There will be no compromise on the gazettement of the enlarged Prince Philip Park in Tg Aru to safeguard it's status as a green area in the event the TAED (Tanjung Aru Eco Development) materialises.

"The beach and the park are among the public places that are accessible to the people. Expanding the park will benefit the public as well as the environment," Mayor Datuk Yeo Boon Hai said in an exclusive interview with Daily Express, in conjunction with his first year in office as the city's fourth Mayor.

Yeo was allaying fears that the public would no longer have access to the beach and the park when the TAED project is completed. He said DBKK has so far identified an area of approximately five acres at Kg Tanjung Aru for relocating SK Tanjung Aru. "The new school will be built after the TAED gets final approval," he said.

Yeo also said the budget for KK City is RM140 million, which involves administration, city services and maintenance of public facilities and is just enough to meet the basic requirements.

"However, we need more funds from the State Government to improve other facilities like drains, roads and public amenities. This can amount to about RM40 million," he said.

On city landscaping, he said RM3,374,041.00 per year is spent on landscaping in the city centre, including protocol roads, roundabouts and parks, adding the landscaping works are carried out by various companies.

He said DBKK is planning to have its own building in the near future. "We thank the Chief Minister, who is in charge of DBKK, for planning and approving our new building at the old State Library site," he said.

Similarly, City Hall has plans for a city museum. "At the moment, there is a DBKK Gallery on the 7th Floor of the Centre Point Sabah building which has some basic information."