RM20 million upgrade for Tun Fuad Park
Published on: Thursday, December 01, 2022
By: Larry Ralon
The park will be closed starting December 10 until September 18, 2024.
Kota Kinabalu: The Tun Fuad Stephens Park in Bukit Padang here will be closed from Dec. 10 for two years for construction of the Tun Fuad Stephens Botanical Garden which will become one of the new attractions in the city when completed. Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Abidin Madingkir said the Federal project costs RM20 million and the National Landscape Department (JLN) is the supervising officer. The area to be upgraded is 44.13 acres which are concentrated in the area around the existing jogging track and a man-made lake.
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“It will be closed starting Dec. 10 until Sept. 18, 2024. The appointment of the main contractor has already been made at the Federal level and construction will begin soon,” he said when winding up for the Chief Minister’s Department.
Responding to Luyang Assemblyman Ginger Phoong Jin Zhe, Abidin said the jogging track would be upgraded and widened with new facilities including seats, lights and other facilities.
“The lake will be maintained and added with other facilities such as floating platforms, tracks around the lake, lighting and others. Among the components and upgrading include building special gardens such as Ginger Garden, Orchid and Nepenthes Conservatory, Nadir Park, Herb Garden, Bamboo Corner, Botany Playpark, forest restoration efforts by planting local trees, upgrading and increasing the amount of parking, build an e-hailing vehicle stop, upgrade the main gate, build the main entry board, build a guard house, build a plaza and kiosk, build an overwater platform, administrative, research and maintenance offices, nursery building, new lakeside path, replace the old bridge to new bridges, public toilet upgrades, existing jogging track upgrades, and other park facilities such as lights, stairs, park chairs, CCTV and others.
“This is expected to become one of the new attractions in Kota Kinabalu when it is completed,” he said, assuring the construction would not involve building any commercial building except just some stalls selling food and drinks.
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On issues related to the city particularly flooding, transport systems and urban renewal raised by Likas Assemblyman Tan Lee Fatt, Abidin said efforts to increase the capacity of small ditches in housing estates are being actively implemented, especially for areas that are prone to flooding.
He said the need for allocation had also been presented through the 12th Malaysia Plan (RMK12) where the State Government had approved RM3.8 million to deal with some areas that had been identified as flood-prone areas.
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“Considering the relatively large allocation requirements including land acquisition requirements, this will be implemented in stages until 2032 in line with the “Kota Kinabalu City Drainage Master Plan 2017,” he said.
On the proposal to build ditches under the road, Abidin said City Hall (DBKK) welcomed this suggestion, especially with the drainage system’s limited land reserve.
“This concept has been used in several areas in Luyang and Millennium Kingfisher Park in an effort to overcome the problem of small ditches and DBKK intends to do the same in the Kian Kok School area,” he said.
Regarding the public transport system, Abidin said that the planning of the public transport system in the city had started as early as 2012 where the Kota Kinabalu City Public Transport Master Plan (Greater Kota Kinabalu Master Plan Framework 2014-2020) was prepared.
The master plan includes an action plan to improve the public transport system in two phases, namely short-term planning and long-term planning. The main focus is on the possibility of creating a light-flow public transport system such as Bus Rapid Transport (BRT), Light Rail Transit (LRT) or Monorail.
“It is hoped that it will become a popular alternative mode of transport for local residents as well as reduce dependence on private modes of transport which are one of the main contributors to road congestion as well as reducing the transportation cost faced by the people,” he said.
On “urban renewal” and dilapidated buildings in the city, Abidin said it is one of the issues always given attention by the local authorities together with the departments/agencies involved.
“Among the approaches and measures currently being considered include identifying areas of government land including areas occupied by squatters that can be redeveloped into more valuable and orderly areas equipped with modern infrastructure and public facilities.
For dilapidated buildings that are not occupied, relevant notices will be issued to the owners. There are also dilapidated buildings that can be categorised as historical buildings where appropriate action is also taken to suggest that the buildings can be repaired to ensure that the existing historical elements can be preserved,” he said.
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