The Taipei City Government yesterday said that it would seek to transfer four of seven safety reviews of the Taipei Dome complex to the Construction and Planning Agency’s Taiwan Architecture and Building Center.
Taipei Deputy Mayor Teng Chia-chi (鄧家基) made the announcement at a news conference following a meeting with Farglory Group chairman Chao Teng-hsiung (趙藤雄).
The move came a day after Taipei Department of Urban Development Commssioner Lin Jou-min (林洲民) stressed the legitimacy of the reviews, dismissing criticism from Chao that it would be illegal for the city government to conduct them.
Farglory has repeatedly protested the reviews, which are aimed at assessing the Dome’s readiness for disasters and contingencies, saying that the city has no jurisdiction and that they should be carried out by the agency, which has agreed to undertake three reviews regarding the Dome’s fire safety.
Chao on Wednesday said during a radio interview that he would accept the standards as long as all seven safety reviews are carried out by the center.
Teng denied the city had made a concession to Farglory, as the decision simply meant that discussions over the Dome’s safety should return to “professional” reviews.
“If the center’s capacity can undergo some form of adjustment, we will prepare a report on this for the mayor,” he said. “Returning to a means of professional reviews is a consensus everyone can stand by.”
Teng said that the reviews would be carried out in an open and transparent manner — which should remove any concern over the proposed change of authority — if the center accepts the offer that it undertake them.
Chao told the media that he would conduct a simulation consisting of several stages, gradually increasing the Dome’s estimated maximum capacity, to determine how many people the facility can accommodate.
He said that he would deliver the results of the simulation and possible solutions to safety issues to the city government in the next few days.
Chao reiterated his hope to meet with Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) to provide him with a better understanding of Farglory’s stance on issues regarding the Dome.
Teng said any simulation conducted by the Farglory would be subject to the safety standards the city government has introduced for the Dome.
He said that the city has not ruled out the possibility of a second Ko-Chao meeting, as it would likely facilitate communication between the two parties.
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