Mayor’s remarks:
1. Regarding the National Central Library Southern Branch and National Joint Archives Center and Taiwan Water Corporation Employee Training Complex
1. Last week, Premier Lin Chuan visited Tainan and declared that the Xinying Wengao Plot 11 at the intersection of Changrong Road and Sanxing Street in Xinying District will be the location of the National Central Library Southern Branch and National Joint Archives Center, and reviewed the actual site in person. Additionally, the Taiwan Water Corporation (TWC) Employee Training Complex will be located at the original site of the Xinying Water Purification Plant.
2. As Taiwan’s historical capital, Tainan is blessed with a rich cultural background. This was the reason why I included “Literary Tainan” as one of my ten flagship projects upon becoming mayor and actively promoted the provision of user-friendly reading areas by enhancing libraries in elementary and junior high schools, and revitalizing and renovating libraries in various administrative districts. Last year alone, book borrowing rates in Tainan ranked second in Taiwan with a total of 7.82 million books borrowed. This is equivalent to an average of 4.1 books borrowed per person, far exceeding the national average of three books per person and second only to the 4.5 books per person achieved by Taipei.
3. The National Central Library Southern Branch is to be located at Xinying Wengao Plot 11 and will occupy an area of 5.71 hectares. The library will directly connect to many important roads such as Changrong Road, Jiankang Road, and Jinhua Road, and is strategically located near the Xinying Interchange and Xinying Station to improve accessibility. The library will bolster the soft power of the area north of Zengwen River and serve as the final piece of the puzzle, establishing Tainan as a city with a distinguished literary reputation.
4. We hereby thank Premier Lin for placing great emphasis on this project. In addition to requiring the six-year construction project to be completed within a period of four years, proposals were also submitted to achieve the three major expectations of introducing novel technologies and digital applications, building an excellent reading environment and atmosphere, and incorporating local aesthetics to achieve higher acceptance by the people of Tainan.
5. One other project is the Taiwan Water Corporation Employee Training Complex. Many counties and cities have actively sought to locate this project within their regions. As Mayor, I would like to express my gratitude towards Premier Lin Chuan as well as Taiwan Water Corporation (TWC) Chairman Kuo Chun-ming. The Center will occupy an area of 4.1 hectares and will enjoy great traffic access being within 10-minutes walking distance of Xinying Station. To accelerate the successful completion of this project, I hereby request colleagues at the Public Works Bureau to provide full support for the approval and issuance of construction permits and building use licenses. This complex is expected to be an integral part of regional development and bolster the growth of the Greater Xinying area.
6. Since assuming the office of Mayor of Tainan, the guidelines of my administration have been to establish a strong foundation in the first term and achieve a substantial improvement in the second term. We have initiated a large number of infrastructure projects in the area north of Zengwen River in recent years, including flood controls and building new roads and transportation infrastructure in the residential area. A number of citizens may be unaware of these construction projects, but the establishment of the National Central Library Southern Branch and National Joint Archives Center and the Taiwan Water Corporation Employee Training Complex in Xinying marks significant and visible progress to people living in the Greater Xinying area and will dispel their fears of marginalization.
2. Regarding a new milestone for the photovoltaic industry of Tainan City
1. AU Optronics Corp.’s photovoltaic (PV) power station, a solar power station with the largest capacity in Tainan, has formally begun operations. We thank AUO for their investment in Tainan. This power station is also a new milestone for the PV industry of Tainan City as it is only the second privately-owned PV power station to receive legal operating permits after Daju Electric Co. (大聚電業), a subsidiary of Taya Group, established a PV power station last year.
2. The AUO PV Power Station in Tainan has a contracted power capacity of 17.1 MW. According to regulations, AUO was obliged to establish a PV power system with a minimum capacity of 1.71 MW. However, the new AUO power station offers a capacity of 3.87 MW that far exceeds this limit. We hereby express our thanks to AUO for their support of the Solar City of Tainan project and Tainan Low-Carbon City policies. The new station can be regarded as a leading benchmark for corporate investment in green industries in Tainan.
3. Tainan City has many advantages, including abundant sunshine and the hosting of a comprehensive PV industry cluster. After the merger of Tainan County and Tainan City to form the Tainan Special Municipality, the Tainan City Government has actively promoted the Tainan Low-Carbon City and Solar City of Tainan projects as a goal for urban development. After assuming office, I declared my first year to be the first low-carbon year of Tainan City. Our efforts also won recognition from the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) when it reviewed and approved Tainan as southern Taiwan’s demonstration model for a low-carbon city. The Tainan City Self-Government Ordinance for Low Carbon City is stipulated in 2012 to promote low carbon policies from various aspects. The goal of the Solar City of Tainan project is to attain an annual power generation output equivalent to the 220 MW of the Zengwen hydroelectric power station by 2018. Through the concerted efforts of the Tainan City Government team, this goal was achieved two years ahead of schedule in November 2016. We hereby thank Director-general Fang and the colleagues of the Economic Development Bureau for their hard work.
4. Also, to support the two-year PV implementation project of the central government, we have continued to pursue a rooftop PV power station project and created a two-year plan for further expanding PV power generation in Tainan City. We shall promote the establishment of special PV sites on salt-producing land, floating PV systems on retention basins, PV systems for landfills, and green energy facilities on non-arable land. Non-arable lands subject to land subsidence in seven sites across Yanshui, Beimen, and Xuejia districts with a total area of 215.42 hectares will also be announced by the Council of Agriculture by the end of February. These lands will be open to private enterprises to build PV power-generating stations. The goal is to achieve a power-generating capacity equivalent to the Zengwen hydroelectric power station within two years. We hereby thank all major businesses and enterprises in Tainan City for their support, and we are confident that our joint efforts will allow us to attain our goals.
Reports
1. Implementation of Restroom Enhancement Project in Elementary and Junior High Schools, report presented by the Education Bureau. (refer to written sources for details).
Resolution: Approved for reference filing.
Mayor’s comments:
(1) We thank Principal Cheng as well as the teachers and students of Tainan Municipal Chang-an Elementary School for creating the video and making the best possible use of city government funding. To improve the quality of restrooms in elementary and junior high schools, the Education Bureau initiated a pilot project for renovating restrooms on campuses, refurbishing a total of 28 restrooms in 18 schools from 2014 to 2015. In 2016, the restroom enhancement project was further expanded to renovate and revamp 444 restrooms across 127 campuses, delivering a total makeover that provides students, teachers, and citizens with brand-new restroom facilities.
(2) Prior to implementing the renovations, the Education Bureau also organized special seminars that provided key specifications and details of design guidelines for the restrooms. The contents include advantageous features and a means to exclude common defects seen in older restrooms with the aim of enhancing the convenience and comfort of campus restrooms. Unlike traditional setups, the renovated restrooms provide well-ventilated, bright, and easily cleaned environments. Layouts, pipeline installations, and energy saving and safety features have all been integrated into the new restroom designs to make them more user-friendly and welcoming. Teachers, students, and fellow citizens alike appreciate the safe and hygienic restroom areas that make them feel right at home. I hereby express my approval and support for the dedicated efforts of the Education Bureau in the enhancement of campus environments.
(3) Restroom culture is an aspect of aesthetic education that not only beautifies the campus but also helps build a friendly and comfortable atmosphere for the entire school. Restroom renovation has been included within relevant school courses to help teachers and students better understand renovation principles, appreciate the details of the planning and design processes, and improve awareness of restroom etiquette. The inclusion of restroom culture in curricula can thus be considered as a practical means for pursuing environmental, aesthetic, and moral education.
(4) Following the recommendations of the Secretary-general, the Tainan City Government also carried out efforts to improve the quality of the facilities provided in school libraries. Such efforts have achieved astounding results. I, therefore, request the Education Bureau to use video and social media to promote awareness of schools that have carried out these two administrative measures and achieved great results. I believe this will allow us to secure recognition from both the general public and school alumni alike. Deputy Mayor Wu also recommended combining projects with the failure of the opening of tenders into a single subcontracting tender to facilitate the tendering process and reduce expenses. I hereby request the Education Bureau to follow this advice.
2. Revolutionizing Police Administration - Policing Excellence in Tainan report presented by the Police Bureau (refer to written sources for details.)
Resolution: Approved for reference filing.
Mayor’s comments:
(1) I hereby express my gratitude to Commissioner Huang and every colleague in the Police Bureau for their dedication and commitment to security and traffic control of Tainan City as well as duties executed in support of other bureaus and departments. Despite having only arrived in Tainan for a short period of seven months, Commissioner Huang has stayed true to his personal commitment of zero suppression of reported cases and enforcing scientific police investigation while maintaining a simple lifestyle and treating the public as his own family. Commissioner Huang has also proposed many innovative measures. The first is to tackle criminals strategically by attacking their organizations and finances. The second is to establish community-based policing. The third is to establish a scientific investigation unit that has already made substantial progress. The fourth and final measure is the Treat the Public like a Family - Police Angel Project that aims to raise public awareness of the image of justice and crime-fighting efforts that our police force represents. According to the public security satisfaction survey conducted by the National Police Agency, Tainan City ranks first place out of the six municipalities of Taiwan as well as first place in terms of service satisfaction. These are achievements that deserve recognition. I hereby encourage the City's Police Bureau to keep up the good work.
(2) In addition to cybercrime, the average age of people addicted to narcotics is becoming younger. These harmful substances are also being released in novel forms with appearances that bear a remarkable resemblance to common goods, making it difficult for the public to tell the difference. I, therefore, ask the Police Bureau to increase their efforts in stamping out drug-related crime and adopt the drug-fighting principle of identifying the source while eradicating vendors. Illegal drugs must be completely removed from campuses and kept out of Tainan to prevent them affecting our schools and the city overall.