THE Baguio City government is currently mulling over the possibility of demolishing part of the Athletic Bowl to give way for parking space in the city.
According to City Administrator Bonifacio Dela Peña, the city is intending to demolish the wooden bleachers on the left-hand side of the Athletic Bowl’s entrance so that the space can be used instead for parking.
He said that the city is shooting for a parking facility that can accommodate a targeted 80 cars at maximum capacity to provide parking for the city’s vehicles, a long-standing problem that the city has yet to fully address.
The parking facility, he added, will also be a source of income for the city in the form of parking fees for patrons.
The plan to put up parking space in the Athletic Bowl is the latest among several attempts to create parking spaces in significant places in the city.
Last year, the city government also pushed forward plans to create parking spaces in Burnham Park and Wright Park, both of which have drawn criticism from the public.
“The opposition against this proposal is widespread and clearly valid. More than its adverse effects on the park’s heritage value and – on a broader level – the city’s environment, we see no good reason as to why a multi-level parking structure should be built in the park especially in this pandemic,” Tongtongan Ti Umili – Cordillera Peoples’ Alliance (TTU-CPA) said previously on the planned parking spaces.
