Monday, April 8, 2013

Year 3 CERA. Christchurch Botanic Gdns, New Visitors Centre. Antigua Watermark

Botanic Gdns, New Visitors Centre. Antigua Watermark focus. Tues 09.04.13. Post quakes was a misnomer, as 2.5 years post 04.09.10 Darfield Quake, Christchurch still experienced quakes: M2s & M3s recently. Felt like distant rumbling traffic, if felt at all.

I trekked Christchurch Botanic Gdns & by the rooted out Herb Garden & Christ's College back wall, a fence had threat signs & perspex windows showing the New Visitors Centre construction site. An info board pictured a glassy structure for visitors & offices for Botanic Gdns staff. Threat signs:

STOP

Have you
signed in?

LEIGH'S CONSTRUCTION
CONSTRUCTION

Construction Site
No Public Access
Visitors report to office

STOP

Have you been
inducted to site?



09.04.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Construction site, Christchurch Botanic Gdns, Visitors Centre



Rolleston Ave: Tourism was picking up, as a gaggle of camera toting Jap tourists blocked the gate by Canterbury Museum. Tourists buses were parked on Rolleston Ave, like pre quakes congestion.


09.04.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. WATERMARK construction site, Avon River, Cambridge Tce












09.04.13. Antigua Boat Sheds, 1882, Avon River, Cambridge Tce

 

Cambridge Tce: By Antigua Boat Sheds, I wondered what Council was playing at with 2 diggers lifting large concrete blocks from Avon River & wads of workmen in orange, Hi-Vis vests standing around behind a steel mesh fence cordon. Info boards:

WATERMARK
Te Papa Otakaro / Avon River Precinct

Watermark is the first section of the Te Papa Otakaro / Avon River Precinct to be
designed and constructed. The site will span the river's true left bank between
Antigua Boat Sheds and Montreal Street. This project will provide an opportunity for
community feedback. This will inform the design of the rest of the project. The next
section of the project will start construction from November 2013.

Stemming from over 100 000 community suggestions received via the Share an Idea
campaign, Watermark will aim to deliver the people's aspirations for a 'Green City'
and align with the design principles of the Te Papa Otakaro / Avon River Precinct:

*Promoting a healthy river
*A fully accessible environment
*An integrated cultural narrative
*Good economic potential.

The construction of "Watermark" involves:

*a slight narrowing of the river and installation of features to promote and encourage river life;
*some re-contouring to provide improved pedestrian walkways and seating areas;
*hard and soft landscaping;
*new street furniture;
*boardwalks;
*pruning of large trees to improve the canopy (no large trees will be removed).


It was part of Council's Share an Idea scheme absorbed by CCDU to improve Avon River banks. The idea, a City in a Garden. The reality, a City in a Swamp. That section of Avon River bank needed no improvement. There were many bits of Avon River banks, downriver in E suburbs needing more attention from Council, City Care & CERA.

All the diggers did was mess the true left bank by uprooting riverside benches & gouging track marks into left bank mud. Next to Antigua Boat Sheds, never mind Antigua St Footbridge needing fixing, steel mesh fence cordon closed since the 22.02.11 Killer Quake. A long quake crack disfigured the south concrete abutment. A GRAND TOUR bus was parked by the WATERMARK site, no sign of tourists.




09.04.13. Steel mesh fence cordon. Quake closed, Antigua St Footbridge, Avon River, Cambridge Tce



While Council fiddled with cosmetic changes to Avon River left bank by Antigua Boat Sheds, essential repairs to several downriver bridges were needed. Never mind Third World ruins of E suburb roads. Beachville Rd, concrete sea wall, by Avon / Heathcote Estuary, was in dire need of repairs, as it was slumped, cracked & tilted its entire 500m length. (The sea wall would be repaired by SCIRT, 2015-16).

Meanwhile Antigua Boat Sheds ad boards continued touting Edwardian PUNTING ON THE AVON for tourists. Although CERA had demolished many Edwardian & Victorian bldgs in the CBD, antagonizing Heritage hailers, it still touted a punting past.

*Trekked Christchurch Botanic Gdns, Avon River bank, Cambridge Tce. 23 images.

EQC Truths Reckoning continued: Sat 13.04.13. EQC Truths blog post "Unsafe Electrical Wiring" reported that EQC was using unregistered electricians to fix quake damaged housing, when registered electricians should be used. That left electrical wiring in housing fixed by EQC a fire hazard, due to bad electrical wiring by incompetent electricians.

EQC was destroying lives & values of Canterbury properties with its inept Fletcher repairs monopoly & employing unqualified, inept assessors & inept electricians.

Sun 14.04.13. EQC Truths blog referred to The Press article "EQC staff failed to declare $25m contract conflict" regarding EQC's shonky business practices.

Mon 15.04.13. TV3 Campbell Live: EQC boss Simpson said that EQC had worked on sending claimants' info to claimants at the end of 2012, but EQC Truths leak had delayed EQC sending the info due to email shutdown at EQC. Simpson said EQC would release claimants' info, like EQC repairs estimates to claimants with already repaired housing, within 3 months. But non repaired housing estimates wouldn't be released, as the info was commercially sensitive. Laughable, as Fletcher (part NZ National govt owned) had a monopoly on repairs, without tender competition from other contractors & a non litigation agreement with EQC should repairs go wrong.

Simpson's excuse that EQC Truths blog was delaying info being sent to claimants was risible, as the leak was 2.5 years post 04.09.10 Darfield Quake. Simpson had more than 2 years to reveal EQC assessment & estimate info to claimants. Simpson was another blame-shifter, like those exposed in the recent Royal Commission of Inquiry into quake bldg collapses & the Coroner's Inquest into quake deaths. 

Wed 17.04.13. The Press reported on a widow (husband died in the 22.02.11 Killer Quake) who waited for procrastinating EQC or State insurer to decide whether to repair or rebuild her quake trashed house. Repair or rebuild?... So much for quake recovery from EQC, State & CERA.

Content & pics Mark JS Esslemont.

See EQC staff failed to declare $25m contract conflict (The Press / Stuff Co). 

See EQC to release claim info soon (The Press / Stuff Co).

See Priority case widow still waiting (The Press / Stuff Co).

See  EQCs bid to stop email becoming costly (The Press Stuff Co).


No comments:

Post a Comment