Penampang to have new District Office building
KOTA KINABALU:
A RM9.8 million new Penampang District Office building to accommodate more than 100 workers will be built to replace the one which is already 33 years old. The ground breaking ceremony for the new building site was yesterday officiated by Assistant Information Technology and Resource Development Minister Donald Peter Mojuntin who represented Local Government and Housing Minister Datuk Haji Hajiji Haji Mohd Noor. Speaking at the event, Mojuntin said that the plan to build a new office was proposed in 1995 which was included in the Ninth Malaysia Plan as the old building was no longer safe for use. “Because of the worst condition of the building, the Local Government and Housing Ministry had approved the proposal to build the new office in December 2007 since the Penampang District Council can afford to pay for the costs,” he said. Penampang District Council Chairman William Sampil said that the cost to build the new four-storey building was RM6.9 million. “The new building will be used by one third of the 383 workers of the Council. “The existing building cannot accommodate all the workers where some 50 workers from the Enforcement Division have to use the rest house at the back of the hall as their office while the workers at the Evaluation Division and Poverty Eradication in Town Division have to use the empty spaces in the hall as their office,” he said. According to Sampil, the costs for the new building will be RM9.825 million where the amount will be used to .build the office and another RM600,000 will be donated to Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd, Telekom and Water Department. Sampil added that the new building is expected to be completed in 18 months. Also present at the ceremony were Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tan Sri Bernard Giluk Dompok, Deputy Chief Minister cum Food Industry and Agriculture Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Yahya Hussin, Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Edward Khoo and Assistant Local Government and Housing Minister Edward Yong Oui Fah.
