Reach ‘long shortlist’
lated council staff applications in.
“That does show we’ve got some skin in the game here with success over our funding to date.”
She also suggested councillors
on
getting
the pass on any ideas on recovery projects from the public to Rotorua Economic Development’s Covid-19 economic recovery steering group.
“We’re swamping them. Emails, messages, poking on Facebook. They’re their ideas they want to have considered. There’s great enthusiasm . . . to think outside the square.”
The meeting also provided an update on the lakefront redevelopment, with sport, recreation and environment manager Rob Pitkethley leading the staff presentation.
Construction on the lakefront was in stages, beginning with stage one in October 2019. Stage two began in December 2019, and stage three was expected to begin in November this year.
Stage one related mostly to the lake edge, while stage two was focused on the playground area to the west.
There were “quite a lot of services” under that area, including sewerage, stormwater and water supply.
“There were some interesting finds in there, we had an archaeological find in there. Post-european, the beer bottle gave it away. There were some pretty interesting scallop finds in there.”
Pitkethley said the main things that had been found were a beer bottle, pipes from the late 1800s and a hot spring.
The spring was about 70C and was near a planned sewer manhole.
“Unfortunately 70 degrees is not very good for concrete . . . so we’ve had to get some of the equipment modified, as to what we were going to put in there.”
A diversion had to be created for the water from the spring, which needed to be cleaned, pumped and discharged back into the lake.
Pitkethley said there were currently about 40 fulltime equivalent workers on the two sites, with another 15 to 20 as work progressed.
Councillor Merepeka Raukawatait asked where she could have “a glass of sauvignon blanc at brunch on a Sunday”, a question which appeared to amuse Chadwick and some other councillors.
“People say to me, ‘where can we have a nice glass of wine on the lakefront?’,” Raukawa-tait said
Chadwick said people forgot about Sulphur Point — “you’re able to park down there and have your cup of tea”.
Pitkethley said concepts were being finalised for the “commercial investment footprint” and there would be cafe and restaurant offerings at the renewed lakefront.
The meeting also saw the council approve new terms and conditions for the Pukuatua St parking building, in order to bring it in line with council agency i-park taking over management of the building from June 8.