Renovation of former Taiwan artillery school site fails to attract bids three times

Tainan, Taiwan – The relocation of the Yongkang Artillery School has concluded, paving the way for the district office to move into the former military site. However, the revitalization of the main building, the electrical training facility, has stalled, facing repeated tender failures.

The former "Missile Artillery School" underwent a significant relocation, with the Ministry of National Defense investing over NT$9.6 billion (approximately $2.9 billion USD) to move the facility to the new Tangshan Barracks in Guanmiao. The Yongkang site has since been handed over to the city government. The district office plans to occupy the electrical training building, a nearly 30-year-old structure comprising three blocks.

Despite securing NT$150 million (approximately $4.6 million USD) for renovation and landscaping, the project has been put out to tender three times without attracting bids. Local officials attribute the failures to escalating material costs and a shortage of construction labor, making bids economically unfeasible for contractors.

District chief Li Huang-hsing expressed frustration, stating, "We tried to renovate, but it failed three times." He explained that the main construction budget has now been increased to NT$200 million, with an additional NT$50 million allocated for landscaping, in hopes of finally securing a contractor. The plan is for the district office to occupy the north and central blocks, while the Department of Health and the Indigenous Peoples Commission will utilize the lower floors of the other blocks.

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We tried to renovate, but it failed three times.