Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service is turning to Tauranga City Council for $65,000 worth of 'urgent” assistance to rebuild its leaking, unsafe lifeguard tower.
According to the club, the tower, which has helped keep watch over Mount Main Beach for over 25 years, is an unsafe working environment for lifeguards and is in critical need of rebuilding at a cost of $129,000.
Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service general manager Glenn Bradley inspects the club's tower. Photos: Tracy Hardy.
The plea was made through the club's submission to the council's 2015-25 Long Term Plan at a recent meeting.
Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service general manager Glenn Bradley says this is part of a package of changes to the clubhouse for which the club has sought a 50 per cent council contribution, or $200,000.
The balance will come from the club and community-sourced funding.
Glenn says the tower was an extension on to the club around 25 years ago and the $129,000 will cover a complete rebuild, and at the very least stripping it back to its framing.
The tower isn't not currently watertight, with water also entering the main building through the tower.
'The leaking has really exacerbated in the last 12-to-18 months,” says Glenn.
The club hopes to have the rebuild completed ahead of the 2015/16 summer patrol season and believes a cost benefit analysis of the tower clearly shows that the figures are far less than the ongoing remedial costs over the next 12 months.
'The lifeguard tower is an essential part of our patrolling service,” he adds.
'The tower is the hub for managing the patrol and communicating with lifeguards at the flagged area which are usually 300m-400m down from the club and those lifeguards on roaming patrols along the extended coastline.
'It also affords a view of the entire main beach area that lifeguards at the water's edge cannot effectively monitor.”
The club also sought $135,000 to change the layout of the emergency management medical and administrative support facilities. It said the facilities would no longer be fit for purpose once new health and safety regulations came into force.
'The need to upgrade the emergency/admin facilities was highlighted during the Jack Dixon search,” reads the submission. 'Our medical facility is inadequate and has been rated at first aid standard.”
The third component is to build an operations room, worth $200,000, to deliver the integrated support required for co-ordinating both ocean and land-based rescues in 2016.
This would provide an area for the search and rescue incident management team, separate to the main hall used for search and rescue operations.
Council will make a decision on its LTP next month.
19 comments
Lifeguards
Posted on 12-05-2015 15:50 | By surfsup
Can we hope that the council will simply say go ahead and get the whole lot done as this is such an important safety issue. perhaps the council could ask our local MP if some of the flag money could be diverted to a cause which is of benefit to the area .I won't hold my breath on issue scenario.
LifeGuards
Posted on 12-05-2015 16:18 | By socantor01
I see that the Mt Maunganui Lifeguards have some great sponsors. Surely they should be approached first before any thought is given to asking for any ratepayer money.
Spot the mould!!!!
Posted on 12-05-2015 16:25 | By Jimmy Ehu
Council cannot be hypercritical here, if they can get a new glass edifice, so can Surf Lifesaving......
Another handout?
Posted on 12-05-2015 16:53 | By YOGI BEAR
So has the club been "maintaining it", has it got money to towards the cost or is this another case of no thought about replacement or anything at all? Is this like Hockey where they all have holidays then expect TCC ratepayers to pay for the new "nice to have" things. Same as Cricket on massive costs all paid by everyone else, none of these outfits have raised a penny themselves except by endless handouts from public coffers.
lifesavers
Posted on 12-05-2015 18:18 | By surfsup
Surprised by the very negative comments ,this is a non profit organization who ensure that the very major commercial asset we have "The Beach" is a safe area for tourists to come and pump millions into the local economy. With regard to the comments made by yogi bear. check your facts before you make such silly comments, the hockey fraternity raised a significant amount as I/m sure the cricket family did as well. There have been many things the council has funded over the years that are questionable, surf lifesaving and anything associated with it is not a waste of money.
Self Inflicted agnst ?
Posted on 13-05-2015 07:32 | By ROCCO
It is readily accepted that our lifeguards do a great job and rarely get true recognition for the service they provide but that doesn't mean they have a carte blanche to tackle TCC ratepayers for their every need. In this case the Tower is critical to lifeguards work but it looks like it hasn't been properly maintained over the years and the self inflicted problem has now hit the fan.TLC would have helped and avoided this self induced crisis- the use and abuse mentality doesn't work - its the same with motor vehicles so guys and girls wake up and play the game and you will find the community will be more receptive to your approaches.
Totally agree @surfsup
Posted on 13-05-2015 07:59 | By RawPrawn
The word 'club' is perhaps misleading here, as this is a vital service provided for the welfare of tens of thousands of visitors here every year, and should be an absolute priority for Council. SLSCs shouldn't have to rely so heavily on public spirited sponsors to be able to do their job
Rate Payers
Posted on 13-05-2015 09:04 | By Rate1
This is a very important safety asset that above all must be fixed. It is sad when you get the likes of Yogi Bear saying stupid comments, perhaps they don't use the beach or need rescuing when caught in a rip, when the very people you need when you are in that situation are the life savers who patrol our beaches tirelessly in summer.Lets fix it Council.
Pay up
Posted on 13-05-2015 09:08 | By astex
After the ridiculous amount of money and effort council put into the un-needed bronzes on the strand they should pay for this without any hesitation. C'mon everyone get real, do you want your kids etc do be safe or not?
Urgent need???
Posted on 13-05-2015 11:38 | By Bronzewing
Looking at the photos shows me that there has not been any meaningful maintenance done in years. If you are going to build things then you should also be carrying out REGULAR proper maintenance. Not sure that the ratepayers should be stumping up for this sort of neglect but the council manage our assets the same way, so start writing the cheque now. Leave the amount blank.
Get your heads out of the sand
Posted on 13-05-2015 15:46 | By CONDOR
Checked it out today and has leaky building syndrome written all over it.Really only a 3mx3m poorly constructed room built above & into the Clubrooms roof the worst possible scenario. Demolish it repair the roof and build a new fit for purpose tower using some voluntary labour etc. and TCC could then perhaps look at paying for materials.But $65K +$129K +$135k and $200k that totals $1/2million for what exactly what???? OVER THE TOP !!!
But
Posted on 17-05-2015 02:54 | By Kenworthlogger
But, but ,but this country needs a new flag.....
What price a human life?
Posted on 27-05-2015 08:32 | By robin bell
The CONDOR does her usual cynical flyover looking for easy pickings.Asking the usual cynical questions trying desperately to elevate her flagging influence. What's it all for? she asks,FOR THE GOOD OF ALL OF US you silly bird. Robin Bell.
Kenworthlogger
Posted on 27-05-2015 14:51 | By YOGI BEAR
Why ... why ... why ... why ... why ... why ... why ... there is no reason to change simply because one can. Surely some meaningful reason would need to exist first, there isn't one now is there.
What price indeed a human life?
Posted on 27-05-2015 14:55 | By YOGI BEAR
Perhaps you should direct that question to the club itself for building such a substandard addition for such an important purpose. How can anyone take them seriously when there is such a double standard here. Good call CONDOR, you have the real issue sorted here, the money handouts asked for are huge, for what is a very small area of some 3x3m or so, how possibly can there be a need of some 1/2 million of charity from TCC ratepayers. Send them packing I say, maybe to TECT, they are good at handing out huge money for nonsense.
Twenty five years,
Posted on 27-05-2015 17:50 | By robin bell
of use. Twenty five years of guarding the beach. Twenty five ungrateful whinging grey haired groupies.The hero's deserve our total support,not just for their heroic deeds,but for the example they show to the young. T.C.C and other councils owe them a debt of gratitude.Something YOGI BEAR and his feathered friend will NEVER understand. Robin Bell.
Yogi
Posted on 04-06-2015 14:38 | By Kenworthlogger
The flag comment was tounge in cheek. Govt happy to pay 26 million for a flag but we have people saving lives here at the beach and no govt funding. I totally agree with you on this one Robin. The tower would have been built to a council building code. It leaks cause the councils buliding regulations are poor. They dont have leaky house sindrome in Aussie cause their building code is much better.
Kenworthlogger
Posted on 08-06-2015 00:34 | By YOGI BEAR
I assumed that :)
Kenworthlogger
Posted on 09-06-2015 17:53 | By YOGI BEAR
There are no leaky homes in Aussie because it doesn't rain.
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