Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps personnel met with representatives from various Government of Guam agencies for a two-day Encroachment Action Plan Collaborative Workshop at the Top o' the Mar, June 14-15.

The workshop began with opening remarks from Joint Region Marianas (JRM) Regional Engineer and Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Marianas Commanding Officer, Capt. Stephanie Jones, who set the tone for collaboration and partnering.

"We are one community; we are one Guam," said Jones. "It is absolutely critical that we all work together."

The workshop provided participants the opportunity to have face-to-face discussions about the shared JRM Encroachment Action Plan, to share perspectives and discuss concerns towards compatibility planning in light of the Guam Buildup News and Guam's economic activities. It is intended to keep the lines of communication open and to have productive conversations.

Teams will meet again at another workshop later in the year to review actionable solutions.

"Planning is important and it is the foundation that will set us up for years of accomplishments as we work with the different Government of Guam agencies," added Jones.

The forum helped to shed light on some of the challenges associated with military construction and showcased success stories.

An ongoing military construction project that has required a great deal of military and community collaboration is the installation of an underground fuel pipeline from Naval Base Guam in the south to Andersen Air Force Base in the north. Teamwork, collaboration and continued communication between the Navy, village mayors and government agencies have led to the successful achievement of the mission.

"A lot of these issues that were brought about and discussed are not DoD issues; they are not Government of Guam issues; they are community issues which involve all of us together," said Dorothy Harris, chief planner, Port Authority of Guam. "It doesn't matter what side of the fence you are on, this is one island and we are working together to resolve these issues together."

The ideas and solutions discussed during the workshop will be used to develop an action plan that is beneficial for the island community.

"We, as an island, need to be successful," said Jones. "There is no win-lose in 'One Guam.'"

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