Southern Science Park Sports Center's ballooning scale irks Tainan Mayor

Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che has voiced frustration over the expanding scope and budget of the Southern Science Park Sports Center project, which has yet to break ground. The mayor expressed bewilderment at how a design initially intended for a single floor has seen its overall volume continuously increase.

This situation mirrors past issues, such as the Asia-Pacific Baseball Village, where contract disputes with architects led to termination. The sports center project is now facing a similar challenge, with the city government considering terminating the contract with the architect. The project's budget has already risen from 120 million to 160 million New Taiwan dollars due to design changes.

During a city council meeting, Mayor Huang stated that the city government would promptly review the contract, project scope, and financial scale, as well as the relationship with the architect. He promised a comprehensive report at the next council session. The mayor suggested that the case reflects a need for review within the public procurement system, advocating for clearer definitions of project scale and budget at the contract signing stage to prevent delays and disputes.

Sports Bureau Director Chen Liang-chih explained that the architect is expected to present a planning report on June 8. The decision on whether to terminate the contract will depend on the review and detailed design approval process. Meanwhile, city councilor Chen Pi-yu pointed out that while sports centers in other districts like Annan, Xinying, Yongkang, and Rende are progressing, the Southern Science Park facility remains stalled.