Planning committee assembled to initiate reopening of Lions Park

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Lemanu-Talauega Administration has begun planning for the grand opening celebration of the Lions Park Renovation Project, which has been undergoing upgrades for the past few months and is funded from several government sources.

In a Sept. 23 memorandum, acting governor, Talauega E. V. Ale informed cabinet members that the Lions Park Renovation Project was “initiated to provide a safe and beautiful space where families can enjoy recreational activities.”

And with the project completion, he said that it’s only fitting that a Grand Opening Ceremony be held “so that our people may celebrate their new park.”

As with any undertaking, he said a planning committee is necessary to ensure details, plans and procedures are in place for the success of the event. Therefore, he directed that all directors and agency heads were to attend a “critical meeting” yesterday to discuss plans.

Director were informed to appoint a member of their staff to be part of the working group — and the appointed representatives were also required to attend yesterday’s meeting, in which details, plans and assignments “critical to the success of this event” were discussed and distributed, according to Talauega’s memo.

An update on the outcome of the meeting was not available at press time, nor as to when the Grand Opening will be held. But the Governor’s Office is expected to issue an official statement or announcement in the coming days.

The project includes upgrading existing shelters and building new ones as well as upgrading basketball courts and restroom facilities.

As previously reported by Samoa News, Commerce Department director Petti Matila said that the overall goal of the project “is to upgrade one of the main recreational parks or public spaces for the community.”

Aside from the construction upgrades a living shoreline design is being finalized by coastal engineers.

“A living shoreline is an eco-friendly option not only to prevent coastal erosion in the area, but also to protect the species within the surrounding area (land and sea),” Matila said in July as the project was well underway.