(Translation) Minutes of the 2Nd Meeting of District Facilities

(Translation)

Minutes of the 2nd Meeting of District Facilities Management Committee the 6th Term Kwun Tong District Council

Date: 27 April 2020 (Monday) Time: 9:30 a.m. Venue: Conference Room, Kwun Tong District Office, Unit 05-07, 20/F Millennium City 6, 392 Kwun Tong Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon

Present Arrival Time Leaving Time Mr WONG Chi-ken (Chairman of the DFMC) 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Ms WONG Ka-ying (Vice-chairman of the DFMC) 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr BUX Sheik Anthony 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr CHAN Chris Ka-yin 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr CHAN Man-kin 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr CHAN Yik-shun Eason 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr CHAN Yiu-hung, Jimmy 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr CHENG Keng-ieong 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr CHEUNG Man-fung 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr CHEUNG Pui-kong 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Ms FU Pik-chun 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr FUNG Ka-lung 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr HSU Yau-wai 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr HUNG Chun-hin 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr IP Tsz-kit 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr KAN Ming-tung, MH 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr KUNG Chun-ki 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Ms LAI Po-kwai 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr LAM Wai 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr LEE Kwan-chak 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Ms LEUNG Jannelle Rosalynne 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr LEUNG Tang-fung 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Ms LEUNG Yik-ting Edith 9:45 a.m. 11:00 a.m. Mr LI Ka-tat 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr LI Wai-lam William 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m.

Ms LI Wing-shan 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr LUI Tung-hai, MH 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr MOK Kin-shing 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr NGAN Man-yu 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr OR Chong-shing Wilson, MH 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr PANG Chi-sang 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mrs POON YAM Wai-chun Winnie, BBS, MH 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr SO Koon-chung Kevin 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr TAM Siu-cheuk 10:45 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr TANG Wai-man Raymond 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Ms TSE Suk-chun 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr WAN Ka-him 10:00 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr WANG Wai-lun 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m. Mr WONG Kai-ming 9:30 a.m. 1:10 p.m.

In Attendance Job Title Mr TSE Ling-chun, Steve, JP District Officer (Kwun Tong) Mr WONG Sing-hung, Hansel Assistant District Officer (Kwun Tong)2 Mr KO Choar-que, Keith Acting Senior Executive Officer (District Council), Kwun Tong District Office Miss CHOW Tak-sum, Amy Senior Executive Officer (District Management), Kwun Tong District Office Mr CHAN Hoi-ming, Peter Senior Liaison Officer (3), Kwun Tong District Office Miss SHUM Tsz-fun, Iris Liaison Officer-in-charge (District Facilities), Kwun Tong District Office Mr CHENG Ngat, Cyrus Executive Officer I (District Management), Kwun Tong District Office Ms LUK Bik-yee, Miranda Executive Officer II (District Management), Kwun Tong District Office Ms LAI Mei-ling Chief Leisure Manager (Kowloon), Leisure and Cultural Services Department Ms TANG Wing-sze, Maria District Leisure Manager (Kwun Tong) Leisure and Cultural Services Department Ms LAW Wai-hing, Rean Deputy District Leisure Manager (District Support) Kwun Tong, Leisure and Cultural Services Department Ms YIP Wai-ting, Wendy Senior Liberian (Kwun Tong), Leisure and Cultural Services Department

Ms CHAN Lai-ching, Connie SEO (Planning)31, Leisure and Cultural Services Department Mr CHENG Chi-wing Inspector of Works (Kowloon)2, Home Affairs Department Mr LOK Hin-wai Assistant Inspector of Works (Kwun Tong), Home Affairs Department Mr Edwin LAW Architect (Works) 4, Home Affairs Department Mr Arthur CHENG Associate, Leigh & Orange Ltd. Ms Katherine MAK Assistant Project Designer, Leigh & Orange Ltd. Miss CHAN Ka-ying, Candy Executive Officer (District Council)(5), (Secretary) Kwun Tong District Office

Absent: Mr CHOY Chak-hung

Opening Remarks

The Chairman welcomed Members of the District Facilities Management Committee (DFMC) and government representatives to the meeting.

2. The Chairman reported that no notice of absence from Members had been received by the Secretariat before the meeting.

I. Confirmation of Minutes of Last Meeting

3. The minutes of the last meeting were confirmed.

II. Report on the Utilisation of Public Libraries of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) in Kwun Tong (KTDC DFMC paper No. 1/2020)

4. Ms Wendy YIP, Senior Liberian (Kwun Tong), Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), presented the paper.

5. Mr WONG Kai-ming said that the utilisation rates of both Shui Wo Street and Ngau Tau Kok Public Libraries were on the downward trend. He also pointed out that online booking service had been introduced in recent years but no information was mentioned in the paper. He hoped that the LCSD would provide such information for members’ reference for the purpose of understanding changes in the utilisation of public libraries.

6. In response, the LCSD said that other than Shui Wo Street and Ngau Tau Kok Public Libraries, the number of books hired out in public libraries of the whole territory appeared to be declining. On the contrary, there was an obvious on-going upward trend in the utilisation rates of online booking service. Since the paper mainly gave a report on the utilisation of public libraries in Kwun Tong while the utilisation rates of online booking service were territory-wide data, they were not presented in the paper.

7. Members noted the paper.

III. Report on the Management of the LCSD Facilities in Kwun Tong for August 2019 to February 2020 (KTDC DFMC paper No. 2/2020)

8. Ms Rean LAW from the LCSD presented the paper.

9. Members raised views and enquiries as follows:

9.1 Mr Chris CHAN noted that the outdoor and indoor pools of Kwun Tong Swimming Pool had been closed for maintenance from 1.11.2019 to 15.4.2020 and from 2.1.2020 to 21.2.2020 respectively. He considered that the overlapping maintenance dates had brought inconvenience to regular pool swimmers and suggested the LCSD separate the maintenance work of outdoor and indoor pools next year.

9.2 Ms FU Pik-chun mentioned the contract concerning cleaning and horticultural maintenance and said that the performance of the contractors was just average. She also reflected the views and worries of residents in the district concerning mosquito problems in the coming rainy season. It was hoped that the LCSD would enhance anti-mosquito measures in the parks at Sze Shun Area. As regards tree cutting, she asked the LCSD when the flower-bed at Lee On Road and the one outside Shun Lee Estate Sitting-out Area would be restored to pedestrian pavements.

9.3 Mr IP Tsz-kit said that he had expressed views on the arrangement of providing a public coaching area in Lam Tin Swimming Pool at the preliminary meeting. He later had also collected views from the swimmers at Lam Tin Swimming Pool and learned that residents were in general against the arrangement. The reason was that the measure would cause more congestion to the Pool and would easily give rise to conflicts between general swimmers and coaches. He hoped that the LCSD would carefully consider the arrangement.

9.4 Mr NGAN Man-yu hoped that the LCSD would present the results of the questionnaire survey on public coaching area in detail, e.g. the number of respondents in support of/against/remaining neutral. He also expressed conservation on the provision of public coaching areas at other swimming pools.

9.5 Mr KAN Ming-tung said that he had earlier expressed views on the arrangement of providing a public coaching area in Lam Tin Swimming Pool at the preliminary meeting. He hoped that the LCSD would shorten the implementation dates and collect views from swimmers. He also hoped that that the LCSD would give response to his suggestion.

9.6 Ms TSE Suk-chun noticed that number plates were tied to the trees inside the parks and those in the adjacent area. She asked if the LCSD would consider marking the names of the trees to educate the public on the issue of caring for trees.

9.7 Ms Rosalynne LEUNG drew attention to the long due maintenance for flower-beds at Yuet Wah Area near Yuet Wah Street footbridge and

hoped that the LCSD would closely monitor the work of the contractor. She pointed out that the plants at the flower-beds had already been dead in November 2019 and that she had repeatedly written to the LCSD for follow-up actions. However, no action had been taken until February that year. She enquired whether the LCSD would provide guidelines on the types of plants to be planted and the methods of maintenance to the contractor, and how the LCSD would monitor the maintenance of plants by the contractor.

9.8 Mr LEUNG Tang-fung relayed views on the performance of the cleaning contractor to the LCSD. He said that mosquito nuisance was evident at On Tak Road Playground due to the present rainy season. He also pointed out that since a smoking area had been put up in the middle of the Playground, morning exercisers and other facility users were affected. He hoped that the LCSD would review the location arrangement of the different facilities in the Playground and enhance the efficiency of work for facility maintenance and horticultural maintenance.

9.9 Mr PANG Chi-sang said that he had raised the issue on the horticultural management of Sam Ka Tsuen Playground, Yau Tong, to the Playground staff. The staff replied that the contractor would only take follow-up actions after repeated letters were sent to them. He opined that the management work carried out by the contractor was yet to be improved and also hoped that the LCSD would enhance the department’s work on horticultural maintenance.

9.10 Mr CHEUNG Man-fung said that dry branches were found to fall on the top of the pavilion in the park near Hiu Kwong Bus Stop in Hiu Kwong Street from time to time, thus affecting the facility users. He had written to the LCSD for follow-up actions and hoped that the LCSD would enhance cleaning and carry out regular inspections. Moreover, he mentioned that earlier on refuse had been found accumulated at the location near the park opposite Hiu Kwong Street Petrol Station, which had caused mosquito and insect problems. He had written to the LCSD to reflect the problems, but no immediate action had been taken. He hoped that the LCSD would enhance cleaning of the said location. In addition, as channel covers had been stolen from part of the site and rubber mats had been used as covers, it would easily gather stagnant

water around them and affect the overall appearance. He hoped that the LCSD would take follow-up actions to improve the site environment.

9.11 Mr Raymond TANG understood that most facilities were temporarily closed due to the present epidemic, but drinking fountains were still in use. As some members of the public would feed pigeons at Sau Ming Road Park and squirrels were found to appear there, he was concerned whether the bacterial content of the drinking fountains would be affected. He enquired about the maintenance of the drinking fountains and whether the water quality would be regularly tested. In addition, he knew that a new type of bug zappers had been installed at Sau Ming Road Park. Since it was Spring at present, he wished to know whether the new bug zappers had a data collecting function and whether there was any difference from the old type of bug zappers in terms of mosquito killing effectiveness. He also said that he had repeatedly suggested to the LCSD that it should avoid planting short and dense shrubs in the Park for the prevention of refuse accumulation. He hoped that the LCSD would accept his suggestion.

9.12 Mr HUNG Chun-hin expressed concern for the arrangement of providing a public coaching area in Kwun Tong Swimming Pool and pointed out that members had put forth different views at the preliminary meeting. He hoped that the LCSD would provide information on the latest arrangement.

9.13 Mr Eason CHAN said that he had informed the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) about the feeding of birds at Ping Tin Street Open Space and hoped that the LCSD would pay close attention to the matter with the FEHD. As for the Lam Tin Service Reservoir Playground project, members of the public had reported to him that a lot of building debris had been found to be disposed of near the Playground in recent months. He hoped that the LCSD would take follow-up actions. In addition, members had put forth views against the arrangement of providing a public coaching area in Lam Tin Swimming Pool at the preliminary meeting. He asked if the LCSD would continue to implement such arrangement while most members were against it.

9.14 Ms LI Wing-shan understood that greening work was being carried out at the roadside flower-beds along Ngau Tau Kok Road and Kwun Tong Road. Yet, she noticed that the flower-beds lacked cleaning, so she asked the LCSD about the daily management of the plants. She had also inspected the shrubs with the FEHD and considered that densely grown shrubs would easily give rise to mosquito and rat problems. She wished to know how the LCSD decided what kinds of plants were suitable to be grown and their impact on the environment. In addition, she noticed that certain trees were required to be transplanted due to the road works in the middle of Kwun Tong Road. However, those trees were not in healthy condition and she was worried that transplanting would aggravate the health condition of the plants. Thus, the question on the daily maintenance of plants was raised to the LCSD.

9.15 Mr LEE Kwan-chak asked about the definition of the average performance of contractors. He pointed out that the LCSD had removed 31 shrubs/arbors within two months and asked if the LCSD would replace the trees by a one to one compensation method. Moreover, he learned from an arborist that the present planting distance for arbors was 1m x 1m, but the roots of the trees would extend while the trees grew up. He hoped that the LCSD would respond to whether the present planting standard distance for trees was adequate for the growth of plants.

9.16 Mr Kevin SO said that the LCSD had promised that no trees would be removed before carrying out the works at Sau Nga Road Playground. However, it was found that the contractor had removed the trees during the implementation of works without informing the LCSD and the District Council (DC) Members of the respective district. He said that the LCSD did help stopping the contractor’s actions. The contractor of the Architectural Services Department (ASD) had later explained that the trees had been found to be damaged, so they had been removed. However, they had not informed the LCSD beforehand. He wished to know whether the 31 trees mentioned in the paper included those arbors removed from Sau Nga Road Playground, whether any compensation options and implementation dates were available, and the work progress and completion date of the Playground.

9.17 Mr FUNG Ka-lung enquired about the details on the general performance of contractors, their numbers, contract periods and whether contractors with unsatisfactory performance would be replaced. In addition, he mentioned that the maintenance and cleaning of flower-beds in the parks were unsatisfactory and wished to know about the frequency of cleaning and manpower arrangement.

9.18 Ms WONG Ka-ying said the maintenance period of the grass at the baseball field of Sai Tso Wan Recreation Ground was relatively long. Some members of the public had told her the implementation of grass maintenance work had given rise to noises and they were also concerned about the impact of emission. Moreover, she wished to know about the arrangement on the dealing with mosquito nuisance at the site.

9.19 The Chairman said that he had written repeatedly to the LCSD to enquire about the horticultural maintenance of plants. He also pointed out that parks were found everywhere in Kwun Tong and those located at remote areas lacked management. Contractors would only take follow-up actions after being urged repeatedly. He hoped that the LCSD would respond to the enquiry on rating criteria and asked how the department would deal with contractors whose performance was found to be consistently unsatisfactory.

10. The LCSD thanked Members for their views and replied as follows:

10.1 Performance of contractors: The duration of contacts for contractors in general lasted for 3 years. Under special circumstances, the duration of a contract would be shorter, e.g. the existing contract period for security service was 1 year and the LCSD would change the contractor on 1 May. The LCSD would assess the performance of contractors every month and every half a month. Rating criteria were divided into four grades. Whether a contractor had complied with the contract terms and the degree of compilation were allotted the highest percentages. The service quality of a contractor’s staff, the service quality of its management and follow-up actions taken by the contractor for non-compiling items were allotted 20%, 20% and 10% respectively. Staff would rate the contractors’ performance each month according to the rating criteria and take follow-up actions on the unsatisfactory aspects.

10.2 Horticulture maintenance:

10.2.1 The LCSD adopted an effectiveness-based contract system for horticulture maintenance. No stipulations on the designated staff establishment and office hours were made in the contract for each venue. Yet, the LCSD would give ratings in terms of effectiveness and take follow-up actions on service qualities. Any irregularities found would be put in record during inspection by the staff and they would request the contactor to follow up on the irregularities and give explanations. If no improvement could be seen, the LCSD would issue an advisory letter to the contractor. It would also issue default notices to them when conditions were found to be unsatisfactory and impose relevant penalties. That would affect the rating of the contractor in future government tenders. The LCSD would, after the present meeting, refer members’ views to the staff concerned for follow-up actions on those inadequacies.

10.2.2 The duty of cleaning flower-beds would depend on whether the LCSD had ownership of the land where the plants were located. If the LCSD were only responsible for plant maintenance, the FEHD would be responsible for the cleaning. The LCSD would choose to put up suitable types of plants in terms of environmental factors, as well as traffic and pedestrian flows. If the planting location would be in a place where traffic and pedestrian flows were frequent, the LCSD would pay attention to the height of plants to ensure that drivers’ views would not be blocked. The LCSD was aware that that if plants were too dense, it would easily give rise to the growth of mosquitos and insects, especially during the rainy season. Thus, the department would enhance the trimming of plants for air circulation and reduction of stagnant water. As for the enquiry on the flower-beds at Lee On Road, the LCSD revealed that the Highways Department (HD) was in course of following up on the matter on the removal of flower-beds. The LCSD would refer the issues of dry branches found in individual sites and tree trimming to the staff concerned to follow up on the matters with Members.

10.2.3 With regard to the transplanting of plants in the middle lane of Kwun Tong Road, if the works involved the removal of trees, it would be necessary to submit applications to the relevant department and

propose compensation options. The LCSD would also carry out the works in line with the project needs. If plants to be removed were shrubs that were not of a high value, consideration for their retention might not be given. As for the matter of tree removal, if there would be enough space in the location and suitable for continued planting of trees, the LCSD would arrange for substitute planting.

10.3 Arrangement for the provision of public coaching areas:

10.3.1 At the 5th Term Kwun Tong District Council, Members had agreed to conduct a questionnaire survey on the trial provision of a public coaching area in Kwun Tong Swimming Pool to better understand the effectiveness of such arrangement. Therefore, the LCSD had conducted a sampling survey from June to August 2019 during which the number of swimmers had been the highest, and 547 swimmers had successfully been interviewed at the Pool. The questionnaire had aimed to ask if the directions for the public coaching area had been clear, whether the measure adopted had been able to convey the message that coaching activities had to be conducted at the public coaching area, whether the measure adopted had been effective in achieving the purpose of separating and diverting, and whether the measure had been effective in reducing coachers’ coaching activities in the non-coaching area, so as to gauge the public’s views on the arrangement and their level of understanding. The questionnaire had contained multiple choices and open-ended questions for the interviewed swimmers to express their views. The results of the views collected through the questionnaire by the LCSD had in general been positive. Some members of the public had opined that the water depth of the teaching pool had been a bit shallow, the sunshine had been too strong as the coaching area had been located outdoors and that the LCSD could enhance publicity on the arrangement. The LCSD had made improvement on the coaching area in response to the above views, i.e. proposing to change the coaching area to a deeper water level and to a covered teaching pool, so that coaching activities could be carried out under all weather conditions.

10.3.2 With regard to Lam Tin Swimming Pool, the LCSD thanked Members for attending the preliminary meeting earlier on and actively reflected different views. The LCSD understood that some members

of the public were worried that the space of other swimming lanes would be reduced. The LCSD thus hoped that coachers and other swimmers could be effectively diverted under that arrangement to reduce the nuisance. The LCSD would also like to present the arrangement to Members for discussion at a meeting of the DFMC to collect Members’ views.

10.4 Maintenance of Kwun Tong Swimming Pool: Considering that June to August would be the peak swimming season and that September to October the peak period for athletic games, the scheduled maintenance dates for Kwun Tong Swimming Pool would normally match with the adjacent pools which provided warm water pools, including Kowloon Park Swimming Pool, Hammer Hill Road Leisure Pool, Tseung Kwan O Swimming Pool and Lam Tin Swimming Pool, to enable the public to enjoy warm water pools in different months. Therefore, the maintenance of outdoor pools would be conducted from April to November, and for the indoor pools from January to February in Kwun Tong District. During the above periods, Lam Tin Swimming Pool would remain open for public use.

10.5 Mosquito problems: The LCSD revealed that each year contractors would be hired to spray larvicidal oil on a regular basis before the rainy season or during the season when mosquito problems were more serious. The application of larvicidal oil had been arranged to be once per week in the year. The spraying of larvicidal oil would soon be conducted in most outdoor venues and the department would urge staff to remove stagnant water. If Members wished to know more about the arrangement of larvicidal oil spraying in their respective constituencies, the LCSD could provide information to them after the meeting. As for the enquiry on bug zappers, the LCSD would choose suitable ones according to the FEHD’s advice and the site environment. Information on the effectiveness of the bug zappers could be provided to members after the meeting.

10.6 Other enquiries

10.6.1 With regard to the enquiry on the number plates of trees, the LCSD said that those plates could possibly be tied on by engineering staff of other departments for the purpose of tree inspection. As for the

12 provision of tree name plates, there were relevant guidelines. The LCSD said that a feasibility study could be conducted, but it pointed out that it might not be desirable to put up too many name plates.

10.6.2 As for the enquiry on the locations of smoking zones, the LCSD replied that it would review and assess the provision of smoking zones at appropriate times. It would submit paper to seek members’ advice on the provision of smoking zones afterward.

10.6.3 With regard to the inspection and maintenance of drinking fountains at venues, the LCSD said that since all venues were still closed and drinking fountains had been covered to show that they were not in use, the staff would contact Members in due course to follow up on the locations of those drinking fountains that had not been covered. The LCSD would also arrange inspection of the drinking fountains before opening them for use again.

10.6.4 About the feeding of birds by members of the public, the LCSD said that staff would give advice if any bird feeding behaviour was found in the venue during their routine patrol, and would remove any bird feed and food in the location during the cleaning periods.

10.6.5 As for the building debris problem near Lam Tin Service Reservoir Playground, the LCSD would refer the issue to the ASD. The ASD would be requested to supervise the contractor to ensure that building debris was properly disposed of.

10.6.6 As for the enquiry on tree cutting at the slope of Sau Nga Road Playground, the LCSD said that the slope was under their management, but the trees on the slope were managed by the ASD. Thus, the list of trees being removed did not include the number of trees removed from the slope. The LCSD was in course of liaising with the ASD for compensation options and the ASD would arrange the replanting of trees according to the gradient of the slope as appropriate.

10.6.7 The LCSD had previously given a reply to Members’ enquiries, explaining to them that the issue of noises and emission at Sai Tso Wan Recreation Ground had arisen from the grass maintenance of the venue. The LCSD said that grass maintenance work would be conducted twice

each year, being once in the winter and once in the summer. Soil plowing/grass sucking procedures might be involved during the process, thus creating noises. The LCSD would keep in contact with the grass maintenance company and require that maintenance work should only be conducted within statutory hours (normally from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.). In view of residents’ complaints, the LCSD could consider arranging the grass maintenance work to be carried out in the afternoon and requesting the company to have the emission released to locations as far away from residences as possible.

11. Members raised follow-up views and enquiries as follows:

11.1 Mr LI Ka-tat asked whether any time requirement for handling complaint was specified in a contractor’s contract, or whether the contractor was required to finish refuse cleaning within a specified time. If there was no such a term in the existing contract, the LCSD could consider requiring a contactor to handle complaints received from the public or DC Members within a specified time in future contracts. He also reflected that Hong Ning Road Park lacked cleaning management. In addition, he considered that the problem of justice was involved in the coaching area arrangement as public swimmers’ space for swimming would be reduced. He suggested that the LCSD should formulate a uniform system to manage all swimmers. He also pointed out that the intention of the arrangement was positive, but it might contravene Section 5 of the Public Swimming Pools Regulation that no person would be allowed to teach swimming at public swimming pools. He opined that the LCSD had to consider whether the arrangement would affect other swimmers’ right of use and to introduce a charging measure to make the coaching area arrangement fairer.

11.2 Ms FU Pik-chun said that the HD had not yet provided information on the latest progress of the removal of flower-beds at the roadside of Lee On Road. Given the present rainy season in particular, she hoped that the HD could be contacted for follow-up actions on the unnecessary and disturbing roadside flower-beds, so as to restore the location to be a pedestrian pavement as early as possible.

12. Responses given by the LCSD on the follow-up enquires were as follows:

12.1 In response, the LCSD said that the department had always adopted the objective of promoting exercise for all by encouraging the public to learn swimming. The LCSD was aware of the needs of beginners in learning to swim, so coaching activities were allowed under the circumstances that no disturbance would be brought to other swimmers. As swimming coachers enjoyed the same right as other swimmers, no extra fees would be charged. The LCSD also pointed out that the intention of providing a coaching area was to effectively separate learners and swimmers to minimise disturbance.

12.2 As for the manpower arrangement of venue cleaning, the present practice was to arrange manpower according to the size of the venue, being with on-site cleaners and without on-site cleaners. For venues without on-site cleaners, staff would be deployed regularly to do cleaning at the venue. Unless refuse appeared late in the evening or after the cleaning service for the day had finished, contractors could normally clear the refuse within the same day. The LCSD said that if Members had views on the cleaning arrangement of individual venues, they could contact the LCSD for further follow-up actions.

12.3 Regarding the removal of flower-beds at Lee On Road, the LCSD said that the Transport Department (TD) had previously reported the progress at a meeting of the DFMC. It was suggested that the Secretariat contact the TD to follow up on the present situation. The LCSD also pointed out that other applications had to be made while removing the flower-beds, and the latest progress had to await the Secretariat’s further contact with the TD.

[Post-meeting note: the HD contacted Ms FU Pik-chun on 29 April. Upon receiving the TD’s proposal on removing the roadside flower-beds, the HD then started on-site investigation, as well as land and trees inspection. At present, the HD was seeking LCSD’s views on the removal of existing trees and substitute planting.]

13. Members raised follow-up views and enquiries as follows:

13.1 Ms WONG Ka-ying enquired whether the LCSD would require contractors to provide information on their equipment, such as acoustic reports and emission checking results when inviting tenders for venue maintenance. She suggested that if no information was available, contractors could be required to provide such information.

13.2 Mr CHEUNG Man-fung reflected public views, saying that the water of Kwun Tong Swimming Pool was found to be rather salty. He asked whether the LCSD had explicitly required swimmers to take a shower before entering the pool, as well as the frequency of water changing in the pool.

13.3 The Chairman hoped that the LCSD would give response to the enquiry on the distance of tree planting.

13.4 Mr PANG Chi-sang advised that the LCSD could launch the provision of the coaching area on a trial scheme basis. He pointed out that the reference value of results solely collected from the questionnaire survey was not great. He considered that the LCSD could provide information on the effectiveness of the implementation of the arrangement in other districts and related examples for Members’ reference.

13.5 Mrs Winnie POON said that the results of the questionnaire survey on the provision of a public coaching area in Kwun Tong Swimming Pool had depended on the targets being interviewed. She pointed out that the coaching area would only be applicable to non-peak periods, which had both advantages and disadvantages. She suggested that the effectiveness of the arrangement should be reviewed after being on trial for one year.

13.6 Mr IP Tsz-kit opined that it would not be feasible to compare Kwun Tong Swimming Pool with Lam Tin Swimming Pool as the latter was smaller in terms of its area and scale. He suggested the LCSD conducting a questionnaire survey on the provision of a coaching area after Lam Tin Swimming Pool was re-opened for public use to collect views from residents in Lam Tin district.

13.7 Mr KAN Ming-tung considered that if the LCSD was willing to conduct a questionnaire survey, it could report on that again at the Committee meeting when the epidemic was over, or circulate the results of the questionnaire survey to Members for reference. He expressed reservation on using examples in other districts as references for the scale of Lam Tin Swimming Pool was smaller and consideration should be given to the views of swimmers at Lam Tin Swimming Pool.

14. Responses given by the LCSD on the follow-up enquires were as follows:

14.1 At present, the contractor was responsible for the grass maintenance of Sai Tso Wan Recreation Ground. When inviting tenders, the LCSD would require the provision of information on the equipment to be used. If noises were emitted during the work process, the LCSD would make assessment according to the provisions of the existing Noise Control Ordinance and guidelines issued by the Environment Protection Department (EPD). Should Members wish to know more about the information on equipment, the LCSD could provide additional information in due course.

14.2 With regard to the water quality of Kwun Tong Swimming Pool, the LCSD said that a filter system was installed in the Pool, and regular water test would be conducted to ensure that the safety reading of the filter system was up to standard. In addition, salt was being used as an agent in the filter system. Whether that would make the water salty, the LCSD had to contact the relevant department for further understanding. Overhead shower bath and footbath were available at Kwun Tong Swimming Pool for swimmers’ cleaning purpose before entering the Pool. During the peak season for swimming, ambassadors for cleanliness would also be deployed to the pool foyer to remind the public to keep clean before entering the pool.

14.3 As for the distance standard of tree planting, the LCSD said that the relevant guidelines had been drawn up by the Tree Management Office and guidelines on tree maintenance had also been issued by the LCSD. At the time of planting trees, the LCSD would decide on the distance of planting with reference to environmental needs, the species of trees and the sizes of tree crowns.

14.4 The LCSD understood that members held different views on the arrangement of the public coaching area. The arrangement of the coaching area had already been put on trial at Kwun Tong Swimming Pool the previous year. The LCSD had made improvement to the location of the coaching area according to the effectiveness of the arrangement and public views, and hoped that Members would endorse the proposal in respect of Kwun Tong Swimming Pool. Should Members have reservation on the arrangement at Lam Tin Swimming Pool, consideration could be given to conducting the arrangement on a trial basis after the swimming season began and after a questionnaire survey was conducted before deciding on the actual implementation of the arrangement.

15. Members raised follow-up views and enquiries as follows:

15.1 Mr CHEUNG Man-fung asked whether the LCSD would cancel the arrangement if the results of the questionnaire survey indicated that the provision of a coaching area was undesirable.

15.2 Mr Kevin SO said that the LCSD’s response in respect of paragraph 7 of the paper could not alleviate members’ worries. He hoped that a formal questionnaire survey could be conducted and that details of the results could be provided to Members for reference. Since Lam Tin Swimming Pool was not yet open currently, he opined that the LCSD could leave the provision of a coaching area for discussion after the opening of the pool. He also suggested that the proposal stated at paragraph 10 of the paper should be endorsed first.

15.3 Mr LUI Tung-hai agreed that the measure carried both advantages and disadvantages and that the public opinions should be attended to. He suggested that the arrangement could be put on trial for one year after the opening of Lam Tin Swimming Pool and that a questionnaire survey could be conducted to collect the views of residents in Lam Tin Area.

15.4 Mr IP Tsz-kit enquired if the LCSD would conduct a questionnaire survey first before the implementation of the arrangement.

15.5 Mr Eason CHAN considered that there was not much meaning in conducting a questionnaire survey because the LCSD had failed to

provide any criteria and grounds for determining the positive and negative impacts of the proposal. He opined that clarification had to be made. Moreover, he said that examples in other districts were not desirable for reference and he did not agree that the questionnaire survey should be conducted only after the implementation of the arrangement. Since Lam Tin DC Members unanimously considered that Lam Tin Swimming Pool was too small, putting the arrangement on trial for one year would bring inconvenience to the public.

15.6 Ms Rosalynne LEUNG asked the LCSD in what ways the opinion collection letter had been designed, e.g. the interviewing targets and interviewing time. In view of the epidemic and the present closure of the swimming pool, she was concerned that if interviews were to be conducted, the reference value of the survey results would not be great. She also pointed out that the peak period for swimming would fall in June and July, and if the epidemic continued, how the LCSD would conduct the questionnaire survey. Therefore, she suggested that the LCSD should resolve members’ queries first before considering the implementation of the arrangement.

15.7 Mr LI Ka-tat suggested that paragraphs 7 and 10 be dealt with separately. He considered that Members would like to know more about the actual figures and grounds before deciding whether the arrangement of the coaching area could be endorsed as the actual situation of the pilot scheme on the provision of a coaching area in Kwun Tong Swimming Pool was not yet clearly reflected in the paper. Therefore, he suggested that the LCSD put the arrangement on trial at Lam Tin Swimming Pool first and then submit the results to the DFMC for thorough discussion.

15.8 Ms LI Wing-shan hoped that the LCSD would accommodate members’ views and alleviate their worries to enable them to discuss and decide on the proposal. She pointed out that swimmers of different levels were present at the pool. She queried how the LCSD could define those swimmers who had to carry out their activities in the coaching area and how the activities of the swimmers in that area could be regulated. According to her own experience, the space for swimming was genuinely found to be reduced upon the provision of the public coaching area at Kwun Tong Swimming Pool.

16. The LCSD thanked Members for actively speaking on the the arrangement of the coaching area. The department reiterated that the objective of providing a coaching area was to effectively manage the order of swimming pools with the minimum amount of resources to enable swimmers to enjoy swimming. The arrangement did not mean to eradicate coaching activities. In addition, before providing the coaching area, some members of the public had reflected to the LCSD that they had been disturbed by coaching activities. Therefore, the proposed arrangement intended to encourage coachers actively use the coaching area to minimise the impact on other swimmers. The LCSD also added that all questionnaire survey interviews had been conducted openly. If necessary, the LCSD could provide supplementary information at the next meeting.

17. The Chairman concluded as follows:

17.1 For the arrangement on the coaching area, the LCSD was suggested to communicate and exchange views with Members directly with a view to resolving their queries on the provision of a coaching area to make the implementation more smoothly.

17.2 For horticultural maintenance, since DC Members of the respective area and members of the public were more aware of the hygiene conditions and horticultural maintenance of the parks, the LCSD was suggested to widely accept different views on the rating criteria when making assessment on contractors.

17.3 The issue of roadside flower-beds was related to management, rights and responsibilities, and inadequate maintenance had also given rise to mosquito and rat problems. It was hoped that the Secretariat could contact the departments concerned in respect of the above issues.

17.4 Members were suggested to directly contact the LCSD for issues on tree maintenance and trimming so that resolutions could be thoroughly explored.

18. Members noted the paper and passed the suggestion under para. 10 in the paper.

IV. Report on the Utilisation of Community Halls/Community Centres in Kwun Tong (KTDC DFMC paper No. 3/2020)

19. Miss Iris SHUM, Liaison Officer-in-charge (District Facilities), Kwun Tong District Office (KTDO), presented the paper.

20. Members raised views and enquiries as follows:

20.1 Ms TSE Suk-chun said that venue applications for July to September had closed and enquired about the dates of the ballot exercise.

20.2 Ms WONG Ka-ying wished to know the reasons for the ongoing low usage rate of conference rooms in individual community halls. She suggested that the KTDO consider extend the usage of conference rooms to ensure the optimal use of resources. In addition, she mentioned that there had been a big increase in the number of cases of violation in the period from November 2019 to January 2020, compared to the number in the past, and asked for the reasons behind. She also said that owing to the previous social movements, some participants had been unable to join activities in the community halls. She hoped that the KTDO would give response to whether such a phenomenon had been prevalent and how the KTDO had dealt with the matter of deducting marks.

20.3 Mr WAN Ka-him reflected public views at the meeting, saying that the KTDO had been considered too hasty in announcing the news on the closure of halls and that participants had been unable to contact staff for enquiries on the hall service. People were worried that their marks would be deducted, thus affecting their future applications. It was hoped that the KTDO would make improvement to the way of giving notification to users so that they could be better prepared.

21. Responses given by the KTDO on Members’ enquires were as follows:

21.1 With regard to applications for community halls from July to September, the KTDO had accepted open applications from 1 April to 7 April, and the ballot exercise for the third season would be conducted on 29 April.

21.2 As for the usage rate of conference rooms, owing to the limitation in their sizes, those rooms were mainly used for holding meetings and activities with a smaller number of participants. Activities that could be held were mainly of a passive nature and the rooms might not be suitable for launching performances, thus the usage rates had all along been lower than those of auditoriums. There were no requirements and restrictions on activities to be conducted in conference rooms. The KTDO wished that the public could use the facilities for different activities. If applicants had the need to use conference rooms, it was believed that they would stand a better chance in the ballot exercise for those rooms. As for the cases of violation for the period from November 2019 to January 2020, it might be due to the reason that the time for organising activities could not match the venue booking dates and the organisers had failed to give notification of cancellation within 14 working days, thus violating the requirements. Upon submitting applications for venue bookings, the organisations had been reminded of the above requirement.

21.3 With regard to the temporary closure of community halls due to the epidemic, staff would proactively contact organisations to inform them of the arrangement. They would also point out that for the sake of protecting public health, failure to use the facilities due to the closure of halls would not be regarded as violating the requirement.

22. Members raised follow-up views and enquiries as follows:

22.1 Mr CHEUNG Pui-kong said that the date for the re-opening of Sau Mau Ping Community Centre was not yet available. He hoped that the KTDO would provide the date for the completion of works for the early use of facilities by the public.

22.2 Mr WAN Ka-him reflected that some organisations and members of the public did not receive notification on the cancellation of venue bookings from the KTDO’s staff. He was worried that those organisations and members of the public would consequently have their marks deducted and he enquired how the KTDO would deal with those cases.

23. Responses given by the KTDO on the follow-up enquires were as follows:

23.1 Sau Mau Ping Community Centre was scheduled to commence operation on 25 May and the ballot exercise scheduled for 29 April would also include applications for the bookings of Sau Mau Ping Community Centre. The paper only covered the usage rates for the period from November 2019 to January 2020 whereas the usage rate of Sau Mau Ping Community Centre would be included in the next seasonal report.

23.2 The KTDO said that staff would inform each organisation of the arrangement of the hall facilities under the epidemic. If any organisations or members of the public could not use the hall facilities without receiving any notification, they would not be regarded as violating the requirement either.

24. Members noted the paper.

V. Progress Report on Recreational and Cultural Works in Kwun Tong (KTDC DFMC paper No. 4/2020)

25. Ms Connie CHAN from the LCSD presented the paper and gave an account on the works progress.

26. Members raised views and enquiries as follows:

26.1 Ms WONG Ka-ying enquired about the works progress at Sai Tso Wan Recreation Ground.

26.2 Mr IP Tsz-kit asked for the details on the feasible beneficial uses and the necessary infrastructure of Lam Tin Park (Phase II) Development.

26.3 Mr CHENG Keng-ieong enquired about the actual timetable for conducting the research and study on Lam Tin Park (Phase II).

27. Responses given by the LCSD on Members’ enquires were as follows:

27.1 As for the Sai Tso Wan Recreation Ground project, the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Department (EMSD) had started requesting the Lands Department (LD) to identify another suitable piece of land for relocating the car park since June 2018. Moreover, staff of the EMSD had gone with the LD to a piece of land located at Sunny Bay for a site visit on 11 March 2020. Since that land was covered by a large amount of plants, if the car park was to be relocated there, more time would be required for preparation and the removal of trees. Considering that it would be very difficult to identify a piece of land exactly matching the requirement, the EMSD had submitted a formal application to the LD on 19 March 2020 for using the land at Sunny Bay as a site for relocation of the car park. As it would take time for application processing and there were numerous trees on the land needed to be handled, the EMSD was unable to provide an actual timetable at the current stage. The EMSD anticipated that a few more months would be required for the relocation works upon the approval of the application and the handling of the existing trees.

27.2 Regarding Lam Tin Park (Phase II) (located at Ma Yau Tong Central Landfill), the EPD had invited a non-profit making organisation to draw up a detailed proposal on the development of the podium of Ma Yau Tong Central Landfill under the Restored Landfill Revitalisation Funding Scheme (Batch I). After drawing up a detailed proposal on the project, the organisation had found that the estimation for the capital works of the project had exceeded its estimation stated in the initial application, as well as the funding ceiling of the Scheme. Therefore, the organisation had decided not to pursue any further with the project and given a formal notice to the EPD the previous year. The KTDO said that since the location was a restored landfill, it would be necessary to overcome various technical limitations and obstacles before any facilities could be developed there. The EPD was currently reviewing the feasible beneficial uses and the necessary infrastructure with reference to the state of the landfill with a view to formulating the most suitable and feasible beneficial uses.

28. Members noted the paper and works progress.

VI. District Minor Works Completed under the 5th Term of Kwun Tong District Council (KTDC DFMC paper No. 5/2020)

29. Members raised views and enquiries as follows:

29.1 Ms LAI Po-kwai asked for the details on the lighting improvement works at the table tennis zone of Ping Shek Playground.

29.2 Mr Raymond TANG enquired about details on the improvement works of facilities at the Sau Mau Ping Road Safety Town. He mentioned that the 10 wall paintings at On Tin Street, Sau Ming Road, Shun Lee Tsuen Road and Chun Wah Road were worn-out and asked whether the allocation had been used effectively.

29.3 Mr Eason CHAN noticed that inconsistency was found in the contents of the paper on presenting the LCSD projects and suggested that the LCSD should present their improvement projects in detail for the easy reference of Members. In addition, he suggested that the LCSD should use the word “improve” to replace “optimise” for consistency purpose.

30. Responses given by the LCSD on Members’ enquires were as follows:

30.1 The paper outlined the works of the 5th Term District Council in the past 4 years. The LCSD provided information on the improvement works of facilities at the Sau Mau Ping Road Safety Town at the meeting for the endorsement of the then DFMC Members. The relevant information could be provided to Members after the meeting.

30.2 As for the lighting improvement works at the table tennis zone of Ping Shek Playground, the works involved the redistribution of lamp watts at the table tennis zone. Site inspections had been conducted with the EMSD, the then DC Members and residents in the district to study the details. Since the table tennis zone was an outdoor facility, the lighting requirement would be different from that of indoor facilities.

30.3 The LCSD said that the paper outlined the record of works of the 5th Term District Council. The LCSD would take note of the Member’s advice on the use of words and would present details of the improvement projects in future.

31. The KTDO replied that as the paper outlined the works of the 5th Term District Council in the past 4 years, the 10 wall paintings at On Tin Street, Sau Ming Road, Shun Lee Tsuen Road and Chun Wah Road were actually projects completed at the end of 2017. As such, the colours of the paintings might have faded, making them not as bright as when they had first been repainted.

32. Members noted the paper.

VII. New Proposals on District Minor Works in Kwun Tong for 2020/21 (KTDC DFMC paper No. 6/2020)

33. Miss Amy CHOW from the KTDO presented the paper.

34. Members raised views and enquiries as follows:

34.1 Ms TSE Suk-chun said that one section of the Yau Tong Wilson Trail was under the purview of the KTDC. She enquired about the frequency of cleaning at that section and whether the KTDC would make coordination with the Sai Kung District Council. She reflected that many morning walkers said that the cleaning condition of the said location was not satisfactory, especially when a large quantity of debris was found accumulating near the rain shelter. She hoped that the KTDO would give response to the treatment of refuse.

34.2 Ms WONG Ka-ying enquired about the location of the flowerpots in respect of the KTDC’s maintenance of plants for floor flowerpots project, as well the justification for the estimated commitment. In addition, she asked for details on the drainage cleaning projects in Kwun Tong District, and the locations of the six green belts in Kwun Tong District which involved maintenance costs of the green belts.

34.3 Mr Chris CHAN asked whether the cleaning work of facilities and morning walk/hiking trails constructed by the KTDC would include rain

shelters in the district. He said that the roof covers of rain shelters lacked cleaning, leading to piling up of refuse and leaves there.

34.4 Mr LEE Kwan-chak enquired about the quantity of plants in the district and their growth condition in respect of the KTDC’s maintenance of plants for floor flowerpots project, as well as the original commitment for the additional drinking fountains at Yuet Wah Street Playground.

34.5 Mr Eason CHAN understood that the works project of additional drinking fountains at Yuet Wah Street Playground involved pipe laying works. He enquired about the number of drinking fountains to be covered under the commitment.

34.6 Mr Raymond TANG enquired about details on the maintenance of Lei Yue Mun Basketball Court, Sau Ming Road Sitting-out Area, Kai Yan Street Sitting-out Area and Wan Hon Street/Hip Wo Street Rest Garden.

35. The KTDO replied Members’ enquires as follows:

35.1 The cleaning work at Wilson Trail was conducted once per week, and the KTDO had also requested the contractor to remove the rubbish after cleaning.

35.2 At present, there were 177 floor flowerpots spreading in 12 areas. The current contract costs were $230,000.

35.3 Drainage cleaning was mainly carried out along Lei Yue Mun and Cha Kwo Ling to clear away the drain blockage on a regular basis.

35.4 The contract costs for cleaning facilities and morning walk/hiking trails constructed by the KTDC included the cleaning of rain shelters and other facilities under the KTDC.

36. Responses given by the LCSD on Members’ enquires were as follows:

36.1 The six green belts in Kwun Tong District had previously been built by the KTDO and handed over to the LCSD for management afterwards. The green belts were distributed in various streets of the district, e.g. the area outside Yue Man Shopping Mall and near Sin Fat Road.

36.2 As for the enquiry on the works project of additional drinking fountains at Yuet Wah Street Playground, the LCSD said that the reason for revising the commitment ceiling was that the EMSD had revised the contract for the provision of drinking fountains after the allocation had been approved. Under the new contract, there was an adjustment in the fees for providing drinking fountains. The LCSD said that there would normally be two drinking fountains, one of which catered for the use of disabled persons.

36.3 The maintenance costs for Lei Yue Mun Basketball Court, Sau Ming Road Sitting-out Area, Kai Yan Street Sitting-out Area and Wan Hon Street/Hip Wo Street Rest Garden covered the works completed previously with the allocation under the District Minor Works Programme, e.g. ground and fencing innovations had been conducted at Lei Yue Mun Basketball Court.

37. Members raised follow-up views and enquiries as follows:

37.1 Ms TSE Suk-chun enquired whether the works project of additional drinking fountains at Yuet Wah Street Playground would include any water tests and lead content tests.

37.2 Mr Raymond TANG asked whether the maintenance fees for Lei Yue Mun Basketball Court, Sau Ming Road Sitting-out Area, Kai Yan Street Sitting-out Area and Wan Hon Street/Hip Wo Street Rest Garden had been spent on the same type of maintenance work.

38. In response, the LCSD said that the maintenance fees for Lei Yue Mun Basketball Court, Sau Ming Road Sitting-out Area, Kai Yan Street Sitting-out Area and Wan Hon Street/Hip Wo Street Rest Garden were provided aggregately by the maintenance departments for conducting maintenance of different types of facilities. Besides, the above facilities had previously been completed with the allocation under the District Minor Works Programme. In addition, the relevant engineering department would follow up on the provision of drinking fountains and would only issue an approval letter after the water was certified to meet the required standard before they were put into service.

39. Members endorsed the paper.

VIII. Progress Report on District Minor Works (KTDC DFMC paper No. 7/2020)

40. Members raised views and enquiries as follows:

40.1 Mr LEE Kwan-chak said that commitment for the provision of a rain shelter adjacent to the minibus stop outside Tin Wan House of Shun Tin Estate at Shun On Road was higher than that of other rain shelter projects. She enquired about the reasons and details of the cost.

40.2 Mr CHENG Keng-ieong said that for the project of providing a rain shelter with seats at the location of the minibus stop of route no. 47 outside the Low Block of Tsui Nam House at Tsui Ping Estate, the LCSD had to further study on the location and design of the rain shelter as a number of underground pipelines had been found at the location. He enquired when the new design could be provided and reflected the residents’ view that the whole project had continued for more than one year already. He wished to know more about the detailed timetable.

40.3 Mr Eason CHAN said that the feasibility study on the provision of a rain shelter adjacent to the location of the minibus stop of route no. 76B at Kai Tin Road had been going on for a few months. He hoped that the LCSD would respond on the progress of the study.

40.4 Mr WAN Ka-him enquired about the details of the project on the provision of a community cultural gallery in the pedestrian subway from Choi Ying Estate to Choi Tak Estate. As for the project on the provision of covered seats outside St. Joseph’s Anglo-Chinese Primary School at Kwun Tong Road, the adjacent schools considered that the project would give rise to crowd gathering and thus it was opposed to the measure. Nevertheless, the crowd mainly consisted of persons who came to pick up children. He asked how the KTDO would deal with the project and how much the amount of commitment would be.

40.5 Mr NGAN Man-yu enquired about the progress of the project of additional lighting facilities at Jordan Valley Morning Walk Trail and said that a similar project at Chun Wah Road Morning Walk Trail was already underway.

40.6 Ms LAI Po-kwai said she had conducted site inspection with the LCSD in respect of the additional closed-circuit television system (CCTV system) works project at Ping Shek Playground. She understood that the project involved excavation and wire connection, thus a higher commitment amount was required. She hoped that the LCSD would provide a breakdown of the project cost for members’ reference.

40.7 Mr LUI Tung-hai said that the improvement works of facilities at Lei Yue Mun had been going on for a long time and hoped that the project could be completed as soon as possible. As regards the project on the provision of a rain shelter adjacent to the stop of minibus nos. 23B and 23C outside Cha Kwo Ling Village Sitting-out Area 3 near Cha Kwo Ling Road, and the project on the provision of a rain shelter adjacent to the stop of minibus nos. 23B and 23C opposite Tin Hau Temple at Cha Kwo Ling Road, he said that the relevant locations had been revised for a few times. If works were obstructed by underground pipelines, the KTDO could consider other feasible rain shelter designs so that residents could enjoy early use of the facilities.

40.8 Mr HSU Yau-wai enquired about the study progress of the projects on providing a rain shelter at the passing place at On Chui Street near the stop of minibus no. 89B and a rain shelter at the minibus stop outside Sin Tat House of On Tat Estate. He suggested if many underground pipelines had been found, consideration could be given to adjusting the construction locations.

40.9 Mr CHEUNG Man-fung enquired about details of the works project on the additional provision of electronic clocks at Sau Ming Road Park.

40.10 Ms WONG Ka-ying enquired about the state of the works project on the additional provision of a CCTV system at Laguna Park and asked if the project was shelved, how the commitment would be dealt with. In addition, she said that the feasibility study on the project of providing a rain shelter at the roundabout of Ko Chun Court next to the minibus stop and the feasibility study on the project of providing a rain shelter near the stop of minibus no. 76B at Kai Tin Road were the same in nature. She asked for the reason for the difference in the project costs. She also enquired about the progress of the feasibility study on the provision of a rain shelter near the stop of minibus no. 76B at Kai Tin Road.

40.11 Mr Raymond TANG enquired whether the electronic clocks to be installed at Sau Ming Road Park would be similar in style to that of the one at Shun Lee Tsuen Park. He further asked about the digging depth of the trial pit for the rain shelter and the foundation depth that would meet the safety factor requirement.

40.12 Mr KAN Ming-tung said that the provision of a rain shelter near the stop of minibus no. 76B at Kai Tin Road had been proposed in summer the previous year and that site inspection had been conducted. He enquired about details of the project.

40.13 Mr HUNG Chun-hin said that it was mentioned in the paper that the improvement works of the CCTV system at Kwun Tong Recreation Ground were scheduled for completion in May. He enquired about the details of works and the present works progress.

40.14 Mr TAM Siu-cheuk said that quite a few projects listed in the paper were at the planning stage. He hoped that the KTDO would give a detailed presentation on the state of the projects to enable Members to know whether individual projects were at the stage of inviting tenders or conducting professional designs by the relevant departments. He also said that he had conducted inspection with the adjacent schools in respect of the project on the provision of a community cultural gallery in the pedestrian subway from Choi Ying Estate to Choi Tak Estate. School representatives all wished that their students’ works could be exhibited at the cultural gallery. He suggested that the KTDO could present the state of the works in detail to enable Members to learn more about the actual progress.

41. Responses given by the KTDO on Members’ enquires were as follows:

41.1 Regarding the project of providing a rain shelter with seats at the stop of minibus no. 47 outside the Low Block of Tsui Nam House, Tsui Ping Estate, the KTDO said that as a number of underground pipelines had been found at the location, adopting a foundation design for the rain shelter might not be suitable. The KTDO would study on the ground mount design or consider adjusting the location and would contact the DC Member of the respective constituency to conduct an inspection again.

41.2 As for the progress of the feasibility study on the provision of a rain shelter near the stop of minibus no. 76B at Kai Tin Road, the KTDO said that the project was endorsed at the last meeting of the previous term of the DFMC and allocation had not yet been approved at that time. The KTDO explained that “works at the planning stage” meant the project was at the stage pending approval of allocation. Besides, if road works were involved in the project, it would be necessary for the KTDO to conduct initial consultations with the departments concerned, such as the TD and the HD. The KTDO also mentioned that some preliminary work, including designing layout plans, had to be done before any allocation was approved or relevant Members’ advice was sought before consulting any departments; and works had to commence within a specified time after allocation was approved.

41.3 Regarding the project on the provision of a community cultural gallery in the pedestrian subway from Choi Ying Estate to Choi Tak Estate, notice boards would be put up on two sides of the subway for the adjacent two schools to exhibit their students’ works and information. At present, the KTDO had initially designed three exhibition models and would consult the HD on the suitable structural style, as well as collecting views from the DC Member of the respective constituency.

41.4 As for the project on the provision of covered seats outside St. Joseph’s Anglo-Chinese Primary School at Kwun Tong Road, the KTDO had conducted site inspection with DC Members. Oppositions had been received from the adjacent schools after the proposal had been endorsed. The KTDO revealed that the entire project was at the early consultation stage, no money had been expended. It would discuss with Members of the DFMC again on solutions for the matter.

41.5 About the project of providing additional lighting facilities at Jordan Valley Morning Walk Trail, although it was similar to the Chun Wah Road Morning Walk Trail project, the total length of Jordan Valley Morning Walk Trail works was 390 metres while that of Chun Wah Road project was only 260 metres, thus the cost of the former was higher. Since the total commitment that could be borne by the last term KTDC had been tight, the KTDO had first submitted application for the lower cost project at Chun Wah Road Morning Walk Trail to

appoint a consultant to conduct the planning. At present, the consultant was waiting for CLP Power Hong Kong Limited’s reply on the electricity supply design options for the additional lighting facilities. The options could also provide references to Jordan Valley project.

41.6 As for the works project of improving facilities at Lei Yue Mun, the KTDO said that re-provisioning works of the letter box to be standing at Ma Pui Village was underway and would be completed as soon as possible.

41.7 As regards the projects on the provision of a rain shelter adjacent to the stop minibus no. 23B and 23C outside Cha Kwo Ling Village Sitting-out Area 3 near Cha Kwo Ling Road and the provision of a rain shelter adjacent to the stop of minibus no. 23B and 23C opposite Tin Hau Temple at Cha Kwo Ling Road, the KTDO had also found a number of underground pipelines at the two locations. The original proposed foundation design might not be feasible. It would be necessary to consider the ground-stand design or relocate the rain shelters. The KTDO said that ground mount design would take up a larger space of the road and it would not be suitable to apply to a site with a narrower road. As the works would have to be in line with the actual situation of the road, it would thus be necessary to conduct site inspections again with the DC Members concerned for follow-up purpose.

41.8 The KTDO had conducted site inspection with Members on the provision of a rain shelter at the minibus stop outside Sin Tat House, On Tat Estate. Though many pipelines had been found to distribute underground after making a trial pit and digging, the pipelines would not totally affect the location for building the foundation. Therefore, it would be possible to consider shortening the length of the rain shelter to cater for the onsite environment. As regards the project on the provision of a rain shelter at the passing place at On Chui Street near the stop of minibus no. 89B, the then proposed works had been building a rain shelter of about 10 metres in length. However, since there were numerous pipelines along the road, the foundation design might not be adoptable. It would be necessary to consider adjusting the design or location of the rain shelter. The KTDO would continue to liaise with the DC Member concerned to study the need of changing the design.

41.9 The cost of the feasibility study on the project of providing a rain shelter at the roundabout of Ko Chun Court next to the minibus stop included the study on making trial pit and digging for two rain shelters and the initial layout plan designs. Therefore, the cost of the feasibility study was higher than projects involving only one rain shelter.

42. Responses given by the Consultancy on Members’ enquires were as follows:

42.1 The commitment for the provision of a rain shelter adjacent to the minibus stop outside Tin Wan House of Shun Tin Estate at Shun On Road already included the feasibility study cost and the construction fee of the entire project. Thus, the cost was higher than that of the other project which only included feasibility study. Project costs and construction fees would be affected by sizes and numbers of rain shelters, as well as complexity of works subject to onsite environments, and the costs would be worked out with reference to market prices. Taking the above project as an example, the rain shelter was designed to be six metres in length with three pillars and there was also an adjacent slope which would increase the complexity of the works, thus the commitment amount for the project was higher.

42.2 With regard to the enquiry on the digging depth of the trial pit, the depth of digging would normally be around 1.2 metres to 1.5 metres. The consultant would make estimation of the underground pipelines and the digging depth according to the record drawings of the onsite environment, as well as paying a visit to the site facilities before the commencement of works. If pipelines were found during the process of digging, the depth of digging would be increased to explore the feasibility of building a foundation under the pipes. Therefore, the cost of individual projects would vary from one to another.

43. Responses given by the LCSD on Members’ enquires were as follows:

43.1 As for the works project of providing an additional CCTV system at Ping Shek Playground, the LCSD said that a breakdown of the cost of works could be provided to Members after the meeting.

43.2 The additional provision of electronic clocks at Sau Ming Road Park works project had been proposed in response to residents’ demand in the

district. Two electronic clocks would be installed at the public gallery of the soccer pitch and the outer wall of the building near the mid-section of the jogging trail respectively. The electronic clocks would display the date, time, and data on the temperature and humidity to enable users to get hold of the onsite climate information.

43.3 Regarding the works project of providing an additional CCTV system at Laguna Park, since requests for suspension of the works had been received from residents during the planning stage of the works, the LCSD had decided to leave the project for the new term of the DFMC to consult DC Members of the district on the needs of the residents and to conduct an in-depth consultation. After consultations, the LCSD had decided to shelve the project and the allocation would be returned to the KTDC.

43.4 As for the improvement works project on the CCTV system at Kwun Tong Playground, since the host computer of the original CCTV often suffered tripping, two new host computers had been substituted. Both the interface and operation of the system had been updated consequently.

44. The Chairman suggested that the relevant departments and Members communicate directly in respect of the works in the district so that timely discussion could be conducted for resolving problems concerning works in the district.

45. Members noted the paper.

IX. Proposals for the Work Outline of DFMC for 2020 to 2021 (KTDC DFMC paper No. 8/2020)

46. The Secretary presented the paper.

47. Members raised views and enquiries as follows:

47.1 Mr FUNG Ka-lung enquired about the work details on the “Promotion of Activities for Community Centres/Community Halls” and “Publicity Activities”.

47.2 Ms WONG Ka-ying asked whether the fund would be returned to the allocations for “District Minor Works” after shelving the CCTV system project at Laguna Park.

47.3 Mr CHEUNG Man-fung enquired about the progress of the works proposal previously submitted in respect of line painting for the minibus stops at Yue Man Square, Kwun Tong.

48. The Secretary replied that if the then Members of the DFMC in the year 2019-20 had proposed using the allocation for “Promotion of Activities for Community Centres/Community Halls” and “Publicity Activities”, the KTDO colleagues would have assisted in launching the activities. Yet, no such proposal had been received in the year 2019-20. In addition, the Secretariat had previously referred the works proposal in respect of line painting for the minibus stops at Yue Man Square, Kwun Tong, to the TD for consideration. Details were pending the TD’s reply.

49. The KTDO said that in the year 2019-20, the amount of allocation for “District Minor Works” received by the KTDC had been $19,581,000 and the total commitment amount for planned works should not exceed $58,743,000. The former had been the amount available for works to be borne by the KTDC in that financial year while the latter had been the cost ceiling for works to be committed by the KTDC for cross-year projects. The allocation for the CCTV system project at Laguna Park was a portion of the commitment. After shelving the project, the department responsible for the works would deduct the amount from the commitment to enable the KTDC to utilise it on other cross-year projects.

50. In respect of the works proposal for line painting at the minibus stops, the Chairman asked the Secretariat to follow up on the progress with the TD.

[Post-meeting note: upon consulting the department concerned, the Urban Renewal Authority arranged a contractor to refurbish the existing direction tapes for queuing at minibus stops on the pedestrian pavement of Yue Man Square in response to the earlier views on line painting of minibus stops raised by the Kwun Tong Development and Renewal Task Force.]

51. Members endorsed the paper.

X. Any Other Business

Provision of Additional Environmental Friendly Joss Paper Burners

52. Ms TSE Suk-chun said that the Yu Lan Festival would be held at Lei Yue Mun Road Playground in July every year. Since the venue was in the vicinity of residences, she hoped that the LCSD would implement the measure on requesting organisations to use environmental-friendly joss paper burners to minimise the impact on residents.

53. The Chairman said that discussion of the above item was completed and hoped that the LCSD would take note of Members’ views.

Extempore motion: making some of the KTDC’s notice boards open for the public to express their views and establishing a working group in this regard

54. The Chairman reported that an extempore motion had been received. The mover was Mr LI Ka-tat, and the seconders were Mr WANG Wai-lun, Mr Raymond TANG, Mr CHEUNG Man-fung, Mr Chris CHAN, Ms Rosalynne LEUNG, Mr FUNG Ka-lung, Ms LI Wing-shan, Mr Eason CHAN and Mr KUNG Chun-ki.

55. Mr LI Ka-tat presented the paper.

56. Members’ views on the motion were as follows:

56.1 Mr TAM Siu-cheuk said that the KTDC’s notice boards had all along been used for exhibiting the Council’s materials or anti-epidemic information. He queried whether it was suitable to make the KTDC’s notice boards open to public use. He hoped that the Chairman would first decide if the item in question should be put up for voting.

56.2 Mr Anthony BUX showed support for the motion and suggested opening all notice boards for public use.

56.3 Mr KAN Ming-tung enquired about the urgency of the extempore motion and queried whether it was in line with the procedure. He pointed out that members of the public had previously posted views in various places, which had led to arguments and conflicts. He was worried that it would easily give rise to conflicts if the notice boards were made open for expression of views.

56.4 Mr CHENG Keng-ieong showed support for the motion and considered that all the 49 notice boards could be made open for the purpose of expressing views. As for details on the implementation and contents, coordination could be made with the relevant departments and put up for discussion at meetings of the working group. Moreover, he did not agree that making the notice boards available for public use would easily give rise to conflicts and said that the public had expressed their views in a peaceful and orderly manner previously. Therefore, he expected that after making the notice boards open, members of the public with different stands could all express their views. He could not understand the views against making the notice boards open.

56.5 Mr HUNG Chun-hin supported the opening of notice boards to enable the Government to understand the public sentiment and allow the public to express their views to the Government. It would help the Government build an image of being willing to listen to public views. In addition, he considered that the reason for conflicts to arise in the past had been that no formal channel had been available for the public with different stands to peacefully express their views.

56.6 Mrs Winnie POON said that she had expressed views on the discussion procedure and enquired about the urgency of the present extempore motion. Moreover, she suggested that the motion should be formally put on the list of agenda items for discussion at the next meeting to be held on 14 May to allow departments concerned and Members adequate time to consider the terms of reference and details of the working group. Nevertheless, she understood that should the Chairman consider that the extempore motion an urgent issue, he could decide to deal with the matter at the meeting.

56.7 Mr CHEUNG Man-fung opined that the utilisation rates of the KTDC’s notice boards were low as only a small amount of information was displayed. He suggested that information on district consultations could be posted for public reference or used for collecting views to optimise the use of the notice board resources. Moreover, since DC Members might not be able to answer all the enquiries, notice boards could serve as a formal channel for the public to know more about the views on the district held by different individuals.

56.8 Mr FUNG Ka-lung supported the motion and considered that discussion on the details of the notice boards that could be opened for public use would be necessary. The measure would enable the public to get hold of information and express their views. Meanwhile, it would also allow the Government to gauge the public sentiment. In addition, he opined that the motion had urgency in view of the present social tension and the proposal made in the extempore motion would help ease the present atmosphere.

56.9 Mr LUI Tung-hai agreed that the Government should listen to public opinions. However, opening notice boards to collect views might not be feasible as the area of each board was limited, which might easily give rise to conflicts. In addition, he mentioned that there would be difficulties in terms of implementation, e.g. how different departments took reference from opinions on the boards and the arrangement of manpower. He also agreed that the notice boards were monotonous in contents and that the way of disseminating information could be improved. He suggested that opinions collection boxes be put up by the department in different districts.

56.10 Mr IP Tsz-kit understood some Members had worries that opening notice boards would give rise to social conflicts. Nevertheless, on the contrary, he considered that that method would promote connection and communication among residents, thus it would help resolving conflicts. Moreover, some members of the public had reflected that they were always unable to get in touch with DC Members, and thus opening notice boards would help Members learn about public enquiries.

56.11 Mr Eason CHAN said that the purpose of establishing district councils was to enable the Government to collect views at the district level. Therefore, District Offices (DOs) played an important role in districts. He reflected that the existing management of notice boards was not satisfactory. For example, the usage rate of the notice board near the bus stop at Lam Tin Service Reservoir Playground was low, resulting in a waste of the resource. In addition, the items being consulted at the KTDC meetings were often related directly to the livelihood of residents and district facilities, and thus public views had to be listened to in many aspects. However, no systematic channel had been available in the past for the public to express their views, and thus opening notice boards

would help the DC and DO play an important role in the district. He understood some members were worried about the problem of implementation and suggested that details of the proposal be handed over to the working group for discussion with reference to the practice of other public facilities to specify the rules of use. Moreover, he said that the motion had urgency as at present the public lacked channels to express their views, thus leading to the accumulation of social grievances. In addition, the issue of redeveloping Kwun Tong District would also require the collection of public opinions.

57. Responses given by the KTDO on Members’ views were as follows:

57.1 The provision of notice boards by the DC and the DO was meant to provide information on the DC and the district to residents, as well as disseminating information to the public, including the list of DC Members and their contact methods and information that deserved public attention such as the recent anti-epidemic news. In the past, there had been fewer channels for the Government to release news. it had probably been confined to the mass media or government posters. However, following the advances in times and the development of internet technology, the number of channels for the Government to disseminate information to the public had been increasing. The importance of notice boards might have been diluted. Taking the methods of contacting the DC Members as an example, apart from getting information of DC Members from notice boards, the public could now also obtain such information from the DC’s website. In addition, Members were also actively maintaining connection with the public at the district level, such as providing their own mobile phone numbers or contact methods through instant messaging apps. Therefore, most members of the public at present knew how to contact DC Members of the respective constituencies. Nevertheless, the KTDO was still willing to listen to Members’ views in respect of making improvement to the dissemination of information on the Government and the DC by means of the notice boards, and would agree to enhance the dissemination of information and conduct regular updating.

57.2 In view of the various problems arising from the posting of personal opinions or even political views on public facilities in different districts

during a certain period of time in the past, the KTDO had great reservation on the proposal of changing the purpose of the notice boards. Various problems were associated with the proposal, such as whether the information published would tally with the fact; and whether information on incitement to hatred, violation of personal privacy and untrue information would be found. There were also issues of manpower and resources in respect of managing the facilities, as well as whether using sticky notes to post information would tally with the modern trend of environmental protection pursuit. In fact, comparing to any time in the past of Hong Kong, today, the public had much more direct and diverse channels to express views to the Government. Those included examples like emails, the hotline 1823, opinions collection forms at government websites, or even making direct phone calls to government departments. In addition to the above official channels, the public could also express views to the Government through the media, phone-in programmes, district councils and DC members. From time to time, the media would report on individual cases for which the government departments had received a great number of complaints. That was adequate to prove the circumstances that members of the public at present lacked channels to express their views directly to the Government. Therefore, the KTDO would not agree with the saying that the public lacked channels to express their views directly to the Government.

58. The Chairman said that the next meeting of DFMC would be held on 14 May. Depending on the epidemic, it was unsure whether the meeting could be held as scheduled. Therefore, the Chairman agreed to let Members discuss the extempore motion at the present meeting and to enable the Government to have early knowledge of Members’ views. In addition, the Chairman enquired about the feasibility of forming the relevant working group and the opening of notice boards.

59. The KTDO said that it would be willing to listen to the DC’s views on government facilities, such as the ways of enhancing types of information to be posted on notice boards. As to whether changing the purpose of notice boards would be in the best interests of the public and practically feasible, the KTDO would examine the two issues very carefully.

60. Members raised other enquiries and views as follows:

60.1 Mr TAM Siu-cheuk reflected public views and said that the notice boards had limited space, if information of different categories were permitted to be posted, there would be a chance of leading to conflicts. He also pointed out that there would be difficulties in implementing the opening of notice boards and that resources would also be required for management. The District Minor Works Projects already included different types of works such as rain shelters, hiking trails and the LSD projects. Thus, he objected to the motion. Moreover, he suggested that the Chairman should consider whether it was necessary to deal with the motion at the meeting.

60.2 Mr CHENG Keng-ieong said that many young people and members of the public had been arrested for prosecution. He considered that there was urgency with the motion. As the original functions of the notice boards had declined, their functions could be updated through that motion. He opined that if refusing to open the notice boards was due to the hidden worry of leading to conflicts, it would require further discussion. He believed that if clear guidelines were provided to the Police and the FEHD to follow, it would help avoiding conflicts. He also understood the KTDO’s worries in relation to opening the notice boards to the public, and thus he suggested that the feasibility of implementation be discussed at the working group.

60.3 Mr WAN Ka-him considered that the issues of implementation and management could be discussed at the working group. As for the worry that the suggested measure would easily give rise to conflicts, he said that if the KTDC proactively opened notice boards for the public to express views and drew up rules, then conflicts could be minimised. Moreover, presently, many government departments had received complaints on the need to utilise resources to clear publications posted on public facilities. If the KTDC proactively opened the notice boards to allow the public designated locations to express their views, it would help ease the workload of other departments.

60.4 Mr HUNG Chun-hin said that manpower arrangement and other details after opening notice boards could be discussed at the working group. He considered that it would not be desirable for the department to reject

that channel of expressing views at the very start. In addition, the provision of public notice boards to allow the public to express different views would help alleviate conflicts. He considered that as a desirable and peaceful practice, that could also help save the Police’s manpower.

60.5 Mr LI Ka-tat believed that members of the public would generally agree that the more channels for expressing views to government departments, the better the circumstances. In view of notice boards losing their functions of the times, he suggested changing the boards to opinions collection channels. Details could be discussed at the working group. Rules could also be specified for the time of putting up posts, as well as the quantities and the ways of expression to avoid arguments. Opening notice boards would help the public return to rational discussion and would be in the best interests of the Government. He also pointed out that if the suggestion was rejected, it would give rise to even greater social conflicts on the contrary. Thus, it would be necessary to set up a channel for rational communication and form a working group for discussion.

61. The Chairman suggested taking a vote on the formation of a working group first so that interested Members could join it to discuss with the KTDO on the handling methods and practical contents of the notice boards.

62. The extempore motion was carried with 23 votes in favour, 10 votes against and 1 abstention.

XI. Date of Next Meeting

63. The next meeting was scheduled to be held on 14 May 2020 (Thursday).

64. There being no other business, the meeting was adjourned at 1:10 p.m.

The minutes of the meeting were confirmed on 14 May 2020.

Kwun Tong District Council Secretariat May 2020