QUESTION: What's to be done when not enough babies are being born to fill a primary school in a housing estate?
Answer: Build a sports hub on the land meant for the school.
Such a $1.8 million facility has come up in Bishan Street 23 to provide a track for jogging and inline skating and courts for basketball and even beach volleyball.
The 24,000 sq m Bishan Active also has a playground and an exercise corner for senior citizens and will be the new home and training ground for the Singapore women's football team.
Score one for the 'life-long fitness' cause.
The sports venue is another move by the Government to promote a healthy, sporting lifestyle among the people, part of the sports industry initiatives which costs almost $500 million a year.
On Sunday, more than 1,000 Bishan residents showed up at the launch of the facility by Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng, Education Minister Ng Eng Hen, Members of Parliament Josephine Teo and Hri Kumar.
Central Singapore District Mayor Zainudin Nordin was also present to kick off the launch. All are MPs of Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.
MP Josephine Teo said that, when a place provides such a range of facilities for both young and old, it will become 'a focal point for Bishan residents to come together and enjoy the outdoors'.
She added that a sporting lifestyle should be cultivated from a young age, so providing easily accessible, integrated facilities would send a message to young people 'that it's up to them to integrate sports into their lifestyle'.
Asked why a beach volleyball court was added to the hub, Mr Zainudin said it is because it is 'quite hip' and growing in popularity, given the Channel 8 television series, Beach Babes.
