The Taipei City Government could require Farglory Land Development Co (遠雄建設) to pay for demolishing the Taipei Dome, Taipei Deputy Mayor Teng Chia-chi (鄧家基) said yesterday.
“If Farglory is responsible for the contract’s termination, there will not be any question of our purchasing the complex at its market price,” Teng said. “Farglory will be responsible for paying to demolish the structure and returning the site to its original condition.”
Farglory yesterday threatened that the city would be required to purchase the Taipei Dome complex if it continued to press its demand that either the Taipei Dome or a neighboring shopping mall be demolished.
Photo: Tu Chu-wen, Taipei Times
A city safety inspection committee recommended that one of the buildings should be demolished after finding that overbuilding in the area would hinder an evacuation in case of an emergency.
Teng said that while the city remained open to any Farglory counterproposals, the firm’s current stance that it would not “tear down a single wall” failed to address the city’s concerns.
If the firm fails to respond to the city’s demands, the city will order a halt to construction before moving to terminate the firm’s contract, Teng said.
The city government maintains that the firm has violated several terms of its contract, including failing to complete construction before the contracted deadline and causing damage to the neighboring Songshan Tobacco Plant historic site.
Fellow Taipei Deputy Mayor Charles Lin (林欽榮) criticized what he called “arrogant” remarks by Taipei Dome architect Stan Lo (羅興華) regarding safety, adding that Lo was “treating lives like straw.”
In response to concerns that overbuilding in the area would leave no room for fire trucks to enter the site in the event of an emergency, Lo had said that if a “modern building” was incapable of putting out a fire on its own, it should be “left to burn,” adding that the fire department should focus on saving lives rather than buildings.
Lin also accused the firm of providing inaccurate figures to the press, saying that the estimates provided by the firm showed that it would take more than 51 minutes for everyone inside to reach exits, almost double the 26-minute figure claimed by the corporation.
In response to Farglory statements that the city’s evacuation model was unrealistic, as it does not allow for the possibility of people leaving the site, Lin said the city was simply requiring that the site meet the same requirements used for other buildings, which are required to leave sufficient open space for people to disperse in the event of an emergency.
In an interview with Pop Radio, Farglory general manager Tang Chia-feng reiterated his view that the city’s evacuation analysis went “beyond the realm of common sense.”
He said that the city requiring the firm to plan for a scenario in which every floor in all five of the complex’s buildings simultaneously caught fire was “a joke,” akin to asking what should be done if a person contracted five forms of cancer and was then hit by a car.
He said demolishing the Taipei Dome or surrounding structures would violate the contract between his firm and the city, adding that his firm would be willing to accept minor construction adjustments as long as the site’s “overarching structure” remained unchanged and there were would be no delay to the site’s completion.
Meanwhile, amid speculation that the Taipei City Government might refer President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) — who was Taipei mayor from 1998 to 2002 — and former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) to the judiciary, as they might have been involved in irregularities when negotiating with Farglory on the Taipei Dome project, the Presidential Office yesterday denied that Ma was involved in any wrongdoing, adding that he would face investigations honestly if necessary.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old