'Uliti upgrades Uata Building [1]
Tuesday, February 15, 2005 - 16:38. Updated on Saturday, May 3, 2014 - 17:52.
Long-time parliamentarian 'Uliti Uata, aims to finish building his downtown office block on Nuku'alofa's main street this year - a project that has taken 24 years.
The three storey Uata Building, 'Uliti promises, will be completed by July. 'Uliti is the General Manager of a family business, the Uata Trading, owner of the building.
...Uliti said that construction of the block stopped in 1981, due lack of funds, but now he was going to spend another $1 million to reconstruct the third floor and remodel the interior of the building, which features prominently in the heart of the Nuku...alofa business centre. It was Nuku'alofa's tallest building in 1981 but there are now others which are taller.
In the years following the initial construction work, ...Uliti got involved in a domestic air service proposal, and then finally into shipping. He established Uata Shipping, now running the biggest inter-island ferry service in Tonga.
...Uliti said that the tax free depreciation value of his $1.2 million building also helped in their effort to finish the building. Work started late last year, by Pyramid Construction, a local construction company of Viliami Hafoka. ...Uliti said that on the ground floor and the first floor there will be ten rooms each, most of them will be for rent and will be most appropriate for offices.
He said that the second floor will be left open plan for clients who may have other ideas, and the third floor will be reserved for restaurants. ...Uliti would like to have a variety of restaurants. Chinese, Indians, Italian, ...just like how you have overseas, in one place you can have a variety of restaurant to chose from,... he said.
...Uliti pointed out that a lot of work had to be done to the third floor, where the wall and the concrete roof have to be knocked out. He said they will rebuild the third floor in timber with an iron roof to make it lighter.
'Uliti has served as one of the Ha...apai People's Representatives to the Tongan parliament for many years, and he is running for re-election this year.