Imperial Pacific International (IPI) has had its conditional certificate of occupancy approved by the Department of Public Works as it moves one step closer to welcoming guests to its US$2 billion Imperial Pacific Resort.
The conditional certificate covers the property’s gaming areas, bar, two levels of business offices and the main lobby. IPI must now request full clearance from the Commonwealth Casino Commission before opening for business, local newspaper Marianas Variety reported.
The certificate, set to expire on 16 November, restricts any swing movements from four tower cranes, “so as not to encroach over the airspace of the occupied areas at any time” with IPI to “provide a safety officer to monitor the swing limits of the tower cranes; adhere to the tower crane safety plan and provide a safety plan during the installation of the required seismic brackets and hangers for sprinkler piping.”
It comes as IPI released a statement claiming it has contributed more than US$201 million to the local economy since it began activities in Saipan in 2014. It included revenue tax payments of US$77.7 million, corporate income tax of US$30 million and US$64.8 million in casino license fees among other charges and investments.
Citing its ongoing work with the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands government, IPI said, “Together, as partners, we can continue to actively look for new ways to improve the local economy and ultimately transform the islands into a global destination that offers world-class services and friendly investment climate.
“The benefit to the people of the CNMI has been not only new job opportunities but also improved way of life that has never been felt until recently.”