The demolition of the small but iconic stadium comes after the Phuket Provincial Public Works Department deemed the arena, officially called the ‘Thet Phra Kiat Nawamin Sports Stadium’, unsafe to use, Karon Mayor Jadet Wicharasorn told The Phuket News’ Thai-language sister newspaper Khao Phuket.
“The Phuket Provincial Public Works Department ordered Karon Municipality to stop using the stadium about six to seven years ago,” Mayor Jadet said.
“As the order came before I took office as mayor, orders were finally issued to demolish it,” he said.
“This is because the stands have not been used for a long time and are in a dilapidated condition. Therefore it was deemed appropriate to order its demolition,” Mayor Jadet explained.
Hat Yai Demolition Limited Partnership is carrying out the demolition. Work began on Oct 1 with five backhoes bringing down the structures. The demolition is scheduled by contract to be completed by Oct 31.
Hat Yai Demolition won the procurement contract with a bid price of just B0.01, Mayor Jadet pointed out.
To fulfil the government contract requirements, a deposit of B50,000 was still required, as was a penalty of B10,000 for each day that the work remained not completed on time.
“The company will take the rebar from the demolition and sell it at auction,” Mayor Jadet said.
Once cleared, the site will again be developed for use as a community area, he added.
The Karon Stadium was built in 1995 with the aim of being a sports and exercise venue for people in the community and to support various important events in the Karon area ‒ a function it initially served well, but later fell into disuse.
Karon Municipality will hold a public hearing with local residents on Oct 16 to discuss plans for further development of the area.
Measures have been taken to prevent debris from falling onto the footpath along the Karon beach road (Patak Rd) while the demolition work is being carried out.
However, pedestrians and motorists are urged to exercise caution while passing the stadium site. People may choose to avoid the area, Karon Municipality noted.