RM8 mln set aside upgrade Permai Lake Garden

(Front, from second right) Tiong, Clarence, Wong, Jenny, Ling and others posing for a photo-call after the tree-planting session.

SIBU (Sept 25): A total of RM8 million in government funding would be utilised to upgrade the popular Permai Lake Garden here over the next three years, said Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) chairman Clarence Ting.

He said from this total, RM3 million would be spent this year on improving the footpaths at the park.

“First and foremost, we have to improve the footpath as majority of the activities here involve people exercising,” he told reporters after officiating at a tree-planting campaign in Permai Lake Garden yesterday.

On the project, he said there would be a lot of changes.

“The essential thing remains – that we are going to keep it as a park for people to come and enjoy.”

Under the plan, the improvements would include a children’s ‘Science Park’, a land covering 29.5 acres next to the park, extension of footpaths and creation of more parking bays.

According to him, the current parking bays would be converted into a square for members of the public carry out their activities.

On the tree-planting programme yesterday, Clarence said it was a part of the ‘Love Earth Day’ event.

“It is an environmental programme. This time, we are planting trees to improve Permai Lake Garden,” he said.

On a related matter, the SMC chairman said that the type of trees planted must suit the soil conditions.

“I told our (SMC) landscape architect for those areas that are wet, the type of trees to be planted should grow well in such wet areas.”

Meanwhile, the campaign’s organising chairman Councillor Ling Hua Wei said tree-planting project was under SMC’s Love Earth Day 2022 series for this year.

“As we mentioned during our launch in April this year, we want to make our Love Earth Day (programme) different, which is continuously (run) throughout until the year-end.”

Ling said the target this year would be to plant 100 trees and so far, the team had planted 72 trees.

“We are eyeing to achieve 100 trees before the end of this year,” said Ling.

Among those present were Wong Leong Hua who is the Mayor of West Chester in Ohio, US; SMC’s Public Health, Environment and Municipal Services Standing Committee vice-chairperson Jenny Ting, acting secretary Yong Ing Chu and Councillor Raymond Tiong.