Public works cmte addresses school safety, road obstruction, and drainage concerns

THE City Council committee on public works, chaired by Councilor Al Legaspi Sr., convened last Friday, September 12, to deliberate on several infrastructure-related concerns in the city.

The committee first tackled the case of a damaged building at Bugo National High School, which sustained visible cracks from a previous earthquake. The City Engineer’s Office reported that the building is unsafe and recommended repair and retrofitting.

However, the Department of Public Works and Highways 2nd District Engineering Office (DPWH – 2^nd DEO), through a letter and its representative, recommended demolition, stressing that the cracks are worsening and vibrations remain alarming, making retrofitting a high-risk option.

The City Engineer’s Office clarified that the Office of the Building Official (OBO) holds authority on such matters. A proposal for third-party evaluation was raised but deemed too costly by the Local School Board.

To resolve the issue, the committee agreed to seek a legal opinion from the City Legal Office and to summon the contractor for possible lapses in structural design.

The committee also took up a communication from DPWH 2nd District Engineer Jan Paolo Lisondra regarding a ramp structure extending onto the paved shoulder of a barangay road in Tablon, purportedly owned by Mets Logistics Inc.

With the commitment of Mets Logistics to cooperate, the committee resolved to conduct a site inspection to be led by the City Engineer’s Office with representatives from DPWH, Mets Logistics, and the Task Force Demolition.

The committee also addressed public concerns over the ongoing drainage construction along Villarin Street in Barangay Carmen.

A project engineer from DPWH 1st DEO reported that the project is nearing completion and the contractor has committed to finishing it before year-end.

Construction, however, was hampered by the presence of a Cagayan de Oro Water District (COWD) pipeline that overlapped with the drainage alignment.

It was noted that DPWH has set a deadline for the complete relocation of the water line. COWD has already started work, with only around 70 meters remaining. To expedite completion and resolve issues, the committee agreed to call a representative from COWD in the next meeting. (SPE/SP)