Comment from one of our regular contributors:
At the annual meeting of the Subic Bay Chamber of Commerce on June 30, 2009, Armand Arreza announced that SBMA would shortly be soliciting bids from the three largest mall developers in the Philippines to build a shopping mall on the property now occupied by FSC and the Night Market.
This property is on the banks of the aptly named "Drainage Channel", between the the Main Gate and Rizal bridges. At low tide, the Drainage Channel is a malodorous, garbage strewn eyesore. It is difficult to imagine any developer wanting to build an upscale shopping center there, because shoppers would be repelled by the sight and smell.
This section of the Drainage Channel needs to be dredged to a depth so that the bottom will be covered with water even at low tide. Dredging this area will require a clamshell or a dragline dredge on a barge. Launching this equipment into the Channel from a location between the bridges would be impossible because of power lines at the water's edge.
Launching from the Centennial Park area would be feasible, however, and the impending removal of the Main Gate bridge in the course of its reconstruction would provide a window of opportunity for a barge, launched in the Centennial Park area, to be brought into, and dredge, the area between the two bridges. Once the Main Gate Bridge is rebuilt, however, the access of a barge launched from Centennial Park to this area would be blocked by the bridge, and this window of opportunity would be closed.
When a questioner pointed all this out, Mr. Arreza responded that the City of Olongapo was responsible for dredging the Drainage Channel, not SBMA.
In his talk, Mr Arreza described SBMA's plans to expand SBMA's activities beyond the geographical confines of the Freeport Zone, and in particular, to foster the "redevelopment of downtown Olongapo". However, it is difficult to imagine any investor wanting to participate in the redevelopment of downtown Olongapo when the principal geographical feature of the area is an open sewer.
If SBMA really wants to foster the redevelopment of downtown Olongapo, the first thing it should do is dredge the area between Main Gate bridge and Rizal bridges, and when Kalakan bridge is removed during the course of its reconstruction, dredge the "National Park" section of the Channel between the Bay and Rizal bridge.
Both the Main Gate and Kalakan bridges should be rebuilt in such a way that the center span could be lifted out by a crane operating a clamshell or dragline, allowing access for future dredging. The shores of either side of the Drainage Channel should be developed as parklands, with an exhibit describing the history of the Drainage Channel. Such a a park would foster the reconstruction of downtown Olongapo more than anything else SBMA could do.
[The Subic Bulletin] You are obviously more familiar with dredging than most of us, so we thank you for sharing this information because you are right that any redevelopment of downtown Olongapo must include a plan for the drainage channel. We do wonder if the reconstruction of the bridges will involve the removal of the current piers or just the addition of more piers. Would SBMA or the construction company care if there is a bunch of unused piers down there? In which case the channel would never be open to the movement of a barge?
We are just thinking about the nick names for our new mall.... SM Mega Smell?
At the annual meeting of the Subic Bay Chamber of Commerce on June 30, 2009, Armand Arreza announced that SBMA would shortly be soliciting bids from the three largest mall developers in the Philippines to build a shopping mall on the property now occupied by FSC and the Night Market.
This property is on the banks of the aptly named "Drainage Channel", between the the Main Gate and Rizal bridges. At low tide, the Drainage Channel is a malodorous, garbage strewn eyesore. It is difficult to imagine any developer wanting to build an upscale shopping center there, because shoppers would be repelled by the sight and smell.
This section of the Drainage Channel needs to be dredged to a depth so that the bottom will be covered with water even at low tide. Dredging this area will require a clamshell or a dragline dredge on a barge. Launching this equipment into the Channel from a location between the bridges would be impossible because of power lines at the water's edge.
Launching from the Centennial Park area would be feasible, however, and the impending removal of the Main Gate bridge in the course of its reconstruction would provide a window of opportunity for a barge, launched in the Centennial Park area, to be brought into, and dredge, the area between the two bridges. Once the Main Gate Bridge is rebuilt, however, the access of a barge launched from Centennial Park to this area would be blocked by the bridge, and this window of opportunity would be closed.
When a questioner pointed all this out, Mr. Arreza responded that the City of Olongapo was responsible for dredging the Drainage Channel, not SBMA.
In his talk, Mr Arreza described SBMA's plans to expand SBMA's activities beyond the geographical confines of the Freeport Zone, and in particular, to foster the "redevelopment of downtown Olongapo". However, it is difficult to imagine any investor wanting to participate in the redevelopment of downtown Olongapo when the principal geographical feature of the area is an open sewer.
If SBMA really wants to foster the redevelopment of downtown Olongapo, the first thing it should do is dredge the area between Main Gate bridge and Rizal bridges, and when Kalakan bridge is removed during the course of its reconstruction, dredge the "National Park" section of the Channel between the Bay and Rizal bridge.
Both the Main Gate and Kalakan bridges should be rebuilt in such a way that the center span could be lifted out by a crane operating a clamshell or dragline, allowing access for future dredging. The shores of either side of the Drainage Channel should be developed as parklands, with an exhibit describing the history of the Drainage Channel. Such a a park would foster the reconstruction of downtown Olongapo more than anything else SBMA could do.
[The Subic Bulletin] You are obviously more familiar with dredging than most of us, so we thank you for sharing this information because you are right that any redevelopment of downtown Olongapo must include a plan for the drainage channel. We do wonder if the reconstruction of the bridges will involve the removal of the current piers or just the addition of more piers. Would SBMA or the construction company care if there is a bunch of unused piers down there? In which case the channel would never be open to the movement of a barge?
We are just thinking about the nick names for our new mall.... SM Mega Smell?
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