Hagåtña Foundation aims to preserve, restore, beautify Guam's capital

Everything used to happen here," Sen. Tina Muña Barnes said from Hagåtña, Guam's neglected capital city. "This is the heart of our culture."

Barnes is on the board of the Hagåtña Foundation, a newly formed non-profit, non-governmental group working to bring life back into the village, in a variety of ways.

"Guam has such a rich history and we need to show that," said Sen. Joanne Brown, who is also a foundation board member. "We've short-changed our visitors. Tourism is such a great opportunity to promote our culture, language and history."

Hagåtña sites The Hagåtña Foundation has identified 17 sites in the island's capital that they would like to see clean, and maintained, with multilingual signage, and visited by tourists and locals alike. Those sites are: - Latte Stone Park - Plaza de España - The Chocolate House - Arches of the Almacen - Azotea - Kiosko - Pope John Paul II Monument - Skinner Plaza - San Antonio Bridge - The Chamorro Village - Chief Quipuha Statue - Paseo de Susanna - Padre Palomo Park - Fort Santa Agueda - Government House - Guam Insular Guard Monument - Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica The Hagåtña Foundation's Board of Directors are: Dave Hanley, chairman David Tydingco, vice chairman Joey D. Lopez, vice chairman Julie Jones Murrell, secretary Houman Najafi, treasurer Father James Benavente George M. Butler Julie Moylan Peter Sonny Ada Bert Unpingco Sen. Joanne Brown Sen. Tina Muña Barnes Anita Borja Williams For more information To learn more about the Hagåtña Foundation, visit www.hagatna2003.com.

"The foundation wants to create the kind of capital Guam hasn't had since World War II," Brown said. "Our people should have a capital city to be proud of, and to learn from."

World War II was disastrous for Hagåtña, which had served as the island's capital for hundreds of years, dating back to the early days of Guam's Spanish era. Bombing during the 1944 retaking of the island leveled the village and the rubble of what was once a lively vital capital city was bulldozed to become the foundation of Paseo Park.

Although Hagåtña remains home to governmental offices, the essence of the village was permanently altered after the war.

The Hagåtña Foundation has five main goals that it hopes will change the capital for the better. They are:

1. Clean up Hagåtña village: This would include organizing a village-wide clean up campaign; establishing an "Adopt a Block" program, identifying neglected properties and lobbying for their clean up; organizing better clean-up efforts through the Hagåtña Mayor's Office, local businesses, and with military support; and applying for appropriate grants.
   
   
2. Revitalize and beautify Hagåtña village: This would require retaining local architectural and landscaping firms to design and landscape parks in the village; working with the preservation and historical agencies and committees; conducting fundraising campaigns; and applying for appropriate local & federal grants.
   
   
3. Create the Hagåtña Historical and Cultural Experience: This includes identifying all historical sites and landmarks within the village; establishing clean-up, restoration and maintenance needs for the identified sites; adequately lighting and marking each site with a historical abstract in multiple languages; creating the Hagåtña Heritage Walking Tour; bringing back local traditions such as story-telling in the parks, basket weaving, local arts and crafts, entertainment, and other cultural activities; working with the Guam Visitors Bureau, Guam Hotel and Restaurant Association, the University of Guam, the Guam Council on the Arts and Humanities Agency, and related organizations to ensure guests experience of the history and culture of Guam's capital.
   
   
4. Create the Hagåtña Visitors Center: According to Barnes, the foundation is in the process of securing $6 million through the National Park Service, a NPS-affiliated nonprofit foundation, and the government of Guam, to create a cultural center facing Skinner Plaza, near the Hagåtña post office. The center would be a joint venture partnership with the National Park Service, the Guam Museum and the islands of Micronesia.
   
   
5. Create the Hagåtña Historical Walk: incorporating 17 sites the foundation has identified in the capital that are of historical and/or cultural significance. "We drove to the 17 sites as though we were tourists, and we saw the lack of maintenance, the broken bathrooms, the trash," Brown said. "If they can't even use the bathroom, they aren't going to read historical plaques."

The cultural center has been deemed critical to ensuring the revitalization of the capital.
"The visitors center is key to getting people here," said Dave Hanley, Hagåtña Foundation chairman. "It will be done in a professional, appropriate, respectful way ... There's grant money out there just waiting to be had."

Brown said that island nations in the region - much poorer than Guam - have a museum in their capital cities.

Hanley said the foundation wants to create the center properly, "with community involvement and spirit."

"At the same time, we aren't going to get involved in politics," Hanley said.
However, Barnes did say the foundation would meet with Gov. Felix Camacho to try to secure matching funds to create the cultural center. If successful, the center could become reality within 18 months, she said.

Hanley believes Camacho will be sympathetic to the foundation's goals.
"The governor ... understands the financial stimulus it will bring to not only to the village, but to the island," Hanley said.

Brown believes it is non-governmental organizations, such as the Hagåtña Foundation, that can change the island for the better.

"We just have such an incredible sense of ambivalence, and expect a government that can't even take care of itself," to take care of things like litter and vandalism, Brown said.

"The trash is our lack of pride. We should be ashamed. ... We have to stop being selfish and complaining, and get to work."

And the members of the Hagåtña Foundation are doing just that: getting to work.