BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domgan disclosed the city government has not yet approved a final parking plan for Burnham Park contrary to the insinuations by his critics in the social media that the feasibility submitted by an interested parking company in converting portions of Melvin Jones into a pay parking area is already a plan.
Domogan said the submitted results of a feasibility study on the viability of a pay parking area in some parts of Melvin Jones is part of the unsolicited proposals of interested companies wanting to operate a pay parking facility but it is just a mere study which will have to go through the usual government procedures and not the actual plan.
He said the proposal will still be submitted to a technical working group (TWG) for evaluation and assessment whether or not the put up of a pay parking facility in some portions of Melvin Jones would be feasible and if so, the findings and recommendations will then be forwarded to the city council for the conduct of public consultations prior to its approval and subsequent conduct of public bidding.
“There is no multi-level parking in the area. Melvin Jones will still remain as a football ground,” Domogan stressed.
The local chief executive lashed out at his critics on the said put up of a parking facility within Melvin Jones, saying that the city is having a serious problem on parking during the influx of visitors which must be immediately addressed or else the city will slowly lose the tourists wanting to visit the city because of the absence of adequate parking facilities.
At the same time, he revealed that he ordered the creation of a technical working group to also work out the needed terms of reference covering the Ganza parking area to allow the city government to bid out the same for interested investors wanting to operate the same as a pay parking facility through the government’s private-public partnership (PPP).
It can be recalled that the city mayor authorized the city environment and parks management office in coordination with the city treasurer office was tasked to temporarily operate the Ganza parking area which is a pay parking facility in the city awaiting the terms of reference for the privatization of the same.
He claimed the operation of a pay parking facility is not actually an income-generating endeavour according to experts but the interests being signified by some companies and individuals to operate such facilities in different parts of the city show otherwise.
The city mayor underscored the importance of the conduct of public consultations in relation to the results of the feasibility study on the put up of a pay parking facility within the premises of Melvin Jones, saying that the outcome of the consultations will serve as one of the basis to be considered by city officials whether or not to push through with the implementation of the project.
Domogan cited there is a need for the city government to already develop a suitable pay parking facility to accommodate the huge volume of vehicles that flock to the city during major crowd drawing events and to allow law enforcers to strictly implement the no parking along major roads that contribute in constructing the traffic within the central business district area, saying that those opposing the proposal must come out with their alternatives on how to solve the city’s parking concerns instead of merely opposing the project. By Dexter A. See
