Sone light was shed Monday on why streetlights in many parts of the island are not working.
The Senate Public Works Committee was told that local stores which sell wiring for the lights have run out of supplies and awaiting new shipments.
And it’s not the American Samoa Power Authority that’s responsible for the wiring but the Department of Public Works.
Senators were told that ASPA is responsible for the light head and Public Works is responsible for the wiring at the bottom.
This came as a surprise to senators including a former employee of ASPA, Senator Ponemafua Tapeni, who said ASPA has always been responsible for streetlights.
He said ASPA orders the wiring in bulk so it’s news to him that stores are providing the wiring.
It wasn’t made clear when exactly DPW was added, but Acting Director of DPW, Falavai Taase, said there’s an agreement that ASPA takes care of the light heads and DPW takes care of the wiring.
Acting Manager of Transmission and Distribution at ASPA, Ryan Peau said the lights are fine but without the wiring they don’t work.
DPW Acting Director Taase said streetlights in the Bay Area from below the governor’s residence to the Fagatogo marketplace are down because the wires are short from water inundation during heavy rains, and other faults.
Local stores are out of the wiring and they are waiting for new shipments before repairs can be done.
Acting Executive Director of ASPA, Ryan Tuatoo has clarified that this arrangement is only for tge aluminum streetlights from the edge of Nu’uuli to Atu’u. For the rest of the streetlights ASPA is responsible for the wooden poles, lights and wiring.
Senate President Tuaolo Manaia Fruean reported that a pedestrian was struck last week while on the cross walk in front of the Fagatogo marketplace. The streetlight at the crosswalk wasn’t working and the marking on the crosswalk was not visible.
Tuaolo charged that the Senate is at a loss of what to tell DPW. Not onky are the streetlights not working, the roads are full of potholes and road markings have fainted and hardly visible.
“We can’t see the speed bumps. All of a sudden we’re driving on them, and our cars are taking a beating,” complained Tuaolo.
Taase said a contract for the traffic and road markings has been awarded to Happy Trucking and the work should get underway next month,
Tuaolo asked if reflectors can be installed on the road centerline, Taase said they’re not included in the contract but can be added.
Committee Chairman Satele Lili’o asked why the third quarter performance report for DPW says island wide markings, sidewalks and other road jobs have “completed” written next to them.
The acting director said “completed” refers to the design work for these projects which are all done.
Concerning cuts in the main road, Taase said these are mainly for utilities especially water. He apologized for the delay in patching up the cuts.
Senator Malaepule Saite Moliga was blunt, pointing out that roads and driveways to people’s homes are nicely paved while the main road is riddled with potholes.
And problem spots like the Fagaima drainage which senators raised at the beginning of the 37th Legislature have still not been fixed.
Malaepule told the acting DPW Director they should advice the Governor on priority areas and fix public roads and facilities first before areas that only a few people use.
Senator Faiivae Alex Iuli said from his experience with a road project near his home in Malaeloa, it seems like once a contract is awarded, the government leaves the contractor to do what it wants. “There’s no supervision to ensure the contractor is abiding by the terms,” he stated.
He said a road to St Theresa School at the old Marist High School in Malaeloa, is causing flooding in neighbors’ yards. The reason is because the contractor raised the pavement on the road and the rainwater washes off the road and floods nearby yards.
Faiivae said the contractor also left cement, rebars and remnants from the old road, on the roadside causing a safety hazard for the students.
