Multi million tala building still vacant

By Ilia L Likou 28 May 2016, 12:00AM

A report of parties interested in the beleaguered, multimillion Samoa Land Corporation (S.L.C.) building at the Faleata Golf Course, has now been passed over to the Minister’s Office.

This was according to a senior official at the Samoa Land Corporation who declined to be named.

An attempt to get a comment from Minister, Lautafi Fio Purcell last week was unsuccessful.

Earlier in February, Lautafi said two local businesses had expressed interest in making use of a $4.2million government building described by the Opposition as a house “occupied by ghosts.”

He did not disclose the names of the companies, but he said that the companies had very good plans for the building.

“The two local businesses have come up with totally different ideas for utilising the building,” Lautafi said.

“The Board of S.L.C. and the lawyers are now working on the documents and the final say will come from Cabinet.”

“Hopefully we will have a decision from Cabinet next month. Things are moving but there is no need to rush.”

The multi-million-tala building was re-tendered after talks between the government and a local company failed. 

In April last year, Cabinet announced that the negotiations to lease the office complex at Faleata Golf Course so that it could be converted to a commercially owned accommodation complex, reached a deadlock.

A statement from Cabinet at the time said the original tender did not stipulate non-negotiable conditions and that allowed the parties to include issues that were outside the original tender scope in their negotiations.

The government said it had exhausted all options available to accommodate the business proposals and in the end, they could not agree on a compromise decision.

And to that extent, Cabinet approved the re-advertisement of the tender.

 “These things happen, it is normal in business transactions,” Lautafi said at the time.

Government’s initial target was for the new hotel to provide accommodation for overseas athletes during the Commonwealth Youth Games last year. Ultimately, the long term vision was to develop the property into an accommodation facility for sports teams taking into account the sporting facilities in the vicinity that includes the Aquatic Center nearby, weightlifting, boxing, hockey stadium, other sporting venues, and of course the Golf Course. The Corporation vacated the premises last year, and are now occupying the upper floor of the Vaitele Market.

By Ilia L Likou 28 May 2016, 12:00AM
Samoa Observer

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