Handover of assistance from PT Agincourt Resources to South Tapanuli Regency Government was carried out at Sipirok Viewing Tower, South Tapanuli, North Sumatra, on 9 August 2022. The assistance was in the form of additional building facilities for Sipirok Tower, construction of borewell at UPT Sipirok Hospital, and provision of fire-fighting equipment for South Tapanuli Fire Department.
Sipirok, 9 August 2022 – To encourage the multiple sectors in South Tapanuli, North Sumatra, PT Agincourt Resources (PTAR), operator or Martabe Gold Mine, added facilities at multiple locations.
Most notably, Menara Pandang Sipirok (Sipirok Viewing Tower) received corridor and passageway buildings, guard posts, public toilets, and parking lots at an investment cost of IDR 1.65 billion.
PTAR General Manager of Operations Rahmat Lubis said PTAR and the South Tapanuli Regency Government had agreed to construct these additional supporting facilities at Menara Pandang Sipirok:
We are aware that PTAR and its operations are an inseparable part of South Tapanuli and we are very happy to facilitate this positive and long term contribution in this way.
The Menara Pandang at Sipirok Botanical Gardens began construction by PTAR in 2020 and was handed over to South Tapanuli Regency Government on 1 February 2021. The total budget spent by PTAR to build the 31.5 meter high and 583 square meter Menara Pandang amounted to more than IDR 13 billion.
With the new additions, Rahmat hoped there would be an increase in the visits to Sipirok Botanical Garden, taking advantage of the Menara Pandang Sipirok, which has become an icon in South Tapanuli. The maintenance of these additional facilities is entrusted entirely to the local government, to fully manage stakeholder enjoyment of the Tower. While South Tapanuli Regional Secretary Parulian Nasution said the additional assistance for Menara Pandang Sipirok building facilities from PTAR is part of the overall commitment between the Regency Government and PTAR to continue to improve services in the tourism sector, especially in Sipirok Botanical Garden area.
General Manager Operations of PTAR Rahmat Lubis with South Tapanuli Regional Secretary Parulian Nasution cut the ribbon in handing over the additional facilities for the Viewing Tower, Tuesday, 9 August 2022
General Manager Operations of PTAR Rahmat Lubis with South Tapanuli Regional Secretary Parulian Nasution cut the ribbon in handing over the additional facilities for the Viewing Tower, Tuesday, 9 August 2022.
Other Facilities
PTAR also helped facilitate the construction of a deep-bored well at Sipirok General Hospital. This bored well is a sustainability project to assist the hospital in its water management goals. Water is as critical a component for adminstering healthcare as it is for life. With an investment cost of IDR 175 million, this important infrastructure includes piping to several holding tanks at Sipirok Hospital. Water capacity of the bored well with its new water pump is about 1.5 liters per second, or 129,600 liters per day, giving staff and patients access to the water needed to heal. PTAR Community Senior Manager Christine Pepah was optimistic:
We hope that the construction of borewell can fulfil the water needs of Sipirok Hospital so that there will be no shortage, especially during the dry season.
Fire-fighting equipment for South Tapanuli Fire Department was also handed over by PTAR to South Tapanuli Regency Government at the Menara Pandang Sipirok handover ceremony. This equipment includes 10 fire proximity suits, 10 fire helmets and fire safety shoes, and 10 Pulaski Fire Axes with fiberglass handles as well as other supporting equipment such as 3 Y Place Connectors (Y Connector 2.5 to Connector 1.5 ), 2 – 1.5 inch Fire Nozzles, and 1 Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA) with the cylinder, backpack and vision mask. Capacity Building Programs through a series of Fire Fighting Competency Training events for South Tapanuli Firefighters totalling 42 people will continue to wrap up the assistance valued at IDR 128 million.
South Tapanuli Regional Secretary Parulian Nasution recognized these efforts:
On behalf of South Tapanuli Regency Government, I would like to express my highest appreciation and gratitude to PTAR which has made a contribution by allocating CSR funds for this construction.
