BAGUIO CITY – The City Council ordered the City Building and Architecture Office (CBAO) to submit within a 60-day grace period a comprehensive master development plan of the Baguio Athletic Bowl in order to align future projects for the conversion of the city’s premier sports facility into a world-class sporting venue.
The council made the directive upon learning that the on-going rehabilitation of the sports facility is not following a master plan that would align the implementation of future repair projects that will be introduced in the facility through either the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) or the city government
The local legislative body expressed fear that the millions of pesos being earmarked by the national and city governments for the rehabilitation of the sports facility will go to waste if there is no master development plan that will be followed so that future projects for the repair of the facility will be realigned to it.
Engr. Alexander C. Castañeda, District Engineer of the Department of Public Works and Highways – Baguio City District Engineering Office (DPWH-BCDEO), reported to the council that the initial P14.7 million earmarked by the national government for the initial rehabilitation of the sports facility is substantially complete while the P50 million released for the project’s second phase is now on-going.
He added the P60 million set aside by the city government to augment the national funds in order to significantly improve the state of the Athletic Bowl will be aligned to the earlier development works in order to have the continuity in the project implementation and prevent scattered works.
The council said the comprehensive master development plan of Burnham Park that was prepared by the University of the Cordilleras (UC) that includes the improvement of the Athletic Bowl has not yet been accepted by the local legislative body, thus, its concept for the sports facility is not considered a final master plan for the facility in the future.
Arch. Johnny Degay, City Building Official, said the master development plan of Athletic Bowl will include major development works that will protect the tartan track oval from being damaged by unscrupulous individuals and to prevent the damage of the facilities within the Athletic Bowl.
The council also recommended to the CBAO to include in the master development plan of Athletic Bowl the provisions for additional entrances and exits for pedestrians and vehicles to prevent overcrowding in the facility’s main entrance and exit fronting the bicycle lanes.
Furthermore, the council wanted the DPWH-BCDEO to review the plans for the second phase of the project in order to include the provisions for gender friendly facilities, better surface for the bleachers and improved state of all the sports facilities that will warrant the appreciation of athletes and sports officials coming from different parts of the country.
Degay informed the council the CBAO is now finalizing the plans and specifications for the implementation of the P60 million that was allocated by the city government for the project that will include the fencing of the rubberized track oval, concreting of the access road from Kisad Road to the main grandstand, concreting of the secondary grandstand and put up of athletes quarters among other lacking facilities.
