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The answer to the second part of the question is that other swimming pool complexes in the urban areas, which are listed in the Public Works Programme, are located at Kennedy Town, Tai Wan Bay (Hung Hom), Morrison Hill and Chai Wan. The programme for these projects is as follows:
(i) Kennedy Town--the site is now expected to become available by August 1970. Site formation work will start as soon as possible thereafter, and the project is expected to be completed in early 1972.
(ii) Tai Wan Bay (Hung Hom)--sketch plans have just been submitted to the Urban Services Department. Assuming that an early approval is given, works on site should start around June 1971 and be completed in June 1972.
(iii) Morrison Hill--sketch plans and working drawings are being prepared. Works are anticipated to be completed in the latter half of 1971.
(iv) Chai Wan--this project is still in Category C of the Public Works Programme and subsequently forecast of the completion date of works cannot be provided.
The answer to the third part of the question is that besides those sites I have mentioned, there are at present no further sites specifically reserved for swimming pools in the urban area. However, they could be included in any areas of suitable size or shape zoned for open space or Government, Institutional or Community uses. In the older districts where insufficient Crown land is available for these purposes, efforts are being made to make good this deficiency by zoning land on adjoining reclamations for open space and G.I.C. uses as in the case in Wan Chai or by acquiring land as in the Urban Renewal District.
Lastly, I am informed that the Urban Services Department is at present preparing a paper on the provision of future swimming pools (other than those already in the Public Works Programme) which will be submitted to the Recreation and Amenities Select Committee for consideration in due course.
MR. SALES: -Mr. Chairman, I would like to thank the Director of Public Works for a most comprehensive reply. If my colleagues don't want to put supplementary questions, may I ask the next question in my name.
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(6) MR. A. de O. SALES asked the following question:
(a) May this Council know whether your Department has brought to the Government's attention the very unsatisfactory lifts at the City Hall High Block?
(b) Has the Government agreed to replace them?
(c) If so, when?
THE CHAIRMAN, URBAN COUNCIL, replied as follows:-
Mr. SALES is asking about the lifts at the City Hall High Block. In December 1965 the City Hall Select Committee recommended that consideration be given to replacing the existing lifts at the City Hall High Block with more efficient ones. This recommendation was forwarded to the Government Architect. His advice was that these lifts ran at 500 feet per minute, on what is apparently called a "grouped supervisory control", of present-day standards, and in his view they ought to give an efficient and satisfactory service. It was subsequently agreed that the best method of regulating the traffic during the peak hours would be to have an attendant positioned in the Foyer to direct passengers.
This was done, but the Select Committee was not satisfied with the result.
In 1967 the suggestion was made again of replacing the lifts with faster ones. The Government Building Services Engineer was invited to discuss the matter with the City Hall Select Committee. As a result Members agreed that a new zoning system should be introduced, restricting different lifts to particular floors only; that an additional central control station should be installed, so that the foyer attendant could hold or dispatch the lifts centrally without actually going into them; and that the possibility of installing one additional new lift be looked into if the improved control and zoning system was later found not to be effective, although it was clear that it could only be installed to serve the 1st to 11th floors (western style) and would not start from the ground floor.
The control and zoning system was installed in August 1968. As a result of this installation there was significant improvement in the service of the lift and therefore no further action has been taken towards wholesale replacement of these lifts. A careful record has been kept of every single occasion when any failure of any kind has occurred. The Department will present this information for the past 12 months in tabulated form for consideration.
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