Mayor: Burnham Football Field will Remain As Is
May 9, 2015
BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio Domogan during the Weekly Ugnayan Presser clarified issues regarding the proposed off-street parking facility at the Melvin Jones Football grounds within the Burnham Park Complex here.
The Chief Executive said the proposal to build a parking complex was hatched years back with the concept of putting a car park underneath the football field.
“Matagal na yan na plano, panahon pa ni Architect Estipona,” Domogan said.
Last year, an Australian Firm expressed interest in conducting a feasibility study on the viability of constructing a parking complex within Burham Park at their own expense which the city approved.
In 2014, Domogan issued Administrative order No. 25 approving the creation of a Technical Working Group (TWG) to assess, evaluate and recommend the most advantageous proposal in the operation of an off-street parking.
Recently though, Parkwise Philippines Inc. and CW Developments Inc. released the feasibility study results for the Melvin Jones Football Field which it said is a viable project.
Two options were presented as viable, the first is the construction of a multi-level parking at the Ganza Area and another multi-level parking at the other end of the football filed leaving the field intact which could accommodate more or less 2,484 vehicles while the second option would be to include the redevelopment of the football field that will have more or less 3,000 vehicle capacity.
A Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) scheme for 25 years is also proposed under a public Private Partnership (PPP).
Domogan however clarified the feasibility study is just a tool to determine the viability of the project.
Domogan stressed, “there is no approval of the city government on the said project and presently, it is still being evaluated.”
“If ever it gets approved, it will be endorsed to the City Council for discussion and conduct of a public hearing then the council will make a resolution,” he said.
Domogan also said, “the city government will not push through with any project that could destroy the park and have detrimental effects on the environment.”
Meantime, an online petition in a social networking site to prevent the supposed construction of parking structures at Melvin Jones Grandstand, Burnham Park was also put up where it claimed that the construction will have adverse historical, environmental and economic impacts to the city.
Domogan said, “opposition to any project cannot be prevented and it is very welcome being part of the democratic process.’
“They need not worry because we are assuring them that we will be considering all the points that will be raised when it comes to the project, they will be part of every process “ he said./Paul Rillorta
