Department of Sports, Taipei City Government

Taipei City Mayor Ko Wen-Je attended the elevation installation contract signing ceremony at the Jiantan Resettlement Community (Phase 2) on January 8. He commented that as far as Taipei City is concerned, the most ideal solutions are urban regeneration projects, but frankly it is extremely difficult to renew old apartment buildings; when it comes to determining a location to install an elevator, it is a daunting challenge to reach a consensus because there is simply no more space. Sometimes implementing change can be a frustrating process.

Ko said that he believes everyone is aware of the complexities of elevator installation; since the community does not have a homeowners’ association, one must first be established, and collecting a sufficient number of homeowners’ seals is in itself another major undertaking. Next up is the application process followed by the sharing of cost. Ko asked Deputy Mayor Peng to come up with ways to raise money, a task that was eventually accomplished after much work.

He explained that some areas of Taipei City are considered medically-isolated areas; some people may question how Taipei can have medically-isolated areas with 10 medical centers in Taipei City and New Taipei City (8 in Taipei City and 2 in New Taipei City).

The mayor went on to say that his father-in-law required dialysis during the latter stages of his life. Living on the fourth floor in a building with no elevators, he was almost imprisoned at home and confined to his bed because he was unable to walk. Recently, Ko realized that 20% of senior citizens 65 years of age or older experience difficulties in walking, and 10% of them find it inconvenient to talk; for these people, going to different floors without an elevator presents a huge problem. Those living on the second floor may be able to get by without an elevator, but people on the fourth or fifth floor will find it almost impossible to reach other floors, hence this problem must be solved.

Lastly, he thanked everyone involved for making the project possible. The success of the initiative is attributed to many people, so he especially expressed his gratitude to City Councilor Yang Ching-Yu for his support. Ko mocked himself by saying that since he has been questioned by the city councilor during numerous interpellation sessions, he had no choice but to figure out a way to resolve the problem. Ko’s humor caused the audience to break out in laughter. He encouraged the homeowners’ association to clean up the basement and generate some revenue to pay for the elevator’s maintenance, and he also hopes that the project will be successfully completed in advance so that the residents may use the elevator as soon as possible.