Thanks, stadium team and former mayor Chin

AS we bathe in the (Pink) afterglow of another stunning concert at Forsyth Barr Stadium and reflect on the numbers — 37,500 attended, including 2500 from overseas, 4500 from the North Island, and 13,000 from Canterbury — it is often easy to forget that the stadium is only a part of the success story.

In a few years, our position as having the only fully roofed stadium in the country will come to an end as Christchurch follows in the footsteps of this ‘‘city of firsts’’.

It is a timely reminder that, as magnificent as it is, Forsyth Barr Stadium is still just bricks and mortar.

Terry Davies and the team he has brought together to realise the full potential of this wonderful asset has made the difference. Other cities may be able to to build a stadium with a roof, but our strength will always be the team under our roof, and for that we have Terry to thank.

And former mayor Peter Chin. On Saturday, as I looked out over that huge crowd, I wondered how many of those present chose not to vote for Peter because he fought so hard to ensure that the stadium was built in the first place.

So thank you, Peter — I hope you were there to bathe in the glow as well. You deserved it. Ian Taylor

Dunedin

How safe is diatomite?

DIATOMITE is a soft sedimentary rock that crumbles easily into a fine powder. Plaman Global plans to mine the diatomite that is near Middlemarch, possibly for 27 years.

Each day, about 100 truckandtrailer units will transport the diatomite along the winding roads of the magnificent Strath Taieri landscape and then on to the tourist route of State Highway 1, through Milton, Balclutha, Gore and Invercargill, delivering it to Bluff, to be processed and exported.

Since 1866, diatomite has been used in the manufacture of dynamite because it makes it more stable during transportation. Diatomite is used in swimming pool filters, fish tanks and domestic supply, and is popular with bonsai growers as a soil additive.

Diatomite is also used as a pesticide, and though it is considered in the United States to be lowrisk, it must be registered with the EPA.

Plaman Global plans to feed diatomite, i.e. a pesticide, to cattle, pigs and poultry.

What safeguards are in place to assure the public that this sedimentary rock is suitable and safe as animal feed, and that it poses no danger to New Zealand citizens who consume those animals?

Margaret Bahr

Andersons Bay

In a sorry state

IT is with amazement and extreme concern we discover the sad state of affairs of the extensive repair maintenance required for the Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery, being such a relatively modern building of regional significance

(ODT, 1.9.18).

How the designers/builders/ supervisors could get so many fundamental systems wrong, such that replacement of roofing, wallcladding repairs, and inadequate air conditioning, heating and environmental controls all need attention after just over 10 years since construction and completion, is unbelievable.

Further, the possibility that structural engineering issues may also have to be addressed makes the predicted $142,000 plus costings to be unrealistic and a bit of wishful thinking on the council’s part.

It does not seem right that ratepayers have to foot the bill for what clearly seems to be the failings of some, if not all, of the experts involved in this building’s design, construction and supervision. Stan Randle

Alexandra ...................................

BIBLE READING: Your iniquities have separated you from your God. — Isaiah 59:2.