SINGAPORE – Dakota resident Oh Ai Khim didn’t make a daily stop to eat at his favorite food center while it was closed for four months for improvements.

“I was ‘suffering’ because I missed the wide variety of delicious food here,” he said on Nov. 4. “I’m glad to come back and see that it’s cleaner, fresher and brighter.”

The 70-year-old retired dishwasher summed up the feelings of quite a few customers and hawkers after revisiting the food center and shopping center at Block 51 Old Airport Road, which reopened on October 1.

The popular food center had been closed from June 1 to September 30 for remodeling.

Marine Parade Council said cyclical repair and redecoration (R&R) works included repainting interior and exterior walls, repairing defects in communal areas and replacing tables and chairs.

In addition, high-volume, low-speed fans were installed, as well as low-consumption LED lighting. The bathrooms were renovated and the exhaust systems were improved.

Bird netting and spikes were added and the outdoor seating area was improved, along with the installation of new flooring and cladding.

Mr Ding Fang Zhi, 50, opened his new stall, 98 Handmade Noodle, Fish Soup & Spinach Soup, in the food center after the renovation.

Ding, whose stall was previously in Serangoon, said: “I appreciate the fans that make the place cooler and the new tables and chairs for a better dining experience.”

Others, however, had mixed feelings about the renovation.

Among them are Mr Lim Kee Yong, whose letter was published on the Straits Times Forum page on October 29.

He said that despite the installation of larger ceiling fans, ventilation remains poor because there is no proper suction system and the smoke emitted from barbecues and frying accumulates and causes people to cough.

Cooks and helpers also have to work in crowded conditions.