Downtown East set for a facelift with new resort

Lin Yanqin Today Online 17 Feb 12;

SINGAPORE - Downtown East at Pasir Ris will soon get a facelift, with the former Escape Theme Park making way for a new resort.

The current Costa Sands Resort meanwhile will make way for a bigger water theme park, which will be twice its current size.

NTUC Club - the entertainment arm of the labour movement - announced its expansion plans at a media briefing yesterday, as it marks its 25th anniversary this year.

The redevelopment works at Downtown East - which began life as the NTUC Pasir Ris Resort in 1988 - are expected to begin at the end of this year, if plans are approved.

The current Costa Sands Resort will stay open while the new resort is being built, and works to expand the water theme park, Wild Wild Wet, will begin when construction of the resort is complete.

NTUC Club CEO Yeo Khee Leng said the project is estimated to cost about "a couple hundred million", although the figure has not been finalised.

"Downtown East has been in place here for the past 20 over years and I think we have done very well, but some of our facilities are in need of upgrading so that we can meet the future needs and aspirations of our members," he said.

While Downtown East is about to get an upgrade, Mr Yeo assured that prices will be kept affordable. There will be adjustments to match inflation and cost, but he has ruled out charging prices seen at higher-end resorts.

"Our aim is always to keep things affordable," said Mr Yeo. "So we are always mindful as we develop our projects that we keep a good discipline on budget so that we don't go and charge five-star prices."

NTUC Club has also planned a full year of activities, such as a Downtown East Open House in the second quarter of the year, where union members and the public can enjoy freebies and discounts in celebration of the 25th anniversary. The labour movement aims to reach 1 million members by 2015.

Downtown East to get facelift
Lip Kwok Wai Channel NewsAsia 16 Feb 12;

SINGAPORE: The Downtown East resort at Pasir Ris will soon get a facelift.

The former Escape Theme Park, which closed last year, will make way for a new resort.

The 24-year-old Costa Sands Resort will also be replaced by a bigger and more exciting water theme park.

The redevelopment project will kick off end of this year, if resort owner NTUC Club gets the go ahead.

It will take five years to complete, at a cost of about a hundred million dollars.

But NTUC Club assures the public that admission charges will remain affordable.

It announced on Thursday its expansion plans, as it gears up to mark its 25th anniversary.

NTUC Club CEO Yeo Khee Leng said: "The aspirations have changed, we are serving a much larger number of members.

"And I think people are looking at providing different kind of experiences, so the new resort will take (that) into account, like better rooms, more family type facilities."

- CNA/wk

NTUC Club Turns 25!
AsiaOne 16 Feb 12;

Today marks the start of NTUC Club's 25th anniversary celebrations, and a series of fun events, activities and promotions have been planned at all its facilities throughout the year to commemorate the occasion with union members and the public. For the past two and a half decades, the social enterprise has been promoting a better quality of life for members and workers, providing fun for their well-being. It builds, engages and strengthens communities to create bonds for a united Labour Movement (LM) and provides accessible recreational facilities for all, so that no one is excluded from enjoying the facilities.

Moving forward, an extensive programme of improvements and refurbishments at Downtown East has been planned, promising an exciting period of change and rejuvenation. Set to commence at the end of 2012, a new resort will be built at the current site of Escape Theme Park while Costa Sands Resort will make way for a bigger, more exciting Wild Wild Wet. The master plan is designed to meet changing recreational needs and serve more members as the LM targets to reach 1 million members by 2015. The full details will be shared in a public announcement in July 2012.

In the next few years, two of the LM communities that NTUC Club champions - nEbO and U Live, are also expected to grow and deepen the engagement with their members. By 2015, nEbO aims to increase its membership to 100,000 and provide relevant initiatives and programmes that create a community of Work-Ready, World-Ready and Life-Ready youths. In striving to be the preferred and most significant movement for working active agers and workers of yesterday, U Live will be embarking on new initiatives to increase awareness and outreach, and strengthen its engagement programme.

Serving up fun for 25 years

In a short span of 25 years, the leisure and entertainment arm of NTUC has had a meaningful and memorable history. It started with just one clubhouse in Shenton Way in 1987, and the NTUC Pasir Ris Resort in 1988 to meet members' social, recreational and cultural needs, enabling NTUC and its affiliated unions to concentrate their efforts on protecting workers' rights and devote attention to the negotiation of collective agreements. In the first 10 years, it focused on expanding and increasing its presence around the island to bring the clubhouses closer to workers in the heartlands. NTUC Sentosa Beach Resort, NTUC Club (Jurong) and the clubhouses Paradigm (Orchard), Happy Days (Bishan) and Jest D'Place (Choa Chu Kang) were established during this period. As Singapore welcomed the new millennium, NTUC Club responded quickly to the changing needs and aspirations of members. NTUC Pasir Ris Resort was redeveloped and rebranded as Downtown East, improving and widening the range of its fun facilities with Escape Theme Park, Wild Wild Wet and Orchid Bowl.

Not forgetting the low-income members, the Family Recreation FUNd was also launched in 2005, so that they too could enjoy NTUC Club's facilities with their families for free for better work-life balance. In recent years, NTUC Club has championed several communities - eXplorerkid, nEbO and U Live, for members to pursue a lifelong relationship with NTUC, in support of the LM2011 vision for an all inclusive workforce

NTUC Club Chief Executive Officer, Mr Yeo Khee Leng said, "Since the beginning, we have been a close part of the lives of union members, the public and their families. We have been there for birthday parties, family outings, gatherings with friends that almost every Singaporean has at one point or another in their lives shared a moment with us at our facilities or events. When we focused on member engagement, which leverages on the strengths of our facilities, we created communities for our members to belong to, regardless of the stage in life they are at. We want to keep this connection and as the Labour Movement continues to grow, we are gearing up to serve more members better through the redevelopments at Downtown East and constant improvements on our services and programmes."

NTUC Club is about your Fun-Being!

The Club 25 anniversary logo and tagline also unveiled today were specially designed to celebrate this significant milestone. A silver splash of 25 years denotes the silver anniversary and a spirited circular brushstroke encircling the NTUC Club logo symbolises its continuous efforts in providing fun to all. The colour gradient fill on the circular brushstroke also represents the evolving nature of fun at NTUC Club through the years and in the years to come.

More importantly, in providing the fun facilities and events that are at the same time affordable, members are given the opportunities to unwind and bond with their families and friends for the benefit of their well-being. Hence the social mission of doing more for workers and their families in the areas of live and play, more than just about fun, is condensed in the tagline "It's about your Fun-Being!".

Year-long celebrations for NTUC Club's silver anniversary NTUC Club has planned a series of major events throughout the year, bringing together union leaders, members, staff, and strategic partners in celebration of the silver anniversary. They are:

- Official opening of the 25th Anniversary Showcase at Downtown East on 20 April 2012. An exhibition which shares the story of NTUC Club, visitors can learn little known facts and relive the good times with a collection of memorabilia, photos and videos.

- Downtown East Open House in the second quarter of 2012. In celebration of its 25th birthday, NTUC Club is hosting a special open day for union members and the public. Visitors can look forward to a special day of attractive freebies and discounts to mark this anniversary milestone.

- The grand plan for the redevelopment of Downtown East will be unveiled in July 2012, including an architectural model and artist impressions for a first glimpse of the new Downtown East.

- NTUC Club's 25th Anniversary Dinner and launch of coffee table book in October 2012. A celebratory dinner to be attended by some 1,000 guests comprising of union leaders, members and staff. Taking stock of the progress and achievements NTUC Club has made in the past four years. it will also be an occasion to share the strategic framework and plan of action, in line with LM 2015.

Other activities and promotions include 'Remember The Fun We've Shared', a photo contest to encourage members and the public to send in their old photos showing their favourite times at NTUC Club and involve them in our celebrations; and 'NTUC Club25 Grand FUN-NALE Draw', a promotion to reward union members and the public for their support and patronage. In recognition of our clubhouse roots, C25, a specially concocted 25th anniversary cocktail will also be available at all four clubhouses from 1 March 2012.

Other anniversary-themed events include the annual U Run 2012 to be held on 26 February 2012. More than 5000 runners have registered, making it the most participated U Run since it was started in 2009. For the first time ever in celebration of NTUC Club's 25th anniversary, a song writing competition has also been introduced to the U Fame Awards 11/12. The grand finals will be held in July, where singing talents in the unions will compete for the title of LM idol.

Full details of all events, activities and promotions will be released closer to the event. For the latest updates, please refer to www.ntucclub.com.sg.

Downtown East to get revamp
Makeover includes new resort and bigger water theme park
Huang Lijie Straits Times 18 Feb 12;

DOWNTOWN East in Pasir Ris will undergo a major makeover in the next few years.

Revamping the recreational complex, which is about the size of 10 football fields, is estimated to cost a few hundred million dollars. When complete, there will be a new 400-room resort and a bigger water theme park. Also in the pipeline is the refurbishment of buildings that cater to meetings, incentive events, conferences and exhibitions.

The entire redevelopment project will be rolled out in phases over the next four to five years so that the complex remains open for business throughout the upgrade.

Mr Yeo Khee Leng, chief executive of NTUC Club, which manages Downtown East, said the facelift is part of the club's plans for rejuvenation as it celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.

A new resort will replace the 11-year-old Costa Sands Resort at Downtown East.

Low-rise chalets will occupy the site of the former amusement ride park, Escape Theme Park, which closed last November. Work on the resort is slated to begin in the third quarter of this year.

The current Costa Sands Resort will stay open until its new home is completed in two years' time. It will then make way for an expanded Wild Wild Wet water theme park.

Mr Yeo said the club chose to shut down its $23 million Escape Theme Park because it was loss-making and the club was better off focusing on upgrading the more popular water theme park. The expanded water theme park will increase by almost 70 per cent in size and boast new high-thrill water rides.

He added that the improvements will help the recreational complex keep up with the expectations and demands of club members, whose profile has changed over the years to include a growing group of professionals and managers.

He said: 'If you look at where we come from, it has been very much about catering to the lower income. But now, people are looking for something better, so we have to deliver while still keeping it affordable.'

He acknowledged that competition from other water theme parks in Singapore, including the upcoming water park at Resorts World Sentosa, also spurred plans to refresh Wild Wild Wet.

While expansion works at the Downtown East water theme park will not begin until at least 2014, it will begin replacing some old water rides with new high-thrill rides later this year.

Retailers at Downtown East welcomed news of the revamp although they were concerned construction work in the interim may keep shoppers away and cause their business to slip. Mr Yeo said the club will ramp up the number of activities and programmes held on the premises to draw shoppers.

Ms Aisha Bee Mohamed Ali, 35, a corporate support officer who frequents the water theme park with her children, aged three and eight, said: 'The new rides will make the place more exciting.'