Weekly Bulletin Number 138
17 July 2009
City waters

Inflow reduction project
* Council is continuing to phone property owners in the Esk Street area who have yet to advise us they have fixed their non complying gully traps.
* Approximately 50% of gully trap inspections have been completed in the Royal Palms/Fashion Island area this week.

Southern pipeline
* Brian Perry Civil have now taken possession of the Maleme Street site for the new 1,300m3 wastewater storage tank and pump station. This marks the start of construction for the main Southern Pipeline Project.
* Work on upgrading the land based section of the Anchorage Grove Siphon has only a few minor tidy ups left. Efforts are ongoing to resolve the appeals against the resource consents that were granted.

Waiari water supply project
* A decision is expected from the hearing commissioner by the end of July 2009 following a resource consent hearing for the construction and operation of a new water intake and treatment plant to serve the Papamoa urban growth.

Water supply
* The annual mains flushing programme will begin in the first week of August, taking approximately six weeks to complete. Notices will be placed in local newspapers and on Council's website to notify areas affected.
* Council maintenance contractors are connecting some properties on to new pipe work on Chadwick Road. Affected residents will be informed and work is programmed to be complete by 24th July.
* Investigation work on part of Darraghs Road has confirmed some areas of old galvanised pipe need upgrading to address pipe condition and fire fighting supply issues. Plans are finalised and a quote is being sought.
* Work to fix last week's mains break in Norton Road has been completed. Reinstatement of the area has been delayed due to poor weather conditions.
* Council have nearly finished checking a selection of water meters across the city. Testing for accuracy is part of ongoing meter performance monitoring, and we may replace your meter if further testing is needed. If you are at home during the testing, staff will advise you if they need to stop your water supply - likely to be only for around 5 minutes if at all. Staff carry TCC identification cards and wear TCC Hi-Viz vests. Anyone with any queries should call our customer services team on (07) 577 7000.
* Council has moved to restrict water supply to three properties where there have been non-payment of water rates. In these cases accounts have been unpaid for more than 18 months and all letters, restriction warnings and attempts to contact the property owner in person have been ignored. (One of the three customers came straight in this week to organise a payment plan only after the restriction took place.) Water restriction involves inserting a small restrictor limiting the volume of water supplied to a property. The volume supplied is about 100 litres per day over a 24 hour period. There is sufficient water for hygiene purposes like flushing the toilet and to drink.

Drainage
* Two sewer problems were reported this week: The Courtney Road sewer overflowed with some wastewater draining to a nearby open stormwater drain. This was the result of a blockage caused by a build up of fat. Some pipe settlement issues in this area will be fixed during proposed development of the site; There was a sewer blockage in Corinth Grove, Papamoa. Fat build up was cleared by a high pressure jet.
* City Care Ltd attended two drainage incidents that were found to be private and were referred onto the property owners to fix.
* The Pollution Prevention team were called out to address a sediment problem within an open drain suspected to be coming from nearby council stormwater works near Sharyn Place, Otumoetai. Additional sediment traps were installed and water sampling carried out this week to gauge suspended solid levels. Results showed these to be within allowable levels.
* An investigation into a reoccurring odour problem at a food premise on The Strand has found the problem is within their own drainage system. Council pipes have been inspected and cleaned as a matter of course.

City projects
* A design for a new gravity stormwater outfall for Greerton Park has been completed. The purpose of this is to minimise the time that floodwater ponds on the playing fields. This work is one of the Active Reserve Management Plan actions.
* Design work for new infrastructure (toilets, access, car park etc) at old Cambridge Road tip site is under way.
* Design work for McLaren Falls development is under way.

Transportation
* Matapihi Road: Minor works will be taking place on Matapihi Road between the railway line & Owens Place. The work, which will be done at night (between 7pm and 7am), is expected to start on Sunday 19 July and is likely to take three nights. Traffic lanes around the Bayfair Roundabout will be reduced and traffic management will be in place. Expect delays.

* Taniwha Place: Construction of a right turn bay on State Highway 2 (on the Tauranga side of the Wairoa Bridge) to make it safer for traffic turning into Taniwha Place is progressing well. Bad weather has meant some delays in the work. Motorists need to take care in the area. Traffic delays are possible.

* Matapihi Road Combined Footpath and Cycle Way: Work to construct a combined footpath and cycle way on Matapihi Road beside the Omanu Golf Course is continuing. The pedestrian crossing on Matapihi Road near the Bayfair Roundabout will be moved about 50 metres further down the road towards the golf course. Some traffic delays are likely while this work is being done.

* Travel Smart: Tauranga City Council's 'Travel Smart' project has been selected as a finalist in the Top Commitment to walking by a New Zealand Organisation category of the Golden Foot Awards. The Golden Foot Awards are designed to recognise walking friendly innovations that have improved standards and gone beyond statutory requirements or 'everyday business' of organisations. The awards are organised and run by Living Streets Aotearoa and were developed with the assistance of NZTA. Living Streets Aotearoa is New Zealand's national walking and pedestrian organisation. The winner will be announced at the presentations ceremony in Wellington on Friday, 24th July.

Parks and leisure
* Staff are progressing a proposal to install a self contained coin operated dog washing facility in Fergusson Park. The unit is no larger than a car park and will be clustered with other buildings on the site.
* Kingswood Road walkway link through to the Judea sports field will be closed until the end of winter owing to stormwater remediation work.
* Cold winter nights has put pressure on the new boiler unit at the Rose Garden Display House, but after a few blockages were cleared, it is all back to a tropical toasty micro-climate in the colourful conservatory.

Events Tauranga
Baycourt Community and Arts Centre
* Wed 15 to Sun 19 July - Clothing sale - Exhibition Space
* Friday 17 July - Antique Coin and Collectibles - Baycourt Terrace
* Sat 18 July - John Chen (piano concert) - Baycourt Theatre
* Sun 19 July - Kelvin Cruickshank (medium) - Baycourt Theatre
* Tues 21 and 22 July - Zespri AGM - Whole complex

Democracy
Projects & Services Committee – Monday, 20 July 2009
* Southern Pipeline Memorial Park Pump Station
* Progress Report on Key Transportation Projects
* Mount Greens Sports Facility & Cosmopolitan Club Project Update
* Tauranga Indoor Sport & Exhibition Centre Project Update

Strategy & Policy Committee - Monday, 20 July
* District Plan Review Process and Timelines - This report sets out the intended timeframe for finalising the draft City Plan for notification.
* District Plan Review Community Feedback and Issue Direction - This report sets out further discussion on the review of the current District Plan and proposed content for the Baypark and Education Centre Zone sections of the draft City Plan.

Strategy & Policy Committee - Tuesday, 21 July
* Draft Operation of Mobile Shops Policy – Consideration of Submissions - Receiving the written submissions and considering verbal submissions on the Draft Operation of Mobile Shops Policy. Recommending adoption of final policy.
* Waste Management Strategy - Proposed Governance Approach - To consider Council's approach to the governance of the review of its Waste Management Plan.

Airport Committee – Friday, 24 July 2009
* Status Report to June 2009 - Providing an update in respect of current Airport activities.

Mayor's Diary
Monday 20 July
* District Plan Review
* Projects and Services Committee
* Western Bay at Work Function – Mills Reef

Tuesday 21 July
* Informal Debrief on Ten Year Plan
* Summer Activity Taskforce
* Councillors Informal Forum
* Strategy & Policy Committee
* BOP Polytechnic Welcome visiting Saudis

Wednesday 22 July
* Mayoral Forum
* Joint CEO / Mayors Meeting with WBOPDC

Thursday 23 July
* Transportation Taskforce Meeting

Friday 24 July
* Airport Committee Meeting

Sunday 26 July
* Travel to LGNZ Conference Christchurch