As Southern Taiwan has suffered from continual rain in recent days due to the close proximity of typhoons, Deputy CEO Dr. Chern Jenn-Chuan of the Reconstruction Council became concerned about this having an impact on the progress of permanent housing construction. So on June 22nd, he led the head of the Department of Infrastructure Reconstruction, Yan Jiou Rong, and others on a visit to two permanent housing bases located in the Shanlin District of Kaohsiung City, Xiaolin Second Village and Daai (Yuemei)Base Second Session Project, to remind the permanent housing and public facility construction teams to be efficient with their time and overcome the various construction difficulties so that the greater goal of helping disaster victims move in is achieved as soon as possible.

Deputy CEO Dr. Chern visited the Xiaolin Second Village permanent housing base, along with the Kaohsiung City Government team led by counselor Zhang Jian Wen-Ke to listen to a briefing from the firm responsible for the design and supervision of the permanent housing project, H.C.Chen Architects & Associates, and the Central Engineering Officeof the Construction and Planning Agency, MOI. A manager from H.C.Chen Architects & Associate, Mr. Huang, stated that the target was to complete construction of the permanent housing project by the end of July 2011. In response to Xiaolin villagers’ concerns regarding construction quality, the Red Cross assured them that there would be no quality compromises made, and also invited villagers to take part in quality checks. Construction is currently slightly ahead of schedule, by 0.49%, and they will ask the contractors to continue to be as time-efficient as possible. During the meeting, Deputy CEO Dr. Chern stated that President Ma had instructed that prompt construction of this base take place as a special case at the one-year anniversary dinner of the Xiaolin Village disaster. Immediately afterwards, the Reconstruction Council made active efforts to coordinate work between related governmental departments, the Ministry of the Interior’s Construction and Planning Agency, Kaohsiung City Government, Red Cross and Xiaolin Villagers to move construction of the base forward. He expressed his gratitude for all the hard work that construction units participating in the permanent housing project have put forth and hopes that these units will continue in their joint efforts to achieve the final goal. During the exchanges between various units at the meeting, it was brought up that an interface negotiation was required for the related designs and construction. Deputy CEO Dr. Chern gave the Kaohsiung City Government clear instructions to prompt Sinotech Engineering Consultants, Ltd. in completing the necessary design modifications within time limits, while also asked the Construction and Planning Agency to speed up construction as well so overall construction progress for the permanent housing base would not be affected. He also asked the Kaohsiung City Government to contract out landscaping projects online as soon as possible, so that the permanent housing project can become a beautiful residence as soon as construction is complete.

Deputy CEO Dr. Chern then visited the Yuemei Permanent Housing Base Second Session Projcect for a better understanding of construction progress. Dr. Chern was happy to learn that over 95% of construction was complete. In addition to expressing his gratitude towards the efforts made by Tzu-Chi Foundation and all related units, he hoped that the contractors would continue to work speedily so that disaster victims may move into permanent housing before the second anniversary of the disaster this year. The permanent housing on this base was constructed with the support of the Tzu-Chi Foundation, while the Kaohsiung City Government was responsible for public infrastructure. A total of 254 permanent housing units have been built to date for a population that is approximately 20% aboriginal and 80% non-aboriginal. Not only will it serve as shelter from the elements and a home for disaster victims, ethnic factors were also taken into account during the construction of permanent housing. Appropriate spatial arrangements have been made to accommodate and respect different ethnicities, cultures, religions, and customs. The plans include public facilities such as a church and activity plaza to fulfill the needs that may arise for various ethnicities and cultures.

Deputy CEO Dr. Chern especially reminded the Tzu-Chi Foundation that as the permanent housing units are near completion, they must remain on schedule in applying for the necessary permits, and proactively track and correct the data submitted. He also asked that the Kaohsiung City Government offer their full assistance with the aforementioned applications while also plan then opening ceremony and move-in preparations when the roster of residents is confirmed. He also instructed that in order to ensure sustainable development of the permanent housing base community, the Reconstruction Council would hold periodic meetings to supervise construction progress of subsequent major public facilities such as an activity center, community center, culture plaza, park, and so forth, so as to meet the life demands of community residents. As construction is about to get underway for all public facilities necessary in sustainable development of the permanent housing base, the Kaohsiung City Government should develop solid plans and responses to negotiate issues with construction interface, implement planning, and gradually take over and manage public facilities within the community. The recommendation was that the Kaohsiung City Government organize a special project team for this larger base to assist the community management committee in effectively resolving issues and serving the members of the community.

 

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