Kwajalein may have the population of a tiny town, but its residents enjoy most of the services—and many of the comforts—of a big city. KRS is now responsible for maintaining and upgrading the atoll’s infrastructure, including utilities, facility and housing maintenance, retail services, the post office, hospital, school system, marine operations, and air transportation.
To help run the city, KRS employs about 1,000 Marshallese citizens who commute from a neighboring island daily. They make the 20-minute commute to Kwajalein up the East Reef of the lagoon via a free ferry service.
Procurement and supply for the test site and residential and community facilities is a massive operation. Government-contract container vessels bring Kwajalein supplies and equipment from the West Coast of the United States and Honolulu. A planned $20 million cold storage facility will give the residents a wider variety of groceries.
The atoll has a kindergarten-through-high school educational system, staffed with permanent and substitute teachers, counselors, and sports coaches. Television and radio broadcasts and the local newspaper, The Hourglass, keep everybody informed and entertained.
Recreation and community activities are high priorities. The community calendar for March 2003 advertised a town hall meeting, a school concert, an inner-tube water polo tournament, a basketball tournament, and a softball world series.
