BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan underscored that the local government is inclined to pursue the construction of an 8-storey building near the Baguio fire department that will serve as a parking structure and a model legislative building.
The local chief executive revealed that the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFD) already signified its intention to make use of the city-owned property for the expansion of the existing Baguio fire department but he explained that he already objected to the plan because the city wants to pursue the construction of the multi-level parking building that will serve as a central parking area for all government vehicles and fire trucks.
“We will eventually move all government vehicles parked around the premises of city hall the multi-level parking structure once it will be completed so that the clients of the different city hall offices will have available parking slots when transacting business with the local government,” Domogan stressed.
Further, he added that some of the floors of the structure could be devoted to the local legislative body that will serve as a model legislative building if the members of the city council will agree to it to allow the expansion of other offices in city hall providing frontline services to the people.
Earlier, some P210 million was earmarked by the local government under the 20 percent local development fund to bankroll the construction of the multi-level parking structure in the vacant city-owned lot near the Baguio fire department.
He directed concerned offices of the local government to fastrack the completion of the required plans for the project so that its implementation will be done the soonest to help in addressing the lack of available parking spaces around the city to cater to the parking needs of the rapidly increasing number of motor vehicles.
According to him, the absence of wide tracks of lands in the city that could be used for parking spaces left the option for the put up of multi-level parking structures as the doable solution in addressing the parking problems being encountered in the city’s central business district area.
Domogan disclosed aside from the local government initiated multi-level parking structure near the Baguio fire department, the city plans to subject the put up of a multi-level parking structure at the former site of the old city auditorium which has been identified as one of the feasible where such structures will be built once there will be available partners of the city so that the scheme that will be undertaken will be through the private-public partnership (|PPP).
Currently, the concerned committees of the local legislative body are now awaiting the position papers which will be submitted by various sectors of the city relative to their position on the planned put up of a multi-level parking structure within the former site of the old city auditorium which is now being used as a temporary pay parking area for motorists.
The local legislative body gave at least 60 days to the concerned stakeholders to submit their position papers which will be used as a reference in the formulation of a report that will embrace the local government’s position on the matter.
By Dexter A. See
