CBD Red-Zone: Les Mills Gym & Calendar Girls Reopenings

Les Mills Gym & Calendar Girls reopenings focus. Friday 30.03.12. Thirteen months post 22 February 2011 Quake, Les Mills Gym on Cashel St reopened in Christchurch's red-zone-CBD. Les Mills Gym was one of the first businesses to reopen after Civil Defence & CERA occupied & closed Christchurch-CBD behind steel-mesh-fence-cordons. Calendar Girls strip-club on Hereford St behind would reopen a week later on Thursday 05.04.12.

30.03.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Holden Blackwells demolition,  Cashel St / Madras St

Cashel St / Madras St crossing: My trek down Cashel St was blocked by a red-zone steel-mesh-fence-cordon. Holden Blackwells was being demolished opposite the steel-mesh-fence-cordoned CTV demolition-site where 115 people perished when multi-storey CTV collapsed & burned in the 22 February 2011 Quake.

30.03.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Latimer Hotel rebuild, Worcester St / Latimer Sq

 

 

I drove to Worcester St where I parked opposite Latimer Hotel rebuild. Workmen in orange Hi-Vis vests & hard-hats laid new Latimer Hotel foundations. Five months before, I'd snapped Latimer Hotel demolition. Across the road behind a shipping-container cordon on a demolition- site stood steel-mesh-fence-cordoned Park Tower On Latimer ruin.

30.03.12. Quake abandoned, Park Tower On Latimer, Latimer Sq

My circuit into former red-zone: I trekked across Latimer Sq & saw two sucker-trucks & workmen cleaning a drain in Latimer Sq by Madras St / Hereford St junction. Beyond the red-zone steel-mesh-fence-cordon: many demolition-sites & ruined high-rises still to be demolished.

CERA Greater Christchurch Recovery Update, Issue 8, March 2012 boasted about UK's Twinkletoes, a giant demolition-digger which demolished PWC high-rise ending in December 2012. PWC's drop-zone caused nearby buildings to be trapped in the red-zone-cordon until PWC vanished. Thereafter for a decade PWC's concrete-basement & concrete-column-stumps with twisted steel rebars sticking out would be fence-cordoned & abandoned to black-billed gull nesters.

Meanwhile EQC still stalled house-payouts while jabbering about "apportionment" for damages / payouts for quake-damages. The latest excuse for EQC's delayed payouts: EQC waited for a Department of Building & Housing report regarding green-blue, TC3 house foundations. (Due in May). While that EQC delay-deny-defend went on stricken householders would wait... (The Press 02.04.12).

30.03.12. Post quake sucker trucks, Latimer Sq

30.03.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. CBD, red zone, Arrow House demolition site, diggers & rubble crusher. CTV demolition site & ghost IRD beyond, Madras St / Hereford St / Latimer Sq junction. 2019, Arrow House demo site would become Liverpool Terraces apartments

30.03.12. Latimer Sq view, red zone demolition sites, Hereford St. IRD left, Les Mills gym middle. 2019, The demo sites would become Liverpool Terraces apartments behind Les Mills Gym

30.03.12. Former red zone, Calendar Girls strip club, middle, Hereford St. Orange, demolition digger left, red zone, abandoned CBD bldgs beyond. For Liverpool Terraces apartments, Calender Girls would be demolished & relocate near Christchurch Casino

30.03.12. Former red zone, Les Mills gym left, Calendar Girls right, Hereford St. Red zone, CBD bldgs beyond

30.03.12. Red zone, Madras St / Hereford St view, Arrow House, demolition site diggers, green, rubble crusher. 2019, Liverpool Terraces apartments would be built on Arrow House demo site

30.03.12. Latimer Sq view, red zone, Arrow House demolition site workman hosing demolition dust, Madras St / Hereford St. CTV demolition site, IRD beyond. CTV demo site would become a memorial park. IRD bldg survived the quakes. 2019. Liverpool Terraces apartments would be built on Arrow House demo site   

Latimer Sq / Hereford St / Madras St: Opposite St Johns Anglican Church demolition-site, on Arrow House demolition-site two diggers dug up demolition-rubble dumping it on a green-crusher-machine with a conveyor-belt forming heaps of powdery-rubble. Workmen in hard-hats & orange Hi-Vis vests operated the green-crusher-machine. Another workman hosed the site stopping dust-pollution. No workmen wore masks. Silicosis pending! The CTV demolition-site lay behind the clamour of crunching machines.

30.03.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Latimer Sq view, red zone Hereford St, Calendar Girls left

30.03.12. Former red zone, Calendar Girls, Hereford St. Calendar Girls would be demolished, relocated near Christchurch Casino. 2019. Liverpool Terraces apartments would be build on Calendar Girls demo site 

30.03.12. Red zone, Hereford St / Liverpool St view, Latimer Sq left. Calendar Girls right would be demolished for 2019 built, Liverpool Terraces apartments. Calendar Girls would relocate to near Christchurch Casino

30.03.12. Red zone, Torrens House behind steel mesh fence cordon, 13 months so far, Hereford St. Torrens House would be demolished, 2013, for CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park

I trekked Hereford St to the red-zone steel-mesh-fence-cordon past another demolition-site & a big orange-digger parked between Calendar Girls & Les Mills Gym. I snapped red-zone ruins on Hereford St & Hereford St / Manchester St crossing where workmen in hard hats & orange Hi-Vis vests roamed.

Many ruins were demolished in the red-zone-CBD. The significance of Les Mills & Calendar Girls: they were the only survivors on their sides of Cashel St & Hereford St respectively. The rest of the two streets had some survivors opposite the gym & strip-club, but most ruins were demolished in the block between Madras St & Liverpool St. That was the pattern in CERA's red-zone-CBD: some survivor buildings surrounded by demolition-sites. Yet Council & CERA planned to rebuild on those demolition-sites above Christchurch Fault which had caused the 2010 Boxing Day Quake causing more CBD-damage post 4 September 2010 Quake. And rebuild on the demolition-land over underground streams, capped wells & drained swampland near Avon River. Given CBD's massive liquefaction-damage that seemed dodgy!

By 2019, Calendar Girls would be demolished (relocated near Christchurch Casino) for Liverpool Terraces apartments, which would occupy a Hereford St block between Madras St & beyond absorbed Liverpool St, bordering CERA's East Frame / Rauora Park, all evolving from CERA's Blueprint.

Parker's & Marryatt's Council schemed a 7.47% rates increase. But many ratepayers battled for payouts from EQC & insurers. Council should claim Council rebuild costs from insurers, not ratepayers! Why had town clerk Marryatt underinsured Council assets? (The Press 03.04.12).

A year later, Council in its Three Year Plan, 2013-2016 draft, would make excuses:

"Why didn't the Council have more insurance for its infrastructure?

...No one expected such a huge earthquake causing such massive damage. Decisions were based on expert assessments of the risk from the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, which put our city's seismic risk low.

Why didn't the Council have more insurance for buildings?

Before the earthquakes, Council's assets were insured for close to $1.9 billion on a full reinstatement basis per asset. [21.12.15. The Press reported that Council would only get $635m global payout for Council's insured assets. So much for bullshit, $1.9 billion insurance!]

This was based on advice from professional valuers. The gap between insurance & rebuild costs is the extra cost required to make our buildings meet 100 percent of new building standards and introduce improvements. Unlike open-ended replacement household insurance, our facilities were covered to a set value based on repairs to 33 percent of the value of the new building code..."

Many buildings which collapsed in quakes in the CBD were nowhere near 33% latest building-code when quakes hit, as Council had allowed building- owners decades to get their old buildings up to code. Parker & Marryatt were ducking responsibility for under-insuring Council infrastructure & assets!

Yet NZ National government / CERA would soon pressurize Council to sell its assets to pay for NZ National government's / CERA's Blueprint CBD.

As shown by the Royal Commission of Inquiry & Coroners Inquest, like other slack authorities (building design engineers, construction engineers, inspection engineers, construction managers, building owners, cops, USAR / TF management, fire service management) Council was good at buck-passing.

30.03.12. ROAD CLOSED. Orange, plastic, road cones, steel mesh fence cordon. Liverpool St / Hereford St, W view, red zone, CBD, Hereford St. 2019. Foreground CBD would be part of Liverpool Terraces apartments, bordering CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park

I trekked along Liverpool St to Cashel St & snapped red-zone Oaks Smartstay apartments's broken-windows. Beyond, I saw desolate demolition-sites from Cashel St to High St. Two new carparks smelling of new asphalt flanked Les Mills Gym.

 30.03.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Liverpool St view, red zone CBD. Holiday Inn & Westpac behind, awaited demolition

30.03.12. Liverpool St demolition site view, red zone Torrens House, Hereford St. Torrens House would be demolished in 2013 for CERA's Blueprint E Frame / Rauora Park

30.03.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, orange digger, parked behind Calendar Girls, Liverpool St

 

30.03.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, abandoned bldg, Liverpool St. New carpark by Les Mills gym right

30.03.12. Yellow stickered, USAR / TF graffiti, glass door, red zone, Liverpool St

30.03.12. Quake broken, glass door panes, red zone, Liverpool St

30.03.12. Quake broken, window pane, red zone, Liverpool St

30.03.12. ROAD CLOSED. Steel mesh fence cordon. Liverpool St view, red zone, Cashel St & across demolition sites to red zone, High St

30.03.12. Quake broken, Oaks Smartstay windows, red zone, Liverpool St

30.03.12. Liverpool St / Cashel St W view, red zone, CBD, closed high rises, Holiday Inn awaited demolition left, Oaks Smartstay right

30.03.12. Liverpool St / Cashel St view, Cashel St / Manchester St crossing, red zone, CBD. 13 months closed, Grumpy Mole bar, middle. Holiday Inn awaited demolition beyond

 

30.03.12. Cashel St, red zone view, demolition sites to Tuam St / High St junction. Quake trashed, McKenzie Willis bldg left. Recently reopened Alice in Videoland, white bldg, middle

 

Cashel St: I snapped more ruins behind the red zone steel-mesh-fence-cordon. Thirteen months post 22 February 2011 Quake, USAR / TF graffiti still besmirched doors of cordon-closed buildings.

30.03.12. Red zone bldgs, serial quake survivors, Cashel St

30.03.12. CBD, red zone, USAR / TF graffiti on door, Cashel St 

30.03.12. EXTREME DANGER KEEP OUT. Steel mesh fence cordon. CBD red zone, Cashel St. Closed, IRD bldg left

 

Les Mills Gym buzzed with customers eager for exercise. Personnel stood behind the reception counter welcoming people. Across Cashel St, multi-storey IRD ghost loomed in the red-zone. IRD would survive the quakes but stayed empty for years. 2021. IRD would still be empty.

30.02.12. Red zone, reopened Les Mills gym, Cashel St. New carpark, CTV bldg, demolition site beyond

30.03.12. EXTREME DANGER KEEP OUT. Steel mesh fence cordon. Bikes by reopened Les Mills Gym, Cashel St. Red zone, IRD bldg beyond. IRD bldg would survive the quakes

A Les Mills Gym window-sign:

                            This facility and structure has been
                                               certified as

                                              A GRADE
                                                   
                     Based on Earthquake Risk Grading Systems as
 defined by the New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering Inc

30.03.12. Reopened Les Mills gym, W view, red zone, Cashel St

30.03.12. New carpark view, Les Mills gym, side window, lane between Cashel St & Hereford St

Between Les Mills building & the CTV demolition site I saw another new carpark smelling of fresh asphalt. Close to th CTV demolition-site, I again saw workmen crushing rubble on the green-rubble-crusher. When I trekked by, workmen sat drinking morning tea before completing asphalting the lane between Cashel St & Hereford St.

30.03.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. New carpark view, red zone Cashel St. IRD bldg left, Les Mills gym right. All bldgs in the pic would survive the quakes

30.03.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. New carpark view, red zone, abandoned, IRD bldg, Cashel St. IRD bldg would survive the quakes, but would stay empty for years. 2021. IRD bldg would still be empty

30.03.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Red zone, CTV demolition site view, Madras St / Cashel St crossing. St Pauls Trinity Pacific Presbyterian Church, demolition site beyond. CTV demo site would become a memorial  park

30.03.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. New carpark view, CTV demolition site, Madras St / Cashel St crossing, Holden Blackwells demolition site. CTV demo site would become a memorial park

  

30.03.12. Orange digger loading red zone, Arrow House, demolition rubble, Madras St. 2019. The demo site would become Liverpool Terraces apartments

30.03.12. Steel mesh fence cordon. Yellow digger loading red zone, Arrow House, demolition rubble onto green, rubble crusher, Hereford St. 2019. The demo site would become Liverpool Terraces apartments. Aug 2012. Newstalk ZB beyond would be imploded

 

 

30.03.12. Post quake demolition site, orange digger, Hereford St. Les Mills gym left, Calendar Girls middle, Torrens House right awaited demolition

 

30.03.12. Digger bucket, steel mesh fence cordoned, red zone, demolition site, Hereford St. Torrens House left awaited demolition. Aug 2012. Newstalk ZB middle would be imploded. Latimer Sq trees right

30.03.12. Former red zone, new asphalt on lane between Cashel St & Hereford St. Les Mills gym left. Calendar Girls behind digger middle. Torrens House awaited demolition right

 

30.03.12. Tangled, salvaged rebars. Red zone, Arrow House, demolition site, Hereford St / Madras St. Holden Blackwells, demolition site beyond. 2019. Arrow House demo site would become Liverpool Terraces apartments

The rubble crushing clamour continued while I trekked back to my car across Latimer Sq.

30.03.12. Hereford House, demolition site, behind hedge, Latimer Sq / Hereford St

*Trekked Cashel St, Worcester St, Latimer Sq, Hereford St, Liverpool St, Madras St. 96 images.

The Press, 28.03.12 reported that Councillors wanted to spend $91 million transforming the red-zone-CBD's one-way streets into two-way streets again, after decades of free-flowing traffic on one-way streets. The idea was to slow down traffic on two-way streets & encourage people back to the CBD. The new CBD traffic system would cause $91 million traffic-jams long after those Councillors left!

By 2018, Durham St Sth one-way, would become a mess, traffic slowed by widened footpaths. St Asaph St one-way became worse, two traffic-lanes encroached by a cycle-lane & parking. Manchester St would become a mess, two-way traffic slowed by widened footpaths, bus lanes, bus stops & many traffic-lights at intersections.

$91 million could've been better spent repairing many lumpy, potholed roads going to stricken eastern suburbs. Broken-roads I often drove: Pages Rd, Warrington St, Shirley Rd, New Brighton Rd, Travis Rd, Rookwood Ave, Bowhill Rd... All needed rapairs!

Weekend Press 31.3.12-1.4.12 reported that CERA wanted to tender out bus-tours into the red-zone-CBD despite CERA running its recent "gold coin" bus-tours at a loss into the red-zone-CBD where CERA invited people to farewell the ruined-CBD in late 2011.

If NZ National government / CERA couldn't profit how would private bus contractors profit? Never mind Christchurch citizens banned from CERA- occupied red-zone-CBD for more than a year. Thirteen months post 22 February 2011 Quake, NZDF-checkpoints & steel-mesh-fence-cordons still stopped citizens entering the CERA-occupied red-zone-CBD. CERA apartheid!

While Council dithered about a red-zone-CBD road-plan, CERA dithered about red-zone-CBD bus-tours while saying nothing about Council's road-plan. Who / what was in charge of Christchurch's recovery, CERA or Council?

Saturday 31.3.12. 7.54am, M3.8 quake, 10km depth, 20km east of Christchurch (GeoNet). Rattled our house windows.

Wednesday 03.04.12, 7.04am, M3.8 quake, 8km depth, 20km northeast of Lyttelton. (GeoNet). I didn't feel it as I was at Hornby about 30km from the epicentre. Leah didn't feel it at Burnside about 20km from the epicentre. Quake depth & personal distance from an epicentre thus influenced our quake-perceptions & resultant smugness or anxiety.

Good Friday 06.04.12, 11.33pm, M4.2 quake, 10km depth, 20km west of Christchurch. (GeoNet). Shook our house. A sunny autumn day. Full moon rising.

Content & pics, Copyright Mark JS Esslemont.

See $91m to turn one way streets to two way (The Press / Stuff Co).

See EQC denies payout freeze (The Press / Stuff Co).

See Ratepayers face 7.47 percent increase (The Press / Stuff Co)

See Good News on Chch's insurance shambles has been a long time coming (The Press / Stuff Co).