The Taipei City Government would make sure the Taipei Dome is as safe as it can be, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) promised yesterday as he announced that the capacity of the Dome complex would be capped at 59,833 people for the first three years of its operation.
Ko held a news conference yesterday morning to outline the public safety standards and performance reviews for the Dome project ahead of the city issuing a new construction permit for the project next week.
The Taipei City Construction Management Office approved Farglory Group’s new construction permit proposal on June 22, signaling that work might resume on the project after a five-year suspension.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
The city government halted the project in 2015, citing 79 items that had not been built according to the approved blueprint. It also announced seven public safety standards for the project that same year.
The Taipei High Administrative Court in 2016 ruled that Farglory could continue to work on 14 safety-related remedial tasks to prevent the structure from collapsing.
More than a dozen members of Taipei City Council’s Public Works Committee on Tuesday visited the site, where a representative told them that the completion rate for general hardware facilities is about 68 percent in the park area and 82 percent on the dome itself.
Councilors across party lines questioned whether work outside the scope of the 2016 court ruling had taken place, as there appeared to be some new facilities since the committee’s last visit, sparking a heated debate between the site representative and councilors.
Ko told reporters yesterday that court rulings over the past five years have always been in the city’s favor, and the Taipei Dome park area design has gone through seven urban design review sessions, two environmental impact assessment (EIA) sessions and two fire prevention and evacuation design review sessions, with those of the first two broadcasted live online.
Among the safety improvements that have been made were expanding the basement level’s fire compartments from one to 14, adding eight evacuation ladders so that each compartment has one, improving the emergency escape route and expanding the space where people can seek shelter, he said.
However, the most important change was reducing the maximum capacity of the complex from 137,963 people to 59,833 — a number that was approved at one of the EIA meetings.
“It [Farglory] originally set a capacity of about 137,000 people, which is too scary, so the capacity had to be reduced to ensure safety,” he said. “It is set at 59,833 people at the start of operations, and it must remain at 59,833 people for three years, with a review after that period.”
The seven public standards set for the Taipei Dome have not be altered, and the project has now meet the standards, but the city government would continue to review what it feels are unreasonable portions of its contract with Farglory, including a zero royalty payment, to protect public interest.
Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) said the zero royalty payment and low penalty rate are the two most unreasonable parts of the contract.
The city has reached an agreement with Farglory to increase the penalty from NT$50,000 to NT$100,000 (US$1,689 and US$3,378) per breach and increase the maximum penalty from NT$3 million to NT$9 million, she said.
The city hopes to deal on the zero royalty payment issue by reaching an agreement on how to split the Dome’s excess revenue after it begins operation, she said.
Asked if the city plans to open the Dome complex while he is in office, Ko said completing the project during his watch would not be a big achievement to him, but coping with the aftermath would be.
If the Dome is not to be demolished, it has to be made safe and usable, so the city government would act according to the law to ensure that it is “as safe is it can be, according to our conscience,” the mayor added.
Additional reporting by CNA
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
RSS