A proposal to allow the Guam International Country Club to build a solar farm on CHamoru Land Trust Commission property drew criticism at the Guam Legislature Tuesday.
If Bill 135-38 becomes law, the country club would prepay all scheduled lease payments, about $9 million, and turn the golf course’s clubhouse and 5 acres over to the CLTC.
The money could be used to develop infrastructure on CHamoru Land Trust properties. The bill, similar to one that was introduced in the last legislature, has the support of the commission, with some stipulations.
Those testifying against the bill raised concerns about the environmental impact of turning a golf course into a solar farm, the condition and value of the clubhouse building, and the loss of a recreational facility in Dededo.
Former Dededo Mayor Melissa Savares was one of those opposed to the bill.
“Our concern is CHamoru Land Trust has a poor history of enforcing the proper rules and regulations for the current leases,” she said.
While Savares and others agreed that the island has a housing shortage, and that people living on CLTC property need infrastructure, she said building a solar farm near existing housing is not a solution.
Questions were also raised about the appraised value of the property and whether any environmental impact studies had been completed.
Development consultant Carlos Camacho described testimony against the bill as “gaslighting.”
“I only call it gaslighting because we’ve been doing this for two years,” Camacho said. “We never hit anything. We went through every public hearing that was announced.”
Camacho said the project will go through the required permitting process, and the bill requires that an appraisal will be conducted.
Sen. Therese Terlaje questioned why the proposal was not put out to bid.
“Normally, if that’s done in any other government agency, they’re supposed to take that and bid it out, just like has been proposed,” Terlaje said. “But they didn’t do that.”
“I think that’s the minimum that the people of Guam deserve, the CHamoru Land Trust beneficiaries, who we owe a fiduciary duty to,” she said.
