************************************************************
The Tung Chung Man Tung Road Sports Centre and Tung Chung Public Library of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), both housed in the Tung Chung Municipal Services Building, officially opened today (October 9). Residents of Tung Chung now have a new good place for exercise, leisure and self learning.
The Director of Leisure and Cultural Services, Mrs Betty Fung, along with the Director of Architectural Services, Mrs Marigold Lau, and the Chairman of the Islands District Council, Mr Lam Wai-keung, officiated at the opening ceremony for the sports centre and the public library.
Speaking at the ceremony, Mrs Fung said that with the rapid growth of the population in Tung Chung, there had been an increasing demand for community facilities. The LCSD had devoted considerable efforts to developing different types of leisure and cultural facilities in the Tung Chung district to meet their needs. The Tung Chung Man Tung Road Sports Centre and the Tung Chung Public Library, which commenced operation earlier this year, represented an important milestone in the provision of quality leisure and cultural services by the LCSD for the local residents.¡@She expected that with the opening of the Tung Chung Swimming Pool next year, they will be provided with more comprehensive leisure and cultural facilities.
Mrs Fung thanked the Architectural Services Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department as well as other government departments for their tremendous support for the project. She also expressed gratitude to the Islands District Council and other district organisations for their invaluable advice on the planning and building of the two facilities. She said the accomplishment of these two projects were the concerted efforts of the government and the local community, and looked forward to continued co-operation with the District Councils to improve the quality of life of local residents.
The Tung Chung Man Tung Road Sports Centre, occupying a total area of over 4,000 square metres, is located between the ground and second floors of the Tung Chung Municipal Services Building. It provides various sports and recreational facilities including a multi-purpose arena (which can be converted into two basketball courts, two volleyball courts or eight badminton courts), a table-tennis room, a children's play room, three multi-purpose activity rooms and a fitness room to cater for users of different ages and different interests. A wide range of recreational activities and training courses such as aerobic dance, children dance and fitness (multi-gym) are being organised regularly for public participation.
As a district library designed to serve a population of around 200,000, the Tung Chung Public Library is located on the ground and first floors of the building and occupies an area of about 2,700 square metres. It has a stock of more than 210,000 items. Apart from an adult library, a children's library, and a newspaper and periodicals section, it also features a students' study room, a multimedia library and a computer and information centre to meet the different needs of the residents. Among these facilities, the colourful and child-friendly children's library is designed under the theme "animal world", with furniture and decoration in different animal themes. It could certainly help boost young readers' interest in reading and learning.
In addition, self-charging terminals and express check-in service are provided in the library for use by readers. There are also a leisure reading area and a coffee corner for visitors to enjoy their reading in a relaxed and quiet atmosphere. Moreover Customer Service Ambassadors will be on site to introduce to readers the various library services and the operation of the electronic facilities.
To promote reading among the public, the library organises extension activities such as storytelling for children and book displays on a regular basis.
The Tung Chung Municipal Services Building, which houses the sports centre and the public library, is located at 39 Man Tung Road, Tung Chung, Lantau.
The opening hours of the sports centre are from 7am to 11pm daily. It will be temporarily closed for maintenance from 7am to 1pm on the first and third Mondays of the month.
The public library opens from 9am to 8pm on Tuesdays to Saturdays; from 9am to 5pm on Sundays and public holidays; and from noon to 8pm on Mondays.
Ends/Saturday, October 9, 2010
Issued at HKT 16:48
NNNN
