2 November 2021
Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Hatupatu Drive bore issues
Enquiry
I have some questions re Hatupatu Dr geothermal bore issue.
- Can you provide a bit of an explanation about the threat of hydrogen sulphide to human health and why it's important for people to steer clear of the area?
- Can the council please provide an estimate of how long it might take to sort the issue (quench it) and how long it might be before the EEC and Sportsdrome are reopened?
- Can you explain why WorkSafe were notified about this incident? Are council employees at risk?
- What events have been affected at the EEC and Sportsdrome? Have they been cancelled or postponed?
- Will this likely affect the operation of the EEC and Sportsdrome tomorrow / the rest of the week? How so?
Response
The following information was provided
Can you provide a bit of an explanation about the threat of hydrogen sulphide to human health and why it's important for people to steer clear of the area?
In certain accumulated conditions hydrogen sulphide can be dangerous to human health and exposure to the gas can cause a range of reactions ranging from minor to serious. Although there was no immediate risk to staff or anyone using the buildings, actions to evacuate the Sportsdrome and Energy Events Centre were taken as a precaution to remove the risk of any exposure to the gas.
It’s important that people avoid the bore site due to potentially unstable ground, very high temperatures from steam and water, exposure to hydrogen sulphide, and machinery and staff actively working on the site.
Can the council please provide an estimate of how long it might take to sort the issue (quench it) and how long it might be before the EEC and Sportsdrome are reopened
From investigations, it is suspected that the casing below the area which was grouted last week has split. The work to quench the activity is ongoing and once that work is complete, work to repair the casing can take place. At this stage we cannot be certain how long the quenching will take. The buildings will be reopened when it is considered safe to do so
Can you explain why WorkSafe were notified about this incident? Are council employees at risk?
Any geothermal issue of this nature is required to be reported to WorkSafe as a notifiable incident. There was no immediate risk to Council employees, the evacuation of the buildings was a precautionary measure
What events have been affected at the EEC and Sportsdrome? Have they been cancelled or postponed
The regular Rotorua Basketball that takes place in the Sportsdrome has been cancelled for today as a precaution
Will this likely affect the operation of the EEC and Sportsdrome tomorrow / the rest of the week? How so?
As above the buildings will be reopened when it is considered safe to do so.
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Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Rotorua courthouse plans
Enquiry
I'm writing a story on progress with Rotorua's new courthouse building and in a response from the Ministry of Justice, they have said the following:
Our early plans in Rotorua focused on redeveloping the existing two court buildings.
However, the council revitalisation plan to develop a green belt where the existing buildings are located gave us the opportunity to consider options for a new purpose-built court in a different location.
Developing a new courthouse in partnership with local community, the judiciary, and local iwi and hapū is a massive undertaking and it’s important to do it once and do it right.
Are you able to please point me to any information you have on the revitalisation plan and the "green belt".
Response
The reporter was provided with the following information:
District Development DCE Jean-Paul Gaston gave a high level overview of the CBD revitalisation plans at the O&M meeting in July – see here
That update included a presentation and you’ll see the link to the live stream footage also. If you go to the presentation for that meeting (here) you will see slide 3 showing an image of the CBD footprint with an East to West connection highlighted in green. This is referred to as a proposed ‘green belt’ and JP explains the high level thinking around that part of the plan at about minute 2:03:40 of the livestream footage.
Further information:
We also provided this information earlier this month to Carmen for her story regarding commercial leasing in the CBD.
From Mayor Chadwick:
Our vision for the inner city has always included residential development to bring more vibrancy and support businesses. Our critical housing shortage makes this even more important now and housing, revitalising our CBD and safety are key pillars of our 2021-31 Long-term Plan.
There is a lot of up-front work needed to inform an overall plan for the inner city and the various pieces that will provide the basis for our plan are being progressed. We haven’t set a timeline because we need to get it right and those base elements are crucial to ensuring we do.
An incentives policy is a key element and work is starting on that.
Our partnership with the police in relation to safety continues, and there is work underway towards further enhancing our CCTV network and developing other safety initiatives.
And our CCO Rotorua Economic Development is in the process of seeking partners who want to support our inner city living aspirations.
There is a way to go yet and COVID-19 alert level changes continue to impact timelines, but there is progress and consulting and engaging with stakeholders as we work through the various elements of the CBD revitalisation will be essential.
From Deputy Chief Executive, District Development, Jean-Paul Gaston:
Work on foundational pieces that will help guide the development of a refreshed revitalisation plan for Rotorua’s CBD are underway.
A CBD plan is part of the Rotorua Economic Development Strategy Framework that was approved by Council last December and was identified as a key action by the CBD sector group that was established last year to consider economic recovery strategies (following the 2020 lockdown).
There are several key pieces of work that need to be completed before a proposed plan can be developed:
- working with mana whenua and Te Arawa on cultural foundations;
- development of an inner city design guide for urban development (the initial step for which is establishing the cultural foundations and Te Arawa values and principles that will inform the future form of the inner city);
- working on an incentives policy to encourage commercial and residential development in the inner city.
A steering group will lead and assist with work related to works 1 and 2 (above) and work has started towards an initial exploratory workshop with the Rotorua Business Chamber to explore options for the incentives policy work.
Another key foundational piece, that has been completed, is a review of all previous CBD plans to extract elements that have been consistent across these to provide a framework as a starting point for a new plan.
The high level framework has been shared with some key stakeholders and partners and there will be further and wider engagement and consultation in future.
The previously completed CBD functionality review (looking at the CBD transport network), which had a focus on supporting inner city revitalisation, will also form part of considerations for development of a plan.
Meanwhile our CCO Rotorua Economic Development Ltd (RED) is processing applications received through an expressions of interest (EOI) process seeking landowners and developers/investors who want to undertake projects in the inner city that support inner city living.
There was a good level of interest and ideas from both local and out-of-town developers and we are now undertaking due diligence and assessing the expressions of interest received. [see more info below]
From RLC website from September Council meeting):
Rotorua Economic Development Ltd (RED) is now seeking expressions of interest for Transformational Placemaking Projects that support inner-city living.
Chief executive Andrew Wilson says that the CCO’s extended role of delivering transformational place making developments on behalf of Council and optimising Councils strategic land assets means RED now has the ability to move with pace.
Read the full article including links to FAQs HERE
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Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Sir Howard Morrison Performing Arts Centre project challenges
Enquiry
Just re this line (page 50) in the [Operations & Monitoring Committee] agenda, about SHMPAC:
Sourcing of materials is challenging whilst alternatives are being sourced time and cost are being impacted.
Could the council please provide an estimate or figure of how much that additional cost is/may be?
Response
(Please note while recruitment is underway for a DCE - Community Wellbeing, this portfolio is being managed out of the Chief Executive’s Office).
From Council Chief Executive, Geoff Williams:
“The cost and time implications are commercially sensitive at this time as we review any claims for variations and extension of time that Hawkins makes. We can provide this information once cost and time implications have been agreed but that may be some months away.”