BBQ area to be scrapped for MOP1.6b Hac-Sa Reservoir revamp
Renderings of the Fai Chi Kei project
The MOP1.6-billion renovation of Hac-Sa Reservoir Park and neighborhood will see a new Kun Iam statue amid the grass skiing range and barbecue area which are set to be removed.
Lo Chi Kin, vice president of the Municipal Affairs Bureau’s executive arm, disclosed the news to a press conference yesterday afternoon after being questioned by the Times. The press conference was held to announced conceptual details of the Hac-Sa Youth Activities Camp Site and complementary facilities, as well as the Residents’ Sports Park in Fai Chi Kei.
Renderings of the Fai Chi Kei project
The campsite will be located inland from Hac-Sa Beach and connected by a tunnel with the Reservoir Park.
Lo and his superintendent, Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong, reiterated at the press conference that the renovation will see “improvements for existing facilities.”
He said that “most of the existing facilities” would be retained, with enhancements made, such as changing the square into a leisure area with a water and terra landscape, upgrading the public washroom, as well as adding new catering vendors.
Explaining the removal of the barbecue area, Lo said that the number of barbecues next to Hac-
Sa Beach has now surpassed 100 and there should be enough such facilities for the public. Due to the change of positioning, the grass skiing range will be relocated elsewhere, he said.
The revamped area will target youths, the government officials reiterated yesterday, although they were questioned why the inauguration of a Kun Iam statue had been decided upon.
Renderings of the Hac-Sa project
The future bronze statue – 28-meter tall, 120 tons in weight and valued at MOP4.2 million across its production processes – was assigned to “two renowned craftsmen and their teams” in Guangdong. “They are master sculptors of Lingnan-style sculptures,” Lo explained. “They are also nationally accredited,” Cheong added.
Cheong also believed that a Kun Iam statue will be widely accepted by the people of Macau, but did not manage to explain the connections between youth facilities and a goddess’ statue.
Expected to be finished in 2025, the entire 10-hectare Hac-Sa project will revamp the whole beach area. When questioned if the project will affect training of aquatic athletes in the future, president Pun Weng Kun of the Sports Bureau (ID) assured that there will be no change.
The Hac-Sa project will see the inclusion of ziplines, adventure towers, a rock climbing wall, skateboarding rink, wargame zone, as well as other family-oriented facilities.
Fai Chi Kei project
The Fai Chi Kei project will revamp the former Canidrome. The track and field and the swimming pool will be retained. Facilities will be upgraded with interconnected new buildings housing sports grounds, a children’s library and related facilities, as well as meeting facilities. The buildings will be located near the Mong-ha and Fai Chi Kei Districts.
Renderings of the Hac-Sa project
An underground parking lot with about 450 spaces will be built. On the reasons behind building an underground parking lot in a district so prone to flooding, Director Lam Wai Hou of Public Works Bureau (DSOP) explained that the track and field, which account for 25% of the land plot, cannot be elevated. In addition, height clearances at the area are also a concern for the parking lot design.
Near the buildings on the Fai Chi Kei side of the ground, a new footbridge will be built. The DSOP director said that he is open to connecting the entrances of the footbridge to existing buildings.
Lam assured that the future facilities will be harmonized with the neighborhood.
