14 February 2018

Media: Rotorua Daily Post

Topic: Tree felling around the district

Enquiry

The following questions were asked:

- A letter from Rotorua Lakes Council to residents in the Pukehangi area this week advised the felling work in the Bloomfield Gully was under way and had been brought forward. Is this because of Trish Butterworth's death? If not, what are the reasons for the rescheduling?

- Was any of the other scheduled felling work brought forward?

- How much will this work (total) cost?

- Who is paying for it (I ask this because a day care mentioned a week ago they were paying for some tree felling along Long Mile Road so wondered if it was the same).

Subsequent clarification re day care and further question:

- The day care was paying for tree felling on Wharenui Rd, not Long Mile so if you could confirm whether the council is paying for all the felling work, that would be great.

-Additional to your last release, I've noticed felling happening on Sunset Rd between the two schools which wasn't listed in that release so can you include in your response a list of the felling projects happening in the coming weeks.

The reporter later further clarified that the Wharenui Rd work was on private property

Response

Initial information provided:

The reporter was advisted that information had already been supplied to another reporter that the Blomfield Gully work was not brought forward as a result of what occurred during the January storm.

Please see HERE on Council's website for information regarding the Blomfield Gully work.

The reporter was also informed that work on trees in the Steeles Lane Reserve had been brought forward to be incorporated with the Blomfield Gully work not because of what occured in the January storm.

Please see HERE on Council's website for information regarding this work and regarding tree felling along Long Mile and Tarawera roads which is also underway.

Subsequent full, formal response:

Comment from Sport and Recreation Manager Rob Pitkethley:

"Council has an ongoing tree maintenance programme which has continued alongside work to deal with about 100 trees that were damaged or came down during the January storm. The number of trees affected by the storm was unprecedented and there is still some clean-up underway. Some of the work has been incorporated into the scheduled tree maintenance programme."

Information from Council:

• Blomfield Gully work that was contracted in September 2017 and scheduled for late February/early March (see HERE for details) has begun about two weeks earlier due to contractors being available sooner than was anticipated. Contract price $74,000.
• Work to remove trees from the Steeles Lane Reserve in Western Heights (see HERE for details) has been incorporated with the Blomfield Gully felling. Contract price $18,500.
• Work on Long-Mile Rd and Tarawera Rd is a mix of final clearing of storm damaged trees and scheduled felling. This is being done by a regular contractor who will invoice RLC on completion.

Other tree maintenance and felling scheduled for the coming months includes:

• Ongoing crown reduction work on liquidambers in Amohia, Haupapa and Pukuatua streets. This work started about 18 months ago and is being done as part of InfraCore's contract with Council for tree maintenance.
• Felling of eucalypts in Sala Street, in the area behind Palmers Garden Centre. Several of a large group of trees here were damaged in the January storm and were removed post-storm. Assessment of the remaining about 40 trees in this area is now underway to ascertain how many will need to be removed. The cost is not known at this time.

Regarding Sunset Rd, Council isn't undertaking any felling there but it could be that TransPower are doing something as there is a high transmission line running through there.

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Media: Rotorua Daily Post

Topic: Temporary Library building

Enquiry

The reporter sought information on what would happen to the temporary Library building now that Te Aka Mauri was open

Response

The reporter was informed she would need to speak to the property owners regarding their plans for the property.