Taking time out on Leith scheme is a good idea

I READ with interest (ODT, 13.6.18) that Otago University has requested a delay in commencing the next stage of the Leith flood protection work.

This is a very good idea, and Gavin Palmer and the Otago Regional Council could use that time to work out just exactly what they are doing.

Lund South completed stage 1 of the flood protection work in December 2013. Not only was the project a debacle during construction, with massive time and cost overruns due to incompetent design and contract management by the ORC, but within days of completion the council began ripping out parts of the justcompleted work.

This has continued and at the present time there are contractors with heavy machinery breaking up and removing the heavily reinforced and armoured concrete weir beams in the river itself that were the centrepiece of the stage 1 work.

Stage 1 cost more than $2 million and clearly much of this has been wasted.

One wonders if the engineering section of the regional council is simply making up the design of the scheme as it goes along, with consequent waste and rework. Russell Lund Macandrew Bay

It’s ‘Volunteer Week’

IT is time to celebrate the good work of all volunteers in New Zealand with National Volunteer Week, running until June 23.

This year, we have as a theme ‘‘Volunteers — the Heart of Our Community’’.

What a great tribute, because volunteers have very big and generous hearts indeed.

There are so many wonderful people who do helpful things for others, or who care about New Zealand’s precious environment.

We also must not forget our volunteers of the past., those who served in the wars.

There can be sacrifices made when we volunteer. That is why it is so important to value the work volunteers do.

All 1.2 million of them.

Wendy Joy Baker

Nightcaps