Below is a roundup of some brief news items from late October through early November 2015.
Wainui Te Whara channel improvements scheduled
Detailed design works and the development of construction contracts for improvements to the Wainui Te Whara channel are now nearing completion, and it is hoped that work can begin early in 2016.
The works will address flooding issues around the stream and will include the replacement of the Douglas Street and King Street culverts, the installation of 140 metres of sheet piling, and the replacement of five privately owned bridges with new and longer single span bridges. Deepening and reshaping will also be undertaken along most of the stream’s urban channel. The Council will undertake a targeted consultation with affected parties in November in preparation for the required resource consent processes.
New weather station for Ōhope
Ōhope Beach now has its own dedicated weather station.
The station has been installed at the Ōhope Golf Club and was jointly funded by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, Whakatāne District Council and the Ōhope Beach Community Board.
The weather station provides real-time monitoring of rainfall, wind speed and direction, relative humidity, and temperature and barometric pressure. The data can be viewed through the Regional Council’s live monitoring website and will also be available on the MetService website soon.
The data will be of benefit to recreational users, commercial operators, and both Councils for flood management and stormwater design purposes.
Healthy Homes programme for Murupara
A programme to promote healthy homes in the Murupara area is now seeking funding and aims to commence operations in 2016.
Lorreen Hartley, Community Development Advisor at the Whakatāne District Council, says the local community has been working on such a project for several years, and a steering committee has been formed to lead its development. “Poor housing conditions are a major contributor to respiratory and skin infections in children, and this programme not only seeks to deliver warmer, drier homes through better insulation, but to encourage people to improve other aspects of their homes," she says.
There are 549 occupied dwellings in Murupara, and the steering committee hopes to begin by appointing a project coordinator to identify 50 homes that qualify for inclusion in the programme.
The Ngāti Manawa Charitable Trust, Whakatāne District Council and Bay of Plenty District Health Board have indicated that they will provide financial contributions, or help in overseeing the programme; the Eastern Bay Energy Trust has agreed to contribute $50,000 to the project, and additional funding will be sought to support the initiative. “It is envisaged there will also be six DIY skills programmes for residents, as well as neighbourhood development projects,” Ms Hartley says.