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Last February’s Canterbury earthquake and the Japan tsunami in March spurred Tauranga City Councillors to dust off deferred plans for tsunami warning sirens in Tauranga.
This week council staff presented a report on the seven proposals received from the 72 organisations that uplifted the tsunami siren contract documents.
Council city services group manager Ian McDonald feels the seven responses are a “pretty good response from the market.
“There was quite a bit of variation. The pricing looks okay, a couple are pretty high.
“What we would like is two or three councillors to help with next step, to get some structured presentations from top three.”
The council also co-opted councillors Wayne Moultrie, David Stewart and Bill Grainger to assist staff with evaluating the proposals.
“It is a less formal process than tenders,” says city services group manager Ian McDonald. “We said we want to make a lot of noise and warn people, and you tell us how to do it with your technology. We are trying to foster innovation and not cut people off, because they are a bit different.”
Proposal A involves 64 sirens on poles with speakers on each pole. It involves a mix of New Zealand and United States technology.
Proposal B has an unknown number of sirens and the design is not yet developed, says Ian. “They just said we have got a product. They did mention 15 metre poles.”
Proposal C proposes 18 sirens on 10m high poles, using innovative technology and D involves 51 sirens on 10m poles using proven technology.
Proposal E has 22 sirens on slightly higher poles and is a join US and NZ commission, which excludes consenting.
“That was all too hard and that was our responsibility,” says Ian.
“Under a proposal I think you are allowed to do that.”
Proposal F involves 10-15m high poles or on high ground. It involves mature technology but is a supply only situation.
They are comparing the proposals by splitting off fixed costs, management and consenting and including a cost per siren. The council has engaged an acoustics engineer to compare relative performances.
Most of the proposals picked up on the council’s hint that the 100 wastewater pump stations sprinkled at regular intervals along the coast would be a good place to site the sirens.
Council CEO Ken Paterson says because the wastewater pump stations are already consented the sirens can be installed there probably two or three years sooner.
Funding of $377,900 for the commencement of and partial installation of a tsunami siren network is approved for 2011/12. Additional funding to complete the project has been included in the Ten Year Plan.
Tenders for Papamoa’s first dedicated tsunami escape bridges are also expected to be called soon, with construction starting in April, and the first bridges in eastern Papamoa expected to be available for use by the end of the financial year in June.
The bridges are to provide pedestrian escape routes across the drain that lies parallel to and behind Papamoa’s shoreline residential development, blocking escape to open country.
