New “pre-approved construction” for underground construction throughout the Taipei Dome site was announced yesterday by the Taipei City Department of Urban Development following talks with subcontractors of Farglory Group (遠雄集團).
The talks followed a city government-ordered halt to construction of the controversial development. The city halted construction last week on grounds that Farglory had failed to present a plan for ameliorating damage to the neighboring Songshan Tobacco Factory historic site and the Taipei MRT’s Bannan (板南) Line.
After preliminary talks on Friday last week, Farglory was allowed to resume “pre-approved construction” on the foundations of the site’s southern side for safety reasons.
Yesterday talks focused on expanding the scope of “pre-approved ” construction, with discussions addressing resuming work on foundations in other locations of the site, filling in site holes, stabilizing the Dome’s frame and completing the installation of a lightning protection system.
Meanwhile, the city government’s handling of the Taipei Dome and other controversial construction contracts drew criticism from Taipei City councilors in the questioning that followed Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) first official report on the subject to the Taipei City Council.
Other projects included in Ko’s report were the Taipei Twin Towers, Taipei New Horizon, Syntrend Creative Park and MeHAS City developments.
City councilors, who started lining up at 6:15am to register to question the mayor, criticized the city’s secrecy and a lack of progress in its talks with developers and contracters.
“After five months, the city government has not won a cent more of site royalties, nor has it demolished even a brick of the Dome,” Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Wang Hong-wei (王鴻薇) said.
Wang said Ko should show how he has made a “substantial contribution” to resolving the controversial contracts on which he reported.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) council caucus whip Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) criticized the city administration for continuing to be “bogged down” in its investigations into the construction projects.
Under the rules governing the Clean Government Committee, the investigations should have been wrapped up last month, she said.
DPP Taipei City Councilor Tung Chung-yan (童仲彥) said the city government should demand that the Department of Transportation and Communications provide measurements to demonstrate whether safety of the Taiwan Railway and Taiwan High Speed Rail lines, which run north of the Dome construction site, had been impacted.
Tropical Storm Gaemi strengthened into a typhoon at 2pm yesterday, and could make landfall in Yilan County tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The agency was scheduled to issue a sea warning at 11:30pm yesterday, and could issue a land warning later today. Gaemi was moving north-northwest at 4kph, carrying maximum sustained winds near its center of up to 118.8kph and gusts of 154.8kph. The circumference is forecast to reach eastern Taiwan tomorrow morning, with the center making landfall in Yilan County later that night before departing from the north coast, CWA weather forecaster Kuan Shin-ping (官欣平) said yesterday. Uncertainty remains and
SEA WARNING LIKELY: The storm, named Gaemi, could become a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, with the Taipei City Government preparing for flooding A tropical depression east of the Philippines developed into a tropical storm named Gaemi at 2pm yesterday, and was moving toward eastern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Gaemi could begin to affect Taiwan proper on Tuesday, lasting until Friday, and could develop into a moderate typhoon on Wednesday or Thursday, it said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued as early as Tuesday morning, it added. Gaemi, the third tropical storm in the Pacific Ocean this typhoon season, is projected to begin moving northwest today, and be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday, the agency said. Today, there would likely
DISRUPTIONS: The high-speed rail is to operate as normal, while several airlines either canceled flights or announced early departures or late arrivals Schools and offices in 15 cities and counties are to be closed today due to Typhoon Gaemi, local governments announced last night. The 15 are: Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Tainan, Keelung, Hsinchu and Kaohsiung, as well as Yilan, Hualien, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Lienchiang counties. People should brace for torrential rainfall brought by the storm, with its center forecast to make landfall on the east coast between tonight and tomorrow morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The agency issued a sea warning for the typhoon at 11:30pm on Monday, followed by a land warning at 11:30am yesterday. As of
CASUALTY: A 70-year-old woman was killed by a falling tree in Kaohsiung as the premier warned all government agencies to remain on high alert for the next 24 hours Schools and offices nationwide are to be closed for a second day today as Typhoon Gaemi crosses over the nation, bringing torrential rain and whipping winds. Gaemi was forecast to make landfall late last night. From Tuesday night, its outer band brought substantial rainfall and strong winds to the nation. As of 6:15pm last night, the typhoon’s center was 20km southeast of Hualien County, Central Weather Administration (CWA) data showed. It was moving at 19kph and had a radius of 250km. As of 3pm yesterday, one woman had died, while 58 people were injured, the Central Emergency Operation Center said. The 70-year-old