**********************************************************
Residents of Southern District now have a new venue for exercise and self learning with the opening today (May 11) of Stanley Sports Centre and Stanley Public Library of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of Stanley Sports Centre and Stanley Public Library at the Stanley Municipal Services Building on Stanley Market Road, the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mr Thomas Chow, said the growing population in the district and its environs, now approaching 25,000, called for more cultural and recreational facilities. To meet the needs of the community, the department had developed, among other projects, the new sports centre and public library in the Stanley Municipal Services Building.
Other officiating guests of the opening ceremony were Director of Architectural Services Mr Yue Chi-hang and Chairman of Southern District Council Ms Mar Yuet-har.
Facilities provided in Stanley Sports Centre include a multi-purpose arena where users can play basketball, volleyball, football and badminton, a dance room, a table-tennis room, a children's play room, a multi-purpose activity room and a rooftop garden.
Stanley Sports Centre opens from 7am to 11pm daily. On every second and fourth Mondays of the month, the sports centre will be closed from 9am to 3pm for maintenance.
Stanley Public Library has an initial library stock of more than 50,000 items. It provides a wide range of library services for local residents. Facilities include an adult library, children's library, newspapers and periodicals section, extension activities room.
Apart from these facilities, there is a computer and information area in the library which consists of 10 computer workstations to access the Internet and two Internet Express Terminals. Other facilities include two multimedia workstations for children and four Online Public Access Catalogue terminals. There are 56 seats in the library.
For the convenience of readers, two self-charging terminals are installed in the library to reduce the need to queue up at the service counter to return and borrow books. A book-drop service outside the library is also available for readers to return borrowed items after closing hours.
Stanley Public Libraries opens from 10am to 7pm from Mondays to Wednesdays and on Fridays. It closes at 5pm on Saturdays and Sundays, 1pm on public holidays and closes all day on Thursdays.
Ends/Friday, May 11, 2007
Issued at HKT 17:15
NNNN
