SANDAKAN: The Sandakan Municipal Council (MPS) is working hard to find building owners in the town centre as part of its plan to brighten up the area by repainting old and rundown buildings.
MPS President, Walter Kenson, said the council had established a collaboration with the Sandakan Chinese Chamber of Commerce (SCCC) to refine the implementation of the programme, which aims to restore the former glory of the town centre that had become increasingly quiet and abandoned by traders and visitors.
“The old town of Sandakan cannot be left neglected any longer. As the President of MPS, I am committed to finding ways to bring the town centre back to life.”
“One of the efforts involves repainting old buildings to give them a fresher and more appealing appearance,” he said during a press conference on Monday.
A meeting session will be held on June 28 to engage shop owners in further discussions, including the provision of incentives to support this initiative.
However, Walter said only 1,202 out of 2,624 premises owners had been contacted so far.
“Most of these buildings belong to people who don’t live in Sandakan anymore. So, we’re asking the media and the Chinese Chamber of Commerce to help spread the word and encourage them to come to the meeting,” he said.
He pointed out that while building owners are responsible for repainting, MPS would provide some incentives to help lighten the cost.
“Details of the initiative will be announced on June 28. We are targeting at least 50 per cent of property owners to participate in this first phase,” he added.
The programme is expected to begin once the meeting session and registration process are completed, with the aim of having the majority of buildings in the town centre repainted by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, SCCC Chairman Chia Hock Ak said the association would make efforts to help trace the building owners in Sandakan town using the records maintained by SCCC.
“We’ll do our best to track down these owners using the records we have. We’ll also spread the word through different associations and social media,” he said.
