Tampines News Oct Nov 2008

Our fun fright-fest

The big picture on

for Halloween at the Tampines North CC.

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Our Round Market was voted one of the best food centres!

energy saving.

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We discussed everything from Math to Matchmaking at the recent Town Hall Forum.

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2008

Tampines Town Council funds managed prudently Finances remain healthy, and our estate maintenance and improvement projects are unaffected.

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he media has reported on the investment of town councils’ funds in troubled structured products. To ease residents’ anxiety on this issue, Mr Ong Kian Min, MP for Tampines GRC and Chairman of Tampines Town Council (TTC) provides the answers to your concerns.

What are the Service and Conservancy Charges (S&CC) paid by residents used for?

and not fund management. Hence we appointed three professional and reputable fund management companies with good track records to separately manage a portion of our funds, each with instructions to take a low risk approach in investing our funds.

How much of the Council's fund was invested? Tampines Town Council currently has total funds of about $62 million. The major portion of the fund is placed with the banks as fixed deposits. About $22 million are invested through reputable and experienced fund managers.

About 65 to 70% of the S&CC paid by residents in the year are used for the day-to-day maintenance of our estates such as cleaning, utilities, general building repairs and landscaping. Under the law, the Town Council has to set aside 30 to 35% (depending on the room-type) of the S&CC in a sinking fund for longterm expenditure.

How much of the investment has been lost?

When will the sinking fund be used?

No. The regular maintenance works and services will carry on as scheduled as they are funded through the S&CC collected during the current year. There will not be any disruption to our services or work plan.

The sinking fund is meant for long-term expenditures like major repairs to lifts and water pumps, replacement of electrical wiring and water pipes, reroofing and re-painting of our HDB blocks. These major upgrading and repair works are planned well ahead based on the age of the flats and the expenses are well provided for in advance.

Why does the Town Council need to invest its sinking fund?

As the sinking fund is not required for immediate use, TTC can choose to place the money in fixed deposits or invest it. If the funds are merely placed in fixed deposits, the interest earned is very low, and not enough to offset rising costs due to inflation. If we choose to invest the fund, we can get a better return, but this involves some risk. Hence TTC decided to take a risk mitigated approach by placing about 65% of the fund in fixed deposits and investing the remaining 35% for better returns.

What safeguards are being taken to ensure that the funds will not be depleted through risky investments?

We do not invest our funds directly as our expertise is in estate management

We understand from one of the fund managers that they have invested $250,000 in bonds that are issued / guaranteed by Lehman Brothers. This amount accounts for less than 0.4% of our total funds.

Will the regular maintenance work, such as cleaning, be affected?

Will the Council increase the S&CC to make up for any losses in the investment?

There is no need to increase the S&CC because of any loss in our investments. As at October 08, our returns are positive since the start of our investments, with a net gain of $2.4 million. The gradual draw down of our sinking fund is due to the upgrading and maintenance of our mature estate, which is more than 20 years old.

We will be holding a town hall forum soon and will be able to answer any other questions you may have. At the forum, we will also seek residents’ feedback on the approach taken in investing Town Council funds.

Some of the Town Council funds go to support Lift Upgrading Programmes. Our picture on the right shows Block 907 Tampines Avenue 4 where work on an LUP is nearly complete!

Town Council Funds for FY07/08

Composition of Town Council Funds for FY 07/08

Sinking Fund 89.6% ($62,131,538)

Fixed Deposit 54.1% ( $37,508,988)

Accumulated Surplus 2.6% ($1,817,283)

Funds with Fund Managers 32.5% ( $22,570,233)

Town Improvement Fund 7.7% ($5,337,269)

Working Capital 13.1% ($9,094,327)

Interim Upgrading Programme Fund 0.1% ($56,533)

Property, Plant and Equipment 0.3% ( $169,075)

$69,342,623

$69,342,623

Town Council Income for FY07/08

Sinking Fund Income for FY07/08

S&CC Income 72.8% ( $34,458,398)

Opening Balance 1 Apr ‘07 84.8% ($76,793,655)

Other Income 8.1% ( $3,831,704)

Contribution during FY07/08 15.2% ( $13,716,495)

Govt. Grants 19.1% ( $9,022,665)

$90,510,150

$47,312,767

Town Council Expenditure for FY 07/08

Sinking Fund Expenditure for FY 07/08

Water & Electricity 17.7% ( $8,371,184)

Closing Balance 31 Mar ‘08 68.6% ( $62,131,538)

General & Admin Charge 13.8% ($6,524,962)

Redecoration and Repainting 8.7% ($7,870,547)

Transfer to Improvement Fund 9.7% ( $4,605,267)

General & Admin Charge 1.5% ($1,322,899)

Operating Surplus 2.6% ($1,217,132)

Lift Upgrading Programme 5.9% ($5,357,769)

Transfer to Sinking Fund 29% ( $13,708,495)

Investment Loss 0.5% ( $396,461)

Cleaning Works 10.3% ( $4,876,136)

Re-roofing Works 3.3% ($2,972,943)

Lift Maintenance 7.4% ($3,518,430)

Electrical Rewiring 8.6% ($7,813,010)

Other Works & Maintenance 9.5% ( $4,491,161)

Pumps, Pipes and Tanks 2.9% ($2,644,983)

$47,312,767

$90,510,150

Funds also go to improving our Town in other ways – like this up-to-the date playground the Town Council installed next to the RC at Block 230B Tampines Street 21. 2

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Oct - Nov 2008

Dana Majlis Bandaran Tampines diurus dengan hemat Kedudukan kewangan kekal sihat, penyenggaraan estet dan projek-projek pembaikan tidak terjejas.

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ihak media telah membuat laporan tentang pelaburan dana majlis-majlis bandaran dalam produk-produk berstruktur yang bermasalah. Untuk mengurangkan kebimbangan penduduk, Encik Ong Kian Min, AP bagi GRC Tampines dan Pengerusi Majlis Bandaran Tampines, memberi jawapan-jawapan kepada keprihatinan anda.

Bayaran Perkhidmatan dan Penyenggaraan (S&CC) yang dibayar oleh penduduk digunakan untuk tujuan apa?

Kira-kira 65 hingga 70% daripada Bayaran Perkhidmatan dan Penyenggaraan (S&CC) yang dibayar oleh para penduduk dalam sesuatu tahun digunakan untuk penyenggaraan sehari-hari estet-estet kita seperti pembersihan, utiliti, baikpulih umum pada bangunan dan perlanskapan. Di bawah undang-undang, Majlis Bandaran perlu mengetepikan 30 hingga 35% (bergantung pada jenis bilik flat) daripada Bayaran Perkhidmatan dan Penyenggaraan ke dalam dana terikat untuk perbelanjaan jangka panjang.

Bilakah dana terikat akan digunakan?

Dana terikat bertujuan untuk perbelanjaan jangka panjang seperti kerja-kerja baikpulih yang besar kepada lif-lif dan pam-pam air, penukaran wayar elektrik dan paip-paip air, penukaran atap bumbung dan mengecat semula blok-blok HDB kita. Kerja-kerja peningkatan dan baikpulih yang besar ini dirancang terlebih awal berdasarkan pada usia flat dan perbelanjaan untuk kerjakerja itu telah disediakan terlebih dahulu.

Mengapa Majlis Bandaran perlu melabur dana terikatnya?

Oleh kerana dana terikat tidak diperlukan untuk kegunaan segera, Majlis Bandaran Tampines boleh memilih untuk menyimpannya dalam deposit tetap atau melaburnya. Jika dana itu hanya disimpan dalam deposit tetap, faedah yang diraih adalah sangat rendah, dan tidak cukup untuk mengimbangi kos yang meningkat disebabkan inflasi. Jika kita memilih untuk melabur dana itu, kita boleh mendapat pulangan yang lebih baik, tetapi ini melibatkan sedikit risiko. Oleh itu, Majlis Bandaran Tampines telah membuat keputusan untuk mengambil pendekatan yang mengurangkan risiko dengan menempatkan 65% daripada dana itu dalam deposit tetap dan melabur 35% dana yang selebihnya untuk pulangan yang lebih baik.

Apakah langkah-langkah keselamatan yang diambil untuk memastikan dana itu tidak akan susut menerusi pelaburan yang tinggi risikonya?

Kami tidak melabur dana kita secara langsung kerana kepakaran kami ialah dalam pengurusan estet dan bukan pengurusan dana. Oleh itu, kami telah melantik tiga pengurus dana yang profesional dan bereputasi yang mempunyai rekod kerja yang baik untuk mengurus secara berasingan sebahagian daripada dana kita, setiap orang dengan arahan-arahan untuk mengambil pendekatan risiko rendah dalam melabur dana kita.

Berapa banyak dana Majlis Bandaran telah dilaburkan?

Majlis Bandaran Tampines dewasa ini mempunyai dana berjumlah kira-kira $62 juta. Sebahagian besar dana itu ditempatkan dalam bank-bank sebagai deposit tetap. Kira-kira $22 juta dilaburkan menerusi penguruspengurus dana yang bereputasi dan berpengalaman.

Berapa banyak pelaburan itu telah hilang?

Kami difahamkan daripada salah seorang pengurus dana bahawa mereka telah melabur $250,000 dalam bon yang dikeluarkan / dijamin oleh Lehman Brothers. Jumlah ini merupakan kurang daripada 0.4% daripada jumlah dana kita.

Adakah kerja penyenggaraan tetap, seperti pembersihan, akan terjejas?

Tidak. Kerja-kerja penyenggaraan tetap dan perkhidmatan-perkhidmatan akan berjalan seperti yang dijadualkan kerana ia dibiayai menerusi Bayaran Perkhidmatan dan Penyenggaraan yang dipungut pada tahun semasa. Perkhidmatan-perkhidmatan dan pelan kerja kami tidak akan terganggu.

Adakah Majlis Bandaran akan menaikkan Bayaran Perkhidmatan dan Penyenggaraan untuk menampung sebarang kerugian dalam pelaburan? Bayaran Perkhidmatan dan Penyenggaraan tidak perlu dinaikkan disebabkan sebarang kerugian dalam pelaburan kami. Sehingga ke Oct 08, pulangan kami adalah positif sejak kami mula membuat pelaburan, dengan keuntungan bersih sebanyak $2.4 juta. Pengeluaran wang secara beransur-ansur dalam dana terikat kita adalah disebabkan perbelanjaan untuk kerjakerja peningkatan dan penyenggaraan estet matang kita yang telah berusia lebih daripada 20 tahun.

Kami akan mengadakan sebuah forum awam tidak lama lagi dan kami akan dapat menjawab sebarang pertanyaan lain yang anda ingin kemukakan. Di forum ini, kami akan juga mendapatkan maklum balas penduduk mengenai pendekatan yang diambil dalam melaburkan dana Majlis Bandaran.

Oct - Nov 2008

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Progress Report on the Town Council’s 5-year Work Plan

Upgrading projects completed on time

The Town Council’s Five-Year Work Plan was launched three years ago. Good progress has been made. Here is an update on where the work stands in bringing about that vision of making Tampines our Best Home!

The cycling track between Blocks 301 and 331 Tampines Street 32 has been completed.

Cycling tracks - expected to complete by end Dec 2008 (total cost $1.05m).

This wonderful playground at Tampines Street 34 is among the many new ones built. It comes complete with climbing walls.

Playgrounds - 62 completed/in-progress and

16 more expected to complete by 2010 (total cost $2.94m)

Rain or shine, walking between Blocks 302 and 306.

...and 304 and 313 Tampines Street 32 is a whole lot more comfortable with the recently completed covered linkways.

Another 3-G Fitness Corner Project by Tampines Town Council completed in November this year. Residents in Block 470 Tampines Street 44 will soon enjoy the added conveninece of lifts that stop at every floor.

Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) - 319

3-G fitness corners - 35 completed/inprogress. All will be completed by 2009 (total cost $1.98m)

blocks completed/in-progress and 77 eligible blocks remaining, expected to complete by 2014 (total cost $310m)

A walkway, roofed by dark brown wood and terracotta tiles, now links Blocks 342 and 345 Tampines Street 33.

The new covered linkway between Blocks 314 and 316A Tampines Street 33 was built with gentlesloping ramps to make the journey barrier-free for wheelchairs, prams and trolleys.

Senior citizens don’t have to walk far to get all the exercise they need now there’s a fitness corner beside Blocks 494B Tampines Avenue 9.

The covered link/drop-off porch between Blocks 887 and 888 Tampines Street 81 provides much convenience to residents..

Barrier-free access - 42 precincts completed/ in-progress and 4 precincts more expected to complete by 2010 (total cost $0.90m)

Senior Citizen corners - 27 completed/inprogress and 8 more expected to complete by 2010 (total cost $0.78m)

Covered linkways - 46 completed/in-progress and 16 more expected to complete by 2010.(total cost $3.07m)

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Oct - Nov 2008

Ready for the next step! November was graduation month for PCF Kindergartens all over Tampines. To the teachers and staff – thanks for getting our little ones...

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raduations are always something special. And the new little graduates of our Tampines PCF kindergartens will probably remember their first graduation ceremony for years to come. After all, it’s unlikely they’ll get to graduate as a butterfly, a bee or Little Red Riding Hood, ever again! Those were just a few of the fantastic costumes at the graduation concerts. After they received their certificates from their MP, the kids danced and sang their hearts out to a huge, beaming crowd. The parent-paparazzi were out in full force, too. None of it would have been possible without the dedicated teachers and staff of the Tampines PCF. They took care of the carefully choreographed dances and rehearsals, the hand-made

costumes and the logistics of lights, sound and food. So all parents had to do was to attend and watch (or take pictures) with pride as their kids graduated. One of the people who ensures everything runs smoothly is Mr Benny Yeo (below). He manages the seven PCF centres in Tampines East – four kindergartens and three 3-in-1 centres, with facilities for child-, student- and elder-care. The seven centres look after some 1,100 children and 55 elderly. Quite a handful, but Mr Yeo is no stranger to managing resources and people, having worked in the private sector for some twenty years. He started with the PCF by volunteering with the Tampines East grassroots, and finally took over full-time in 2001. “My interest in people development was kindled by Mr Mah’s encouragement to take up the challenge.” Under his care, the

Tampines East centres developed to become the first PCF centres in Singapore to be awarded the Model Centre in 2004. For his good work and commitment, this year, Mr Yeo received the PCF Excellence Award, given to only three recipients for the whole of Singapore. Speaking with the PCF Principal from Tampines Changkat, Mdm Tan Kwee Choo, we found out a little about what it takes to handle knee-high kids, day in, day out. It’s surprisingly simple. “You have to love kids and enjoy being with them!” Mdm Tan just received an award for thirty years of good service. She has been a PCF teacher since before there were uniforms, and when each teacher had to handle almost forty kids. And something from the kids must have rubbed off on Mdm Tan. Looking at her, it seems impossible she’s a day over 35. So why does she think the PCF is where you should send your kid? “It’s more affordable than the private kindergartens, but the programme is just as good.

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“I have a lift much closer to my house now. It’s great for us because my mother comes to visit us quite often. She’s quite old, so it makes getting here easier for her.” - Mdm Noriyanti

P Plus : IU e th in d e d hat was ad w t a k o lo k ic A qu linkways . Covered ourt s . Tai-chi c Amphitheatre tdoor table u o d e r & e a lt e e r a . Sh ered BBQ . New sheltmarkers s . Precinct r boxes for all block ith pebble path e w . New lett dren’s playground . New chil games court . Sheltered

10.6M $ t u o b A : t s o c Total

“The estate looks much better now. I live on a floor that had lift access even before the upgrade, but I’m happy that my neighbours all have lifts now. I think the new playground and sheltered seats are very nice.” - Mdm Farida

“I like the barbecue pits and the open stages. And I see a lot of people using the badminton courts. Everything is improved – there’s a better ambience now.” - Mdm Carolin Chiam

Double Happiness! There was double the reason to celebrate. Our IUP plus project for Blocks 267-271 Tampines Street 21 was completed just as our Tampines East Zone 5 RC turned 20. The two events made for a great party on 1 November!

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he sheltered court beside Block 267 Tampines Street 21 was abuzz that evening. There were many hellos and how-do-you-dos, quite a few congratulations and also the odd, “Isn’t everything so much better after the upgrade?” There was just so much to talk about! The completion of our IUP Plus was made all the sweeter because it meant an end to the dust and drilling we had to put up with. But everyone agreed the results were worth the wait – the estate was a much nicer, more convenient place to live.

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Oct - Nov 2008

Mr Mah Bow Tan came to our packed party to thank the RC members for their hard work over the years, and congratulated everyone on their nice new home. Then he sat down to dinner with us, over some great stage performances. Dinner, dances and a toast to success and good health. We all had a good time that evening.

Spooky Saturday Vampires! Zombies! Witches! And...what seemed to be a frog. All sorts of weird and wonderful monsters invaded the Tampines North CC on 26 October, when we celebrated Halloween.

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t wasn’t a night for the faint hearted. Though the decorations around the CC were prettier than they were fearsome, the many kids who dressed up for the party had a nasty habit of sneaking behind you, waiting till you were completely distracted and then going BOO! Those who came un-scary had that fixed quickly enough with the facepainting artists on hand. As a testament to their skill, the girl you see on the right used to look ever so innocent. Mr Ong Kian Min joined the party looking quite suave in a vampiresque cape, and helped to give away the Halloween candy to the trick or treaters. The screaming contest was a great hit with the kids. They were judged on how loudly they screamed and how scary they looked. Judging the contest was quite difficult. Most of the kids were more cute than scary.

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fter four months of friendly competition, the champions for each of the events in our second annual GRC Games received their medals at the Tampines West CC on 14 September. Ten sports were played this year, twice the number of our last Games. The divisional teams competed in Bowling, Gateball, Basketball, Sepak Takraw, Street Soccer, Badminton, Woodball, Archery and Running. It was a photo-finish: just before the last event, Running, three divisions were only one point apart! West took the top spot this year, followed by Changkat and North, with Central and East tied for fourth place. Good games, everyone, and see you next year!

Good game! Oct - Nov 2008

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Poll and Play

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n Tampines Central, we think fun is what you make of it. Of course, a few props here and there help. At our LUP polling on 8 November, we put in a stage at the courtyard between Blocks 880 and 886 Tampines Avenue 8, set up an inflatable playground and a series of foot massagers and, voila, instant party. The mood was probably helped by the LUP coming to our blocks. An average of over 96% votes in favour after the four days of polling showed just how much we’d looked forward to the upgrade. Seven new lifts will be added to Blocks 881 to 886, and all lifts will stop on every floor.

From rags to rice! Y

ou have read about turning water into wine. What about turning rags into bags of rice? The Tampines North CC did just that on 21 September, at its Community Recycling Day. It was a day residents brought their recyclables down to be weighed and exchanged for sardines and drinks, bee hoon or rice. But recycling isn’t all about melting down cans or pulping paper. We had a flea market too, where you could buy clothes, bags and toys for bargain prices. It’s a different form of recycling that benefits everyone! At the Community Recycling Day, Mr Ong Kian Min came down to help with the weighing of the recyclables, and then went on to present green packets and Hari Raya goodies to Muslim residents in need. We collected 2.35 tonnes of recyclables in a little over two hours – more than a ton per hour! And here's a thought: you could exchange 4kg of recyclables for a tin of sardines. If everyone had chosen sardines, it would have been 587 tins. Pretend all those sardines went to you. If you washed and collected all the tins for the next exchange event, how long would it take you to run out of sardines to eat?

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Oct - Nov 2008

In Tampines, the time around Hari Raya is always busy, busy, busy. Stocking up on food and drink, shopping for new clothes and visiting relatives can really take it out of you. But we always have time to share. Whether it’s gifts for those in need or rendang for the next-door neighbours, sharing is the best way to celebrate Hari Raya! Here are some shots of how we shared the spirit of Hari Raya in Tampines, over the festive season.

Sharing the spirit of Hari Raya!

Oct - Nov 2008

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any residents were not content with just admiring the pretty flowers. They decided to buy the plants and were seen trotting home, armed with big and small pots of flowers. The flower sale was just one of the many things going on at our carnival that morning. There was a qigong demonstration by the Chi Dynamics team from the Changkat CC, a sculpture contest where you had to use recycables, a colouring contest for the kids, and a station where you could turn in your recyclables for useful gifts. Ms Irene Ng was present to say hello to everyone and visited every stall. Like everyone else, she spent some extra time admiring the beautiful blooms on sale. Then she helped add to the greenery by planting a tree together with the Changkat team!

A bloomin’ good mornin’ Our Clean & Green carnival on 9 November was worth getting up early for. There were games to play, gifts to redeem – and Tree Park was covered with flowers in bloom, of every colour you could imagine!

Gracious Golf Goodness! W

e played a good game for a good cause at the Seletar Country Club on 9 October. The fund-raising golf tournament, organised by the Tampines West CC, saw some 150 golfers from grassroots and corporations all over Singapore turning up in support. Other than the proceeds from the sponsorship and donations, we also added an art auction to the night’s dinner. Mr Mah Bow Tan and Mr Masagos Zulkifli

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Oct - Nov 2008

helped with the auctions and presented our generous donors and supporters with tokens of appreciation. We raised more than $230,000 through the charity event. The money will provide assistance for Tampines West residents in need and bursaries for their children. A big thank-you to all our kind donors and sponsors!

Mr Han wanted to know more about the T5 fluorescent tubes and whether electronic devices that are switched on-and-off more often suffer more faults. The team said that T5s were not yet popular in the retail market and that the energy usually saved by turning an electronic appliance off was greater than the energy required to restart it.

Mr Jacob thought the current timing for corridor lighting needed fine tuning. The lights could be turned off earlier than 7am as the Council suggested for September to December. Mr Benny Yeo said that his suggestion was exactly the kind of feedback the Council wanted from us. “Working with the Council, we can make real improvements happen.”

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Why have our rates gone up with the price of oil if our electricity comes from gasfired generators?

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Because all Asian contracts for the supply of gas peg the price to the price of fuel oil!

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? Saving energy:  ? The Big Picture Tampines Town Council shared some surprising facts and useful energy saving tips with us on 25 October at the Tampines East CC. It was the first dialogue session organised by the Council’s new Community Liaison Committee and it turned out to be an interesting afternoon.

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Use a fan instead of an air-con. A fan uses a tenth of the power. Why should I switch off appliances at the wall socket? Because all those little trickles of standby power can add up to 10% of your electricity bill when you have several appliances at home! Where does the energy go that the Town Council buys? Here’s a quick look at where the power (and money!) is going in our Town:

. wakes, etc ners, RCs, es 5% to clea entr od C d Fo

1.

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How can I reduce my electricity bill?

18% to Water Pumps

s an

The Town Council is reducing electricity consumption by changing lamps and systems all over Tampines. 1. Ecobulbs in roadway and parking lights 2. Electronic ballasts for corridor lights 3. Coming soon: new LED directional signs!

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In January, if the price of oil keeps on falling as it is now.

t arke to M

There are several other energy saving ideas under test: turning off the fans in the afternoon at the hawker centre in Block 137; using solar electricity for the pavilion at Block 106; timing corridor lighting to match sunset and sunrise more accurately; dimming the lamps in Block 911 just a little, after midnight. That last idea could reduce electricity consumption by 15%! Then Mr Ng Pei Chen from the NEA told us the harsh truth about global warming: the eight warmest years on record came in the last ten years; temperatures have risen as greenhouse gases have risen; sea levels are expected to rise half a metre by 2100! And he told us several ways we could save energy. Then it was time for questions.

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irst they told us what the Town Council’s energy bill looks like. Most of the power goes to run the lifts and water pumps, and you can’t turn those off! (Though they told us of a pilot study in Sembawang where they’re turning off one lift in a pair, after midnight. Well, we may try it too if the pilot study goes well.) Major savings have to be made in the 35% spent on public lighting if the Council is to avoid raising S&CC with the higher electricity rates. And the savings can add up to what a sum. We learnt how over $250,000 a year would be saved when all the block lighting is re-lamped with the new T5 fluorescent tubes. And how over $100,000 more could be saved with eco-bulbs in our 1,500 street lamps and energy saving devices and LED directional signs in our 31 car parks.

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When will our electricity rates go down again?

40% to Lifts

35% to Public Lighting

2. 3. Oct - Nov 2008

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Learn papercraft, how to cook, or even cut your own hair with the latest courses on offer. As places are limited, do sign up early. For enquiries, call any of the CCs. Tampines Changkat CC: Tampines Central CC: Tampines East CC: Tampines North CC: Tampines West CC:

13 Tampines St 11, S 529453 866A Tampines St 83 #02-01, S 521866 10 Tampines St 23, S 529341 2 Tampines St 41, S 529204 5 Tampines St 3, S 529705

Tel 67811806 Tel 67858292 Tel 67863227 Tel 67832900 Tel 67837910

An initiative by Tampines GRC Clustering CCs Committee Community Day / Date Club

Course

Solar Art - Dancing Paper

Tampines Central

Saturday 13 Dec 08

Time / Session 9.30am 12.30pm (1 session)

Fee for Fee for PAssion Non- Material Fee Member Member

$28

$35

Trainer

General Outline of the Programme

$17

K.C. Ang (Scitech)

For age 9 to 12 yrs old Participants will be taught how to use science knowledge and hands-on skills to create a solar model that makes paper “dance”. Learn how to prepare and cook healthy recipes by famous local cooking guru and veteran radio personality, Asmah Laili. As a bonus, a nutritionist from the Health Promotion Board (HPB) will also share with you tips on food and nutrition.

Citarasa Kini Quick Healthy Cooking

Tampines Changkat

20 Dec 08 (1 session)

2.30pm to 4.30pm

$10

$15

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Mdm Asmah Laili

Men’s Modern Barbering

Tampines East

Saturday 7.30pm – 20 Dec 08 – 9.30pm 10 Jan 09 (4 sessions)

$60

$70

$100

Ms Ann Tan

Learn proper and basic haircutting skills. If you are interested in either managing your own hair or becoming a barber, this course is ideal for you!

Tampines East

Sunday 2.00pm – 30 Nov 08 4.00pm 18 Jan 09 (8 sessions)

$35

Mdm Lim Fee Sia

The course is on pattern cutting for women’s clothing. Material provided will illustrate basic procedures of how to make the simplest garments such as shirts, blouses, dresses and pants by using the UNIVERSAL BASES. (No sewing required)

Preparatory Primary One Enrichment Programme -English -Mathematics -Written Expression

Tampines North

Saturday 10 Jan 09 14 Mar 09

1) 11am - 12pm 2) 1.30pm - 2.30pm 3) 2.30pm - 3.30pm

$20

Ms Dolly

Preparatory Primary One Enrichment Programme is highly recommended to all kindergarten 1 & 2 children. The programme provides a Methodical way to aid children build stronger foundations in English Language or Mathematics and prepares children for a good head start in Primary Education.

2009 New Year Popup Cards

Tampines West

Wednesday 9.30am 11.00am 24 Dec 08 (1 Session)

$6

Ms Lum Kong Joon, June

For ages 5 and above. Students have to bring scissors, glue, markers and pencils.

Italian Method of Dressmaking

$80

$150

$12

$90

$160

$18

You are also welcomed to join us at our New Year’s eve Countdown Party where among other activities, you will be treated to some scintillating social dance performances. For enquiries on courses or to find out more about our Countdown Party, please call any of the CCs. Countdown Party 2008

Tampines Changkat

Wednesday 31 Dec 08

7pm 12.00am

$15

$15

-

SCEC

This is a social dance night with performances, buffet dinner and lucky draw. Each participant will be given a door gift.

Earn double Link Points when you sign up online @www.one.pa.gov.sg

Take them home N

o one likes to see a mess. And even more so over the new year. Coming home to a series of rusted, wheel-less bicycles chained all over the place is not a pleasant way to start the year. And if you think it’s too early to start talking about the new year – some of them have been

12

Tempo

Oct - Nov 2008

left for more than six months! Starting the second week of December, the Town Council will check for and tag all abandoned bicycles in the neighbourhood. And warning notices will be posted on Town Council and RC notice boards. If the bicycles are not removed by 11 January, the Town Council will dispose of them.

T

he Tan family often has just one thing in mind when they come to the Round Market noodles! They like Yummy Sarawak Kolo Mee at #01-45 because it’s economical, and tasty. And Mr Tan thought the renovation of the market was a job well done. “It’s all nice and clean here now.”

M

dm Ching Liew Kim recommends Song Kee Carrot cake at #01-29. “Their carrot cake tastes very good, and is very fragrant.” Indeed, the smell of a fresh carrot cake being fried is hard to resist when you walk past the stall. To wash it down, Mdm Ching said you should get soya bean milk from Sen Mei Cold Drinks at #01-20. “They don’t dilute their drinks, like other places!”

M

dm Judy Chia had high praise for Rong Sheng Roasted . Chicken Rice . Noodle at #01-43. She said the roast duck had great flavour, and their chicken rice was good too. Though she usually prefers white rice, she orders the chicken rice here because it’s not oily like other places. “And you can see how clean the stall is!”

S

treet 11 Tiong Bahru Fried Fish Ball at #01-38 is one of many branches run by the Tan family. Some of us grew up eating the famous fishballs from the old Tiong Bahru Market – and this is it! They used to make all their fishballs by hand, but they now have a factory in Defu to supply all their stalls. Run by Mr Tan Ser Joo, the stall offers great, bouncy fishballs for a song. $1 for six fishballs, and all the other items are just as good and just as cheap. “The price is important to our customers,” said Mr Tan. Open 6.30am - 2pm daily.

H

akka Yong Tau Foo at #01-01 serves yong tau foo that looks good and tastes even better. The unique dish lets you pick your own items, and then choose to have them with dry noodles and sauce, or noodles in soup. All the items we picked in our $3.50 dry noodles tasted fresh from the market, and we loved the flavour of the dark sauce. Mr Goh Leong Hong, who runs the stall with his wife, told us that’s exactly what his regulars like! Open 6am - 1pm, closed every Thursday and every 15th day of the lunar month.

T

eo Kee Mushroom Mince Pork Noodle at  #01-05 has an unfair advantage, we thought. Where most cooks depend on the butcher to give them good meat, the cook here used to be a butcher, so he knows exactly how to spot good stuff. We weren’t surprised when Mr Jimmy Lim told us about his previous job, because the meat in our pork rib noodles was just perfect. Mr Lim says he learned to cook by watching other people, and he cooks his noodles to just the right degree. Pork rib noodles. Great pork ribs, great noodles. It’s one hundred percent good! Our noodles cost $3. Open 4.30am - 2pm, closed Mondays.

Around the

Round Living in Tampines, we know the Round Market at Block 137 is a great place to go for food. And now, after a five-month poll by City Gas and Shin Min Daily News, the whole island knows too! Our market was in the top five places of both the Editor’s Choice and Readers’ Choice categories. We thought we’d do the same – along with what we like, here are some good food stalls you can find in the Market, from happy diners we spoke to.

Aug Oct -- Nov Sep 2008

Tempo 13

Meet your mentors Through the Tampines

Bring it on home, boys As part of the Boys’ Brigade’s island-wide community service projects, our boys in blue at St. Hilda’s Primary brought songs and good cheer with them to Peace-Connect at Block 8 North Bridge Road on 26 July. Peace-Connect is a neighbourhood link that connects residents with activities for every age, with special focus on the elderly. Our boys sang their hearts out, and got beaming big smiles in return.

West YEC Mentoring Programme, nine students from East Spring Primary had a fun day out with senior student volunteers. Together, they played team games and learned to solve problems by recognising their own strengths. Everyone, of every size, had a great time!

Once more from the top Some 40 members

of our Ngee Ann Secondary choir took a small break from classes in July to sing for Singapore at the 2008 Hong Kong International Youth and Children’s Choir Festival. And together with the World Youth Choir and other regional choirs, our songsters performed at “The World Sings for Olympics” with Jackie Chan!

School Watch

Choco-charity Armed with a shopping trolley and enough chocolate to kill a small elephant, four Civil Defence Cadet Corps corporals from Tampines Secondary sold chocolate for charity at White Sands and Downtwn East in July. The unique idea was a result of nine national uniform groups coming together to support the President’s Challenge 2008. All four cadets said it was a little strange at first, but quickly warmed to the task of convincing passers-by that what they really needed in their day was a bit of chocolate.

Getting to know Kyushu The senior students of Junyuan Secondary got a treat in June, when we went on a Learning Journey to Kyushu. We learned about ways to keep our environment clean at the water conservation museum, found out about the Minamata Disease and the history of Minamata – and in the words of one of the students, that “all Japanese are polite and hospitable to foreigners”!

The Colours of Tradition After quite a bit

of work and planning by teachers, students and parents, we celebrated Racial Harmony Day with a big learning exhibition at St. Hilda’s primary. ‘The Colours of Tradition” was our theme, and students got to see, hear and taste what life was like in early Singapore through artifacts (and some great cooking) from parent volunteers. We also found out a bit more about our pioneers, like Narayana Pillay, Eunos Abdullah and Tan Tock Seng.

Principal matters Tampines North Primary had the pleasure of hosting school principals and education officers from Zhengzhou at the end of June. Some 25 of them toured the school, examining the facilities and watching students at work. The visitors were impressed with the way we use technology to make lessons more interesting – and our multi-racial harmony. The students, in turn, had many questions to ask about schools in China. Everyone learned quite a bit that day!

Why don’t they...

All these questions were asked at our fifth Town Hall Meeting. Held at the Tampines West CC on 21 September, the focus was on the Prime Minister’s National Day speech: How can we manage parenthood better, improve our transport systems and build a more gracious society. We watched some You-Tube videos of the Ugly Singaporean to kick things off, but virtually all the discussion centred on transport, education and ways to encourage Singaporeans to have more babies.

set up a Tampines matchmaker? build more park’n’ride faciliti give higher es? child bonuse s to richer fa milies? adjust the the bus sched ules for early birds? t for lower the provide suppor fares on grandparents? put the feeder wheelchair services? space at the front of the bus?

M

s Cindy raised questions about the quality of the bus service 293 and the lack of emphasis on English, Chinese and Maths in schools. Mr Ong, who is deputy chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, said they had raised issues of overcrowding, scheduling and routing with the bus companies. Now, changes were being introduced and many decisions will be made by the LTA in future. Answering the question on education, Mr Masagos, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education, said that our children score well for maths, science and literacy, always among the top three in the world in these areas. But those are not the only things we want our children to do well in. We want to develop their character and their creativity – but not at the cost of their proficiency in the basic syllabus. Feedback from parents, like Cindy’s, would help schools maintain the right balance between too much to learn and too little. Mr Wong thought the government was doing a good job with helping parents cope with the costs of bringing up children but felt that more should be done to help care for the children “after childcare”. Grandparents did it best and Mr Wong felt the government should give them some sort of subsidy for their time and effort. Ms Patricia had a similar question: what could be done to help an old lady who looked after her grandchildren during the day? Mr Mah recommended she get the lady to talk to her MP. The government had many schemes in place to help such needy cases, but many of them just don’t know that the help is available. He called on everyone to direct any needy cases they knew of to the RC, CDC or their MP. No one in Singapore should go without a roof over their head, no student should have difficulty attending school, he said

Mr Ang wanted to know if there was a way the government could encourage the higher income families to have more children. He saw many large families in the low income sector. Mr Mah pointed out the government’s policy was not just to have more children, but to make sure every child had a good future. Because there were many large families who had a tough time meeting the costs of bringing up their children, the government was putting emphasis on improving child-care in its plans to increase the number of babies. Ms Irene Ng and Mr Masagos both pointed out that there were many assistance schemes already in place to help the needy and urged grassroots leaders to seek out those in need and help them get the benefits they could receive. In summing up the dialogue, Mr Mah asked us to remember the things we have to be thankful for. We don’t have earthquakes, we have clean water, good schools, affordable healthcare, efficient public transport. We still have both short-term problems (eg traffic congestion) and long-term problems (eg CPF for an aging population) to be addressed. These forums are to help everyone understand the policies being developed to address the problems. That will help the government and the people to work together to ensure a bright future for our children. “Who is in favour of matchmakers in Tampines?” A good show of hands supported the idea. Tampines Central Park was suggested as a location – with details about eligible singles being handed in at the CC!

Four of the many who had questions for our MPs (clockwise from top) Mr Ang, Mr Wong, Ms Cindy, Ms Patricia.

Upcoming Events EVENT

DATE

TIME

VENUE

ORGANISERS

CONTACT

Tampines Changkat CC Chinese Orchestra Concert

6 Dec

7pm-10pm

Tampines Changkat CC Hall

Tampines Changkat YEC

Ms Yan Juan

67832985

Ubin Links (Where Adventure Meets Friends)

6 Dec

9am-4pm

Pulau Ubin

Tampines East YEC, Tampines FLC & Tampines East Zone 4 RC

Mdm Judith Lee, PBM

96664417

Tampines North CC Open House

7 Dec

9am

Tampines North CC

Tampines North GROs

Tampines North CC

67832900

Irene Ng Cup Bowling Tournament

14 Dec

10am1.30pm

Orchid Bowl (SAFRA Tampines)

Tampines Changkat CSC

Ms Indumathi

67811806

Christmas Celebration cum Sharity Gift Box

20 Dec

7.30pm

Tampines North CC

Tampines North CC

Tampines North CC

67832900

Tampines Sunrise RC Christmas Party

20 Dec

6.30pm9.30pm

Multi-purpose Hall between Blocks 704/705 Tampines Street 71

Tampines Sunrise RC

Mr Tan Ming Tiong

67850004

Festive Wishes Come True 08

21 Dec

Call for details

Tampines East CC

Tampines East YEC

Mr Kelvin Yeo

81576686

Give Love on Christmas

27 Dec

7pm10.30pm

Void Deck of Block 254 Tampines Street 21

Tampines East Zone 4 RC

Mdm Judith Lee, PBM

96664417

Tampines North Year End Party

27 Dec

7.30pm

Tampines North CC

Tampines North CC

Tampines North CC

67832900

Tampines Central Year End Party 2008 cum “Make a Wish”

31 Dec

8pm-12mn

Tampines Central Park along Tampines Street 82

Tampines Central GROs

Mr Ng Choon Kiah

67850004

Herbal foot spa / Foot reflexology / Shoulder & neck massage

Every Friday

6pm-10pm

Block 924 Tampines Street 21, Senior Citizens’ Corner

Tampines Palmspring RC

Mr Kua

96468203

Senior Citizens’ Tea Party Gathering

Every Saturday

Call for details

Block 916 Tampines Avenue 4, Senior Citizens’ Corner

Tampines Palmsville RC SCEC

Mr Lim Yok Cheng

98515773

Tampines Flea Market

The 3rd weekend of the month

4pm-10pm

Walkway along MRT line near Block 158 & 159 Tampines Street 12

Tampines West CCC & Tampines Green RC

Mr Tan Teng Chuan

97865115

spot the ball contest

PHONE

Town Council

Mailbox

Dear Sir

H

ere’s a picture taken at the Tampines Changkat Clean & Green Carnival on 9 November. We have retouched the photo to hide the ball. All you have to do is draw a circle showing the approximate size and position of the ball in the original photograph to win a prize!

I would like to thank Candy at the Town Council for getting the graffiti near our lift lobby painted over in a flash. Some loansharks going after the previous owner of our flat scrawled our unit number all over the wall. The painting was done immediately after I told her about it. Thank you!

Name:

Yvonne Ee

NRIC:

Winners

Address:

Here are the lucky winners of the contest in the August/September issue of Tampines Tempo:

Send your completed entry by 31 December to: Spot the Ball Contest (Oct/Nov 2008) Tampines Town Council Block 136 Tampines Street 11 Singapore 521136 This contest is open to all residents of Tampines GRC except staff members of Tampines Town Council and their immediate families. The judges’ decisions will be final and no correspondence or enquiries will be entertained.

Tampines Tempo is a bi-monthly newsletter published by Tampines Town Council and delivered to the letterboxes of all HDB households in Tampines GRC. Copies of the newsletter can also be collected from the Town Council office and the five Community Clubs in Tampines.

© Singapore, 2007. All rights reserved. The Publisher makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of information in Tampines Tempo but cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions.

Editorial Committee: Advisor: Mr Ong Kian Min Chairman: Ms Jeanne Cheng Vice Chairman: Mr Eddie Soh, PBM Secretary: Ms Adelene Yeo Members: Mr Tan Chim Poh David, PBM; Mr Foo Hee Payau; Mdm Adeline Goh Oi Cheng; Mr Vadiveloo Murugian, PBM; Mdm Rajisvary d/o Vairappan, PBM

Amirudin Bin Jamaluddin Fam Swee Chin Koh Han Xue Law Soon Sun Lim Shao En Moseh T. Gunathas Nobiln Hosif Bin Juraimi Shafiah Hashim Teo Wan Ling Tan Tat Hean

SXXX0843D SXXX4834F SXXX2439C SXXX4928G SXXX2630E SXXX5130I SXXX7551E SXXX3063F SXXX3994B SXXX7141D

Please show your IC to collect your prize from the Town Council by 15 January 2009.

Published by Tampines Town Council Block 136 Tampines Street 11, Singapore 521136 General enquiry: 6781 2222 E-Mail: [email protected] Website: www.ttc.org.sg Printed by HoBee Print