Artist’s impression of the planned 18-storey MPSepang headquarters.
SEPANG Municipal Council (MPSepang) faced a year of significant expenditures in 2024, marked by the start of a RM129mil new headquarters project and a costly programme to mitigate risks posed by ageing trees.
While these initiatives aimed to improve infrastructure and public safety, the local council also faced unforeseen challenges such as a landslide at Cassia Garden Residence in Cyberjaya.
Shiny new headquarters
The new headquarters at Persiaran Semarak Api in Cyberjaya will be funded by the local council’s reserves in the coming years.
To preserve cash flow, MPSepang has frozen the purchase of new vehicles and movable assets, as well as paused the hiring of contract positions.
The office tower with a gross floor area of 22,104.9sq m will have a multi-storey parking complex, amphitheatre and multipurpose hall, among other facilities.
The 18-storey building will be able to comfortably accommodate up to 1,500 workers, compared to the current building’s capacity of only 700 yet which houses 869 staff.
It is expected to be completed by Jan 18, 2027, following which the present building will be retained for other purposes.
Managing ageing trees
Another big expenditure for MPSepang this year was managing high-risk and ageing trees.
Since February, MPSepang has spent some RM3mil to cut or prune about 1,000 trees of the mahogany species that were mostly over 20 years old, located in Cyberjaya, Puchong and Sepang Putra.
It cost between RM8,000 to RM10,000 to cut down a tree, while pruning works cost RM3,000 to RM5,000 per tree.
It was deemed a necessary expenditure as the weather was unpredictable and it concerned public safety.
Drive-thru recycling
In collaboration with KDEB Waste Management, an Automatic Drive-Through Recycling Centre (Adtrec), which also pays the public for the items they bring, was set up at Cyberjaya Recycling Centre in March.
Until November, a total of 5.69 tonnes of recyclables have been collected.
Claimed to be the first of its kind in Selangor, Adtrec allows the public to drop off their recyclables in exchange for cash.
The project is in line with efforts to reach the state’s 15% recycling goal by 2025.
Landslide scare
In April, a hillslope landslide near the main entrance of Cassia Garden Residence caused a scare for about 1,000 residents.
The luxury housing development comprises 220 residential units.
It was an active landslide detected in April that formed a crater eight to 10m deep, equivalent to the height of a three-storey building.
MPSepang moved in to repair the slope in May.
Padi cultivation
On the tourism front, MPSepang expanded its padi planting activity in Kebun Bandar, Cyberjaya, to make it a more prominent feature of the urban orchard.
The idea was to give the people a kampung feel in the city.
Other than some 400 types of trees and padi plants, there are also three cows and a number of chickens roaming freely.
Outgoing MPSepang president
The year ended with changes at the helm of MPSepang as Datuk Abd Hamid Hussain, who had led the municipal council since Sept 4, 2020, being appointed Klang mayor on Dec 2.
