wise, the concrete that’s currently laid down doesn’t become a hazard.” He thanked partners across DOD and the private sector and praised mayor Santos “for finishing it up.”
From early concept sketches in the 2010s to a second groundbreaking in 2021 and Monday’s ribbon cutting in 2025, village leaders say the shelter’s story is one of persistence and that the concluding chapter will be written when the remaining safety systems and upgrades are in place. As Tenorio put it, “It’s an excellent, excellent remark and recognition of the sacrifice that people of Chalan Pågo-Ordot have made for all of us.”
Sen. Taitague, who attended the ribbon cutting, called the opening “a promise fulfilled.” In a Sept. 15 statement, she said, “It represents years of hard work, collaboration, and the unwavering belief that the people of Chalan Pågo-Ordot deserve a safe, reliable space in times of emergency.” She said she will introduce legislation to adjust the Host Community premium for inflation and identify maintenance funding so the shelter can remain sustainable for the community at large.
The broader context for village readiness has also grown. On July 9, Vera Topasña, executive director of the Governor’s Community Defense Liaison Office, told the Mayors Council that a Village Needs Assessment Grant; “the largest grant that our office has received in the 15 years of its existence,” is slated to fund vulnerability assessments of each village’s emergency response capacity, including communications and cyber readiness. “Are the mayors, are our villages ready?” she asked. She shared that an estimated $5 billion in defense-related construction is expected in the next three to four years.
As the crowd toured the new shelter after the ribbon cutting on Sept. 15, Santos closed with thanks and a reminder that the project’s mission extends beyond disaster response. “This shelter is not only a place of safety, but also a hub for community activities that build resilience and unity,” he said. “Together, we will continue to build a safer, healthier, and more vibrant community.” mbj
