Mayor Awaits Skating Rink Plan
Volume XVIII No. 5 (November 8-14, 2014)
BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio Domogan is awaiting the completion of the master development plan for the Burnham Park skating rink which will serve as guide in firming up the terms of reference in bidding out the operation of the facility.
While the plan and the TOR are still at the drawing board, the mayor directed city environment and parks management officer Cordelia Lacasama to allow the skating rink’s current concessionaire Quirante’s Fun Rides/Skates Rentals and Recreation Center to continue operating the facility on a month-to-month basis after its contract with the city expired last November 2.
“We need to do this to ensure continuity of the income until it was bidded out and awarded to the winning lessee,” the mayor said.
The mayor last week created the technical working group headed by urban planner and former city architect Joseph Alabanza of the Baguio Heritage Committee and city building and architecture officer-in-charge Johnny Degay to prepare the plan.
City environment and parks management officer Cordelia Lacasama, a representative of the United Architects of the Philippines Baguio chapters and the deans of the colleges of engineering and architecture of the University of Cordilleras, University of Baguio and St. Louis University will collaborate with Alabanza and Degay.
The preparation of the plan was decided by the mayor and the petitioners advocating to open the Burnham Park skating rink for free use by the public.
The petitioners agreed to the mayor’s decision to bid out the facility acknowledging that the city cannot allow the absolute free use of the skating rink being one of the few income generators where the city source out funds for the maintenance of the park.
The mayor promised not to renew the lease contract with the Quirante firm./A Refuerzo
