Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild
Work is continuing on the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team’s forward schedule of works, which is expected to be available for public release in coming weeks following input from the three client organisations - Christchurch City Council, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority (CERA) and New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA). The schedule will indicate work timelines for areas across the city for the next 18 months. This work schedule will help inform the public about the rebuild and what packages of work will be completed first. A communications plan around the release of the programme is currently being prepared by the three Client organisations.
A SCIRT road safety campaign launched earlier this year is targeting drivers who speed through work sites. As the volume of road works increases across the city this has been highlighted as a key issue and was the subject of a Close Up media story in late March. SCIRT is also working on safety programmes for the public and visiting schools to talk about safety around work sites.
Further information will be available in the monthly progress report for 19 April Council meeting.
Report from the Stronger Christchurch Infrastructure Rebuild Team
Central City Plan
The Council is still waiting to hear back from the Minister for Canterbury Earthquake Recovery on the draft Central City Plan. This is now expected to be during April.
Meanwhile, staff have been working on a range of projects which support the private sector with new initiatives and our community to re-engage with the Central City. These include temporary streetscape designs, signage and interpretation of earthquake-damaged sites. Work is also underway on some temporary enhancements to Papawai Otakaro and a programme of art installations linking the Canterbury Museum and Botanic Gardens with City Mall.
Staff are also working closely with private developers – individual land owners and commercial groups – to assist with recovery in the Central City. This recovery coordination role is critical to provide a link which will help the public navigate through Council’s processes and to connect people and projects to ensure a better outcome for our city and community.
Commercial Rebuilds
For the period 26.03.2012 - 01.04.2012
For new commercial rebuilds valued over $1 million there have been:
• Two commercial rebuilds across the city.
• The net value of these is estimated to be $9,080,000.00.
• One of these was within the CBD red zone (cordon as represented on the map at www.cera.govt.nz on 02.04.2012).
• The other was within the Four Avenues.
Suburban Centres Programme
Public feedback on Lyttelton and Sydenham’s Draft Master Plans is now available online and hard copies are available in both centres. Work is progressing on the draft Master Plans for Linwood Village, Selwyn Street shops, Ferry Road and Sumner Village Centre and case management continues in all earthquake-affected suburban commercial centres.
The status of the Master Plans is as follows:
• Lyttelton and Sydenham Draft Master Plans – submissions have been analysed and are available online. Hard copies are also available in both centres. Findings will be reported to the Community Boards before coming to Council for a decision on whether to hold hearings.
• Worcester/Stanmore ('Linwood Village') and Selwyn Street Shops Draft Master Plans – submissions are being analysed and findings will be reported to the Community Boards before coming to the Council for a decision on whether to hold hearings.
• Ferry Road/Main Road Master Plan (Stage 1) – currently in the Collaborative Design Process phase of the project where staff, design professionals and key stakeholders pull together ideas from the community workshops focus group sessions, financial models and research. A Council workshop was held on 20 March and the Draft Master Plan will be completed over the next two months for consideration by the Community Board and the Council.
• Sumner’s 'community-led' Masterplan – this focuses on the shopping area in Sumner. Timeframes for community workshops for the Sumner Village Centre Masterplan are being developed with the Joint Advisory Group (JAG), with the first of the focus group workshops expected to begin in the first week of April
Council Facilities Rebuild Plan
Council staff presented the draft prioritised list of when Council-owned buildings are due to receive Detailed Engineering Evaluation (DEE) assessments at a well-attended combined Community Boards seminar on 19 March. The draft list was confirmed by the Council earlier in the month.
Community boards have been asked for their feedback on the list. A report which will include their recommendations will go to the 3 May Council meeting.
A new database allows members of the public to easily search for the status of a facility and see when it will receive a DEE assessment.
Port Hills Geotech
The "ground-truthing" of the GNS Science risk reports in pilot areas is now complete and the information is being reviewed with final draft reports due soon. Ground-truthing – the term used to refer to on-site expert evaluations of information presented in risk modelling reports – will now continue on areas outside the pilot studies, focusing first on houses that have been issued s124 notices prohibiting occupation.
Council staff continue to work with CERA on the issues and coordinate ongoing communication with residents affected by Port Hills issues.
Major Sewer Upgrade
Western Interceptor
Work on the Western Interceptor trunk sewer is making good progress, with the tunnelling work completed. The Western Interceptor project along with the Fendalton Duplication, is part of the Council’s major sewer upgrade. A 15-year programme of wastewater projects costing in excess of $150 million, which will ultimately reduce wet weather overflows into the city’s rivers and increase sewage capacity to allow for the future development to the city's southwest, including new subdivisions encompassing more than 10,000 properties.
The Western Interceptor pipeline has now been tunnelled the full length of St Asaph Street, through South Hagley Park and to the intersection of Blenheim Road and Dalgety Street, with completion of manholes, other additional sewer works and reinstatement of roads scheduled for July 2012. The pipe has been tunnelled in 10 separate drives, starting on 11 October 2010 and finishing on 23 February 2012.
Fendalton Duplication
The Fendalton Duplication is under construction in two areas: on Deans Avenue at the Riccarton Road roundabout and on Fendalton Road between Holmwood Road and Harper Avenue.
Since the earthquake in February 2011 there has been an increase in traffic volumes in this area and the works have caused traffic delays for some time. Delay mitigation initiatives were agreed by all parties involved with the contract, Council’s Traffic Safety Unit and the Strategic Routes Group. The City bound carriageway of Fendalton Road is programmed to be re-opened mid April 2012 and then the Airport bound carriageway will be closed until August 2012 when the road will be re-sealed. Work on Deans Avenue will periodically affect traffic with work due to begin on Riccarton roundabout at the end of April. Following completion of the works on the roundabout, the remainder of the sewer laying works will be undertaken on the southern end of Deans Avenue which will mean a reduction in to 1 traffic lane in each direction along this section.
The earthquake in February 2011 has caused significant delay to the contract, with Quake related delays now totalling 9 months. Physical works are now expected to be complete in September 2012.
We are currently on course to deliver the project which will enable us to pipe wastewater from the proposed residential areas in the south west, back to the Christchurch Waste Treatment Plant at Bromley. In order to fully service the development in the south west of the city the Council also has plans for a pressure main and pumping station to be built at Wigram, to be completed by June 2013.
Ferrymead Bridge Strengthen and Widen Project
Following the Council decision in December last year to demolish the existing bridge and replace it with a new one, the design and consenting work for a new bridge is now underway. Planning and negotiation for the new contract have also begun. In coming months, the existing bridge will be demolished and traffic will be diverted onto temporary bridges. The demolition is planned to be complete by October. This plan sees the new bridge completed by early 2014. These project milestones assume that the design and construction progresses to plan.
We now have initial geotech data for the four central piles. This data indicates that there are layers of good bedrock interspersed with ash and scoria. The bridge designers are working to develop the pile design for these difficult conditions. These 2.4 metre diameter piles are likely to be driven a minimum of 8 metres into the bedrock. Bedrock is around 10 - 25 metres below the surface, giving a minimum pile length of about 35 metres. Environment Canterbury (ECAN) has confirmed that the current resource consent will allow the existing bridge to be demolished and a new one built. A new building consent is required, and will likely require a staged consent as design and construction will proceed concurrently.
Aranui Library
The project is well underway with on-site works progressing well. The foundation footings and concrete pour is almost complete and work has started on the panel walls.
It is expected that this project will now be completed by September 2012, which links in with the library’s vision "Te Puawaitanga o te Tangata - The Blossoming of the People".
Water Restrictions
On Monday 2 April 2012, water restrictions which have been in place for Christchurch, Lyttelton Harbour and Akaroa, were lifted. It is unlikely that the region will face further restrictions in the summer of 2012/13, however, this will depend on progress to repairs, water consumption levels and whether we experience any more significant aftershocks.
Water and Water Waste Extensions to Charteris Bay
A preliminary design report, including recommendation of a preferred solution for reticulation of wastewater from Charteris Bay properties to the existing reticulation in Church Bay and through to the Diamond Harbour Treatment Plant has been produced by international engineering company GHD Ltd.
The Council staff review of this report has required further technical and financial investigation of the scheme. It is expected that the agreed preferred option for wastewater reticulation and adoption of the design report by staff will now be completed and a paper presented to the Council Water and Wastewater Committee in April.
After approval by Council, a presentation will be made to the Lyttelton-Mt Herbert Community Board, followed by information sharing with property owners at a public meeting and individual discussions. Construction is due to begin in September 2012 and in the project is expected to be finished 2013/2014. The Lyttelton/Mount Herbert Community Board has been briefed on these projects. Initial Communication with property owners, the Charteris Bay Residents’ Association and other stakeholders has been undertaken.
Recreation and Sport
QEII Fitness at Parklands has opened and is providing a much appreciated service. Jellie Park and Pioneer are both open, while QEII and Centennial Recreation and Sport Centres remain closed.
A number of community events, including LYFE, Children’s Day, Culture Galore and Waltham Park Skate Jam were held throughout March. These events saw thousands of people from the community in attendance and were made possible through Council support.
The popular cycle event, Le Race, was held on 31 March with over 700 people participating. A new women’s course record was set by Reta Trotman in a time of 2:56:04. Sam Horgan won the overall race in 2:40:55. This year a special ‘two for one’ offer for rate payers encouraged people from outside of Christchurch to participate.
The Pioneer Recreation and Sport Centre Learn to Swim Pool, dedicated to providing swimming lessons for children, was officially opened on Sunday 11 March. In 2006, the Council identified as part of its Aquatic Facilities Plan that a new, shallow pool to provide swim education opportunities for younger children and to free up space in the other pools for other users. The 16-metre, four-lane pool is dual-depth: depending on children’s needs, its water level can be changed in a short space of time, providing a shallow, confidence-building environment.
Staff from the Recreation and Sport Unit were involved in the historic first Crusaders match for Super Rugby at the new AMI Stadium. Christchurch City Council was the first to commit to the development of the stadium in September 2011 and will continue to remain involved as it sees sport and recreation as significant contributors to Christchurch’s recovery
The Southern Centre, a multi-sensory recreation experience for children and people with disabilities, will have its official reopening on Wednesday 18 April. Post-earthquake, it has been relocated from QEII to Pioneer, and its return is eagerly awaited by its clients.
Christchurch City Council are sponsors of the Christchurch Airport Marathon which will be held on Sunday 3 June. This event has a new naming rights sponsor and an exciting new course located close to the Christchurch Airport. The key Council message is to ‘give it a go’ and to encourage people of all abilities to get involved. People can sign up at any Council recreation and sports centre by Friday 4 May.
Christchurch Art Gallery
Local artists have been hit hard by the recent earthquakes, losing studios, works and exhibition venues. Acknowledging this, the Gallery has developed Rolling Maul, which borrows its title from a classic rugby union maneuver and hopes to be similarly effective in gaining ground against tough opposition. Supporting the production and exhibition of new work, Rolling Maul, in Christchurch Art Gallery’s offsite venue above NG in Madras Street, will feature solo and group exhibitions and runs from March until December. The series has been supported by Creative New Zealand.
The first of these is Sam Harrison’s exhibition of sculpted carcasses, Render. It opened on Saturday 31 March and, continues until 22 April 2012. NG is at 212 Madras Street. For more information visit www.christchurchartgallery.org.nz
The Gallery’s Outer Spaces initiative, which brings art and art-related programmes to the people of Christchurch and further afield, has been a great success and more projects will unfold over the next few months. The latest Outer Spaces project is an exhibition by Christchurch artist Julia Morison, above NG and The National in Madras Street, a space overlooking the inner-city red zone (opening on 10 February).
Since the Gallery’s closure, its education programmes have been delivered directly to schools and this will continue. There has also been an increased focus on the Gallery’s online presence. The Gallery has also been looking for an alternative exhibition space and has so far considered several options, including the Centre for Contemporary Art (CoCA), next door to the Gallery. This building is also constrained by the demolition of the nearby Gallery Apartments. Repairs to CoCA are not expected to take as long as the Gallery’s and this is being discussed as a potential space, along with other possibilities.
Carriageway Sealing and Surfacing
The annual programme is underway and we made good progress in February and March.
Botanic Gardens Centre
The design phase has been completed and expressions of interest for the construction of the facility have been called.
Council will be given the opportunity (during the draft Annual Plan process) to confirm its desire to build the facility given the budget and its pressing earthquake related demands.
Lower Milns
Works have commenced and project is on track at this stage. Frequent rain has made the work site difficult for the contractor at times. Clearing of some existing swales has assisted. Works are progressing well now the site has dried out.
Christchurch Southern Motorway (CSM) and Aidenfield Drive Underpass
The CSM project in on schedule and budget to be completed by February 2013. The overall CSM project is over 55% through construction. This component of the overall project is approximately 70% complete.
Works are commencing on the connection from Aidanfield Drive to Wigram Rd in April 2011 with a target of opening the new overbridge by June 2012.
Akaroa Water Upgrade
Following a delay in identifying an available resource to provide the final 'technical' input into the two RFPs, the Project Manager is continuing to provide assistance to Procurement in respect to defining the two RFPs, Procurement Plan, Risk Matrix and a Tender Evaluation Plan.
It is anticipated that the RFP's will now be finalised by 5 April and ready for issue (subject to final approval).
In support of the overall project requirements, Council has reviewed and approved the purchase of the proposed L'Aube Water Treatment Plant site during its 15 Feb sitting for $300,000.
A revised expenditure profile (cost plan) will be developed following the appointment of Design Consultants, which will provide Council with more certainty in respect to the projects overall costs given the rise in construction costs.
It is hoped that subject to final approval, this project will still be able to be delivered ahead of our statutory requirements as outlined in the Drinking Water Standards NZ.
