E&W Construction to carry out Ta’u Dispensary project

(left) Manu'a District Governor Tufele Li'amatua anxiously awaits the completion of the Ta'u Dispensary, which he says will save the people of Manu'a a lot of money in costs of having to travel the LBJ Medical Center to receive medical services. Amidst the delay in fulfilling the project, which should have been completed last month, Tufele recommended that E&W Construction be contracted to take over the job. E&W was recently awarded the second contract to carry out the work.

(right) Public Works director Taeaotui Punaofo Tilei, who terminated the ASG's contract with Union Construction to build the Ta'u Dispensary, has announced that a second contract to carry out the job has been awarded to Lautogia Taula and E&W Construction who have already begun mobilizing to the Manu'a Islands.

August 17, 2007 - Several weeks after the initial contract awarded to Union Construction to build the Ta’u Dispensary was terminated “for sufficient causes,” a second contract was awarded to Lautogia Taula and E&W Construction Company.

But this comes after Union Construction was already paid over $32,000 for services rendered.

Mobilization of E&W Construction workers and their equipment is underway, and work is expected to begin by the end of the month.

E&W Construction, whom Public Works director Taeaotui Punaofo Tilei and Manu’a District Governor PC Tufele Li’amatua had recommended to take over the job, submitted a lower bid that essentially beat out rival company RM Construction for the contract award.

The Ta’u Dispensary project, which broke ground last December, hit a snag with the initial contractors doing nothing more than mobilizing their crew, demolishing the old structure, and bringing in a few supplies.

The project, which costs over $490,000 available through federal funding from the Department of Interior’s Capital Improvement Project (CIP) funds earmarked for health, is expected to be completed in seven months.

Recommendations from the Senate to Governor Togiola that the Public Works’ Maintenance and Operations
(M&O) crew be assigned to carry out the job is a no go as according to Taeaotui, provisions of the DOI funding does not allow for Public Works employees to do that.

When completed, the Ta’u Dispensary will feature a 3200 square-foot single-story building complete with a morgue, a telemedia station, an office for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel, and living quarters for the doctors and nurses.

Built on the same site as its predecessor, the new structure will be more modern, with concrete columns and beams, and louvered glass and solid windows.