The Taipei Dome might be suitable for non-sports events, such as concerts and the city’s Double Ten National Day celebrations, if it passes a fire safety verification test this week and if water leakage problems are fixed on schedule, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday.
Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) on Saturday posted on Facebook two photographs of a maintenance crew working on the roof of the Taipei Dome, and wrote that even though the stadium opened in November last year, it still has some flaws.
The Taipei Dome has in the past nine months welcomed increasing numbers of baseball fans, and it is preparing to face the challenge of holding non-sports events, including concerts, Lee said.
Photo: Lo Pei-de, Taipei Times
“I believe we are not far from enjoying concerts in the Taipei Dome,” he wrote.
Asked to comment on Lee’s post, Chiang yesterday said the water leakage detection and improvement project is scheduled to be finished by the end of this month, and the installation of colored seat covers is to be completed by the end of October.
If the Taipei Dome passes a fire safety verification test this week, event organizers can apply to hold non-sports events at the stadium, and the city government would review the applications based on the city’s Large Gathering Events Safety Management Self-government Ordinance (大型群聚管理自治條例), he said.
If procedures go according to schedule, the city’s Double Ten National Day celebration might be held at the Taipei Dome on Oct. 5, he added.
Separately, Lee yesterday said the Taipei Dome has two flaws: water leakage and white chairs.
Baseball players and coaches have complained that the white chairs make it difficult for them to see where the baseball is when it is in the air.
The city government has asked Farglory Group (遠雄集團), builder and operator of the Taipei Dome, to solve the water leakage problem by the end of this month, or by the end of next month at the latest, Lee said.
The problem with the white chairs would be solved by the installation of colored seat covers, he said.
Regarding concerns raised by an engineer about the Taipei Dome’s emergency evacuation mechanisms, Lee said that some people have the misconception that in an emergency, attendees must exit the stadium at the ground level, but the facility has underground passages that connect directly to Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall nearby.
Separately, Taiwan Fire Protection Safety Center Res Foundation CEO Chen Wen-lung (陳文龍) yesterday said three of the four Taipei Dome fire safety review committee members have approved the city’s plans, while the other is still reviewing data, and a result is expected this week, at the earliest.
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