8 July 2020
Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Footpath hazard
Enquiry
I am working on a story regarding concerns about the state of footpath at the corner of Grey St and Lytton St. We have spoken with a pensioner who has tripped on the footpath, injuring herself, as there is an apparent height difference of 2-3cms between the old footpath and a new one just installed by council contractors. We understand contractors were working on this path a week or more ago.
The pensioner has told us there was nothing warning her of the step. She is not a frail senior but she has described the state of the footpath as careless and negligent and would like to see warning notices or signs, at least, installed so no one else gets hurt as she has been.
Can we please find out:
- Have you received a complaint regarding the state of the footpath, when was it dated and what is the council doing about it?
- Who was carrying out the work on the footpath, were they working on anything else in the area, and why was the footpath replaced?
- How much did these works cost and how was this being funded? (ratepayers?)
- If not already mentioned above, what specifically is the council doing to remedy the footpath, if anything? Why? How much will this cost and where is the money being funded from (meaning, will the contractors, council, or ratepayers pay)?
- What is the council's response to the pensioner's claims of the negligent and careless state of the footpath? And what is the response to the footpath being left with the height difference described above?
- We have been told there are many pensioners who walk - some with frames - in the area. What concerns, if any, does the council have for their safety in light of this footpath complaint?
- What discussion has there been with the contractors responsible, and how does the council plan to ensure this does not happen again?
Response
The response was as follows:
I thought it was worth clarifying a couple of things for your understanding and for context. It's also covered off in the response.
Your enquiry assumed there has been work done on this footpath, that the footpath has been replaced and left in this state.
There has been no recent footpath work in this area and council has no record of any previous reports of problems with this section of footpath.
It's possible there may be confusion because there is work happening nearby but that is water mains renewal, not footpath replacement.
As explained in our CE's response, it appears the problem has occurred due to a portion of footpath sinking (by an estimated 2-3cm), creating a lip. We do not know the exact cause of that but it could have happened over time.
The portion of footpath adjacent to the piece that has sunk may also look like it is new because it is lighter in colour than the rest, and may have led to the belief that this part of the footpath had just been replaced. It is, however, several years old.
Hope the above helps - it is also covered off in our CE's response, see below:
From CE Geoff Williams:
We are deeply concerned that this has happened and Mrs Sullivan has sustained such significant injuries. We have been in touch with Mrs Sullivan to check on her and reassure her that the hazard has been fixed.
Ensuring public facilities and amenities are safe for our community to use is very important so we take this matter extremely seriously.
Our contractor, InfraCore, has undertaken temporary repairs until the section of footpath can be replaced. That will happen once water mains renewal work that is currently underway is finished, which is expected to be within a month.
The problem appears to have arisen due to a portion of footpath sinking, creating a 2-3cm lip, but we cannot categorically say how that was caused. It may have happened over a period of time. We have no record of any previous reports about this and regrettably, it was not noticed by those working on water mains renewal nearby.
We are grateful to the surveyor who immediately marked the footpath after seeing Mrs Sullivan fall on Friday. The issue was referred to InfraCore after Mrs Sullivan contacted Council on Monday, was referred back to Council and was fixed on Tuesday.
In Rotorua there are approximately 412km of concrete, bitumen and cobblestone footpaths and damage can be caused by the likes our geothermal environment, vehicles, tree roots and occasionally weather. It's not possible to inspect all footpaths on a daily basis so we encourage and rely on the public to help identify damage or issues that need our attention. Safety issues are dealt with as a priority and people can report issues by calling us on 3484199.
In terms of hazard identification, we regularly remind our contractors about the importance of this at work sites and will continue to do so.
*NOTE: see below images for reference:
Image of footpath before temporary fix
Image of footpath showing temporary fix
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Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Marguerita Street consultation
Enquiry
I'm working on a story about the proposed changes to Marguerita St, currently out for public feedback.
I've spoken to a commercial property owner in the area, Peter Baas, who owns Farm Source along with several other properties.
He's started a petition he intends on presenting to the council expressing support for option 1 - the status quo.
He's made some comments I'd like to give the council the opportunity to reply to - below.
Peter Baas:
"I'm dismayed the council never notified commercial property owners. I only found out through chance. They never made any effort at all to approach commercial property owners, which is disconcerting."
He said options two and three could "force" vehicles on to alternate routes and add kilometres to prospective customers' journeys.
"It's not very green to be forcing vehicles to travel more than they need to."
Baas said any proposal that could negatively affect local business in the aftermath of Covid-19 was "completely absurd".
He was "always wary" when three options were presented as it meant the likely result would be the middle option.
"The middle ground is not good enough.
"The business community have been there a lot longer [than residents]. [Residents] knew what the street was like when they moved in."
Baas said the feeling among the business owners he had spoken to was "very strong" and in favour of maintaining the status quo.
"They cannot believe the council has let it get that far. It has no merit and would be very detrimental to businesses."
Shirley Trumper:
Rotorua Rural Community Board chairwoman Shirley Trumper said the rural community had not been considered a stakeholder in preparing options for Marguerita St.
There is big industry on this road for the rural community.
She said chicanes were no good as horse floats, utes and trailers needed to use the street.
I just think of the farming sector that uses Marguerita St.
She said the cul-de-sac idea was a non-starter and she didn't think the council had realised the potential impact on the local economy.
We need a workable solution. This has been an industrial area for a very long time.
I can empathise with [nearby residents] but my role as Rural Community Board chair is to speak for rural residents.
Mike Sperry:
Design Upholstery owner Mike Sperry had operated out of White St for about 30 years.
He didn't understand why the council was considering any changes and didn't think they were necessary.
He had no problems with the introduction of chicanes but in his time in the area had seen very few people hooning down Marguerita St. The introduction of cul-de-sacs would be less convenient for his customers, he said.
Response
The following was sent in response:
Reporter was informed that it would not be appropriate for the organisation to respond to individual's views while consultation was still underway but that council would encourage them to formally submit their feedback so it could be taken into consideration:
From Infrastructure Group Manager Stavros Michael:
It is important to note that no decisions have been made at this time. Council staff will take the community's feedback and provide that, along with a report and recommendation to Council for their consideration.
It is part of council's role to assess the use and functionality of our local road network. Council has heard concerns from residents of Marguerita Street for a number of years and, last year received a petition from a number of residents requesting that Council look at options to reduce the impact of vehicle movements through that corridor.
From that process, elected members instructed council staff to engage with the wider community about potential traffic management and safety improvement options. At that time, Rotorua Rural Community Board representatives also recommended that the rural sector be considered as key stakeholders that could be affected by any change.
So far, Council has engaged with residents, businesses and key stakeholders. Letters were hand delivered to those most affected, being residents and businesses on Marguerita and White Streets, on Monday 29 June. Some business owners and staff were able to speak to our team at that point. As part of the engagement process with those businesses and the wider community, council hosted a drop-in session last night and we heard many views, from the commercial operators in particular. With any consultation, we use various channels to reach as much of the community as possible, including direct contact, public information sessions, letters, emails, press releases and social media. We have had very good engagement so far and we welcome everyone's feedback.
We suggested to the reporter that it would be helpful if they could include the link to the online engagement hub to assist people in providing their feedback.
That link is www.rotorualakescouncil.nz/letstalk
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Lake weed clean-up
Enquiry
(request sent to both BOP Regional Council and RLC):
Hoping to get some questions off to you this morning in regard to the weed clean up from Lake Rotorua. Sending this to both RLC and BOPRC as I understand it is a joint operation.
- What will the removal process look like? How many people/what equipment will need to be involved?
- How long will it take? Will the weather be a hindrance?
- Once the weed is retrieved, where exactly will it go?
- Have you pinned down the main cause as to why it happened?
- Will any special measures be put in place to ensure an influx of this scale does not happen again?
- Will the removal process today have any impact on any of the lake's marine life?
- Are there any other comments you wish to make on this topic?
Response
From BOPRC:
The removal will take place using a purpose built lake weed harvester that Bay of Plenty Regional Council uses on other lakes within the region. The weed harvester is a paddle boat designed to cut and pick up surface reaching weed. It can operate in water as shallow as about 300mm and does not affect the lake bottom. It can carry 12 cubic metres of weed in one load which is about 3 tonnes. The weed is then transported to a shore beach or ramp where it can be picked up by land based digger and loaded into a truck. We are monitoring the removal so that the quantum of weed and nutrients can be assessed. The operation only takes two people, but other safety and monitoring personnel on site are necessary.
The clean-up operation will be completed today with no expected delays caused by weather conditions.
The Rotorua Lakes Council will dispose of the weed by first taking it to be dewatered for about a week within the Sanatorium Reserve which sits on the shore of Lake Rotorua. Following being dewatered the weed will go to the composting facility for processing, if possible, or alternatively taken directly to landfill for disposal.
Re why is happened: This occurs from time to time as a result of storm conditions breaking off weed from off-shore weed beds. It is not unusual for this to happen, probably every 4 or 5 years.
LINZ and BOPRC work together to manage lake weed in Lake Rotorua. It is only during particularly large storms that this can occur and so there is no specific action that can be taken that will prevent this from occurring occasionally. A positive outcome of this event is that Bay of Plenty Council is able to remove a load of weed that contains nutrients. If the weed was allowed to break down it would potentially feed algal growth, so the removal of the washed up weed is actually contributing to the lake restoration programme by removing nutrients.
The effect [of the removal process] is very minor and in fact more beneficial, because if the weed is not removed it would smother any benthic (lake bed) organisms that reside in the area affected.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council Lakes Operation Manager, Andy Bruere commented:
This is a joint response from Bay of Plenty Regional Council and Rotorua Lakes Council to address a community problem. In addition to removing the immediate weed problem we are removing a load of plant nutrients from the lake. Both councils have worked together to achieve a very fast turnaround since we were first notified of the issue on Monday morning.
Senior Projects Officer Hamish Lass reminded lake users that in order to stop the spread of aquatic weed and catfish, that it is vital that people check all of their equipment thoroughly before leaving any of the Rotorua Te Arawa lakes.
"All it takes is one fragment of weed to cause a new incursion in another lake. The sheer volume of weed that has washed up in the last few days means that it is particularly important that people check all of the nooks and crannies where weed may have become lodged," said Mr Lass.
From Rotorua Lakes Councils, Sport, Recreation and Environment Manager, Rob Pitkethley:
"We're pleased we've been able to work quickly and collaboratively with the Bay of Plenty Regional Council to respond to this weather-related issue. A big wash up of lake weed like we've seen this week can impact water activities and businesses along the lakefront. Being able to move quickly on this will allow people to appreciate the great lakefront activities and attractions currently on offer."
