Final plans for use Hiroshima’s former municipal baseball stadium site?
Here is a clip from an RCC News report on the Hiroshima city government’s plans for the site of the former Shimin Kyujyo Municipal Baseball Stadium.
What to do with the site of the Municipal Baseball stadium?
The Hiroshima city government has been considering what to do with site since early 2005, and today announced its final plans.
According to the plans, a public plaza will be built, a surrounding wooded area and an origami peace crane display hall. On the eastern side of the site near where SOGO department store is located will be a theater, next to which, it is planned the Chamber of Commerce building will be moved from its current location.
A reporter in the baseball stadium describes how the ground on which he is standing will become the plaza, and in the area under where the scoreboard is now located will be the origami peace crane hall.
Back to the stadium graphic: In response to calls from local citizen’s groups approximately a portion of the right outfield stands holding about 3000 seats will be preserved.
Reporter on the ground: Shows the right outfield stand to be preserved and says, while work proceeds on construction of the theater and other fun facilities, the infield stand will also remain. The design will ensure that the position of home plate and the baseball diamond are clear. The benches used by players will also be incorporated into the design.
Reporter shows the plans to passersby.
A middle aged man says, “It looks like a place everyone can enjoy and relax in. I think a plaza is a pretty good idea.”
A young woman says, “Rather than just a public plaza, I think it would be more popular if there were more fun things to do on the site.”
Another woman says, It’s in a great location and personally think something everyone can enjoy is great.”
Another man, “Personally I think it would be best preserved as it is, I’m sure that plenty of uses, such as High School baseball games could be found for it.”
Cuts to a city council committee meeting where they debate whether a city forest can pull in 1,500,000 people and whether a hall to display peace cranes is really necessary. LDP councilor Nakamoto Hiromu is shown saying that he doesn’t think Hiroshima residents want a little forest, peace crane hall and nice riverside area (I could personally do without the peace crane hall, but I wonder if the people he represents in Minami-ku really think that).
The Hiroshima-city government stress that they have had much input from the business community and that the plan is the fruit of years of careful consideration; appealing to councilors to bear in mind the potential for events in the plaza to inject energy into the city.
Head of the Hiroshima kaseika committee (which is overseeing the project), Hamamoto, says he does not wish to put off the finalization of the proposal any longer and says that there is opportunity for the views of councilors with doubts to be taken into account once we enter the new financial year with the budget approved.
The report the reiterates that although the city government seems prepared to take councilors’ views into account going forward, it is set on having the plans officially approved as planned this month. It concludes by saying that the money will come under the new 2009 budget and that work is not expected to begin until after autumn this year.
