Community Update 23 October 2011
Neighbourhood Week 29th October – 6th November
Neighbourhood Week is coming up at the end of the month. If you are missing those earthquake get-togethers we all had this year why not have another one? We all know our neighbours so much better now and Mt Pleasant is a much better neighbourhood as a result.
Red/yellow stickered/white zoned or otherwise not able to live in your Mt Pleasant Home?
If you are in such circumstances (red- stickered, yellow stickered or white zoned), then you are invited to a community get-together being held especially with you in mind on Saturday, October 29th at 4pm.
The purpose of the gathering is to bring those in similar circumstances together so that experiences can be shared and stories swapped. There will be representatives from Canterbury Community Law on hand to discuss any legal issues you might have, and several Mt Pleasant architects to answer any questions regarding rebuilding or repairing. The event is being hosted by the Mt Pleasant Residents’ Association as part of Neighbourhood Week. We will provide nibbles and a cash bar will be open. The venue is the Redcliffs Bowling Club in James St, Redcliffs.
As well as rebuilding homes we need to rebuild community spirit as well, and this event is a great way to start this process. If you know any Mt Pleasant residents in this situation, please pass on details of this event to them. This is a great opportunity to find out how others in the same situation are faring. If you have any questions that you would like asked, or ideas you would like raised, then please forward these to the email address below. Use this address to confirm your attendance as well so that we don’t run out of nibbles!
Event: Mt Pleasant Stickered/White Zone Resident Gathering
When: 4pm, October 29th
Where: Redcliffs Bowling Club in James St
RSVP: mtpleasantcommunityassn@xtra.co.nz
Port Hills Cancern Report
This report below pertains to people who are affected by rock fall and land stability issues on the Port Hills. The first Port Hills Street level meeting was held at Redcliffs on Thursday 13th October at Taupata street in Redcliffs. It was well attended by about 40 residents. The meeting was adressed by Doctor Mark Yetton Geotechnical Engineer and Ethan Stetson EQ building support services manager for CCC.
Mark Yetton gave a presentation to the residents outdoors under the rocks(but in a safe place). He was able to go into some detail regarding the geology and possible solutions for the problems that exist locally. He answered specific questions from residents.
Ethan Stetson described the process of assessment which is still going on in the Port Hills. First the science, which is then presented to Council who make sense of it and decide along with CERA and central Government how best to address remediation and retreat issues. The time scale is not known on how long this process will take. It will not be quick given that the scientific analysis is still underway. Ethan also answered specific questions from residents. He also disclosed that it is hoped that half of the current white zoned area can be declared green by Christmas.
Residents were asked by Ethan if they were happy with the meeting and if they found it useful. The answer was an overwhelming yes. Residents were also asked privately by Ruth Dyson MP if they were happy. They responded in the affirmative.
It’s early days with this programme. Two experienced council employees have been appointed to action the communications around this process and they will be getting in touch with you in the near future. Email philippa.upton@ccc.govt.nz if your group has significant red sticker/section 124 issues and is ready to roll. They anticipate running a couple of meetings a week once everything is up and running. They will prioritise meetings with the most badly affected (red stickered/section 124s being prioritised). Thanks again to Sue Stubenvoll for her help and support. She has passed on her observations and residents suggestions for improvements to the meeting process.
Terry O’Leary
Port Hills Cancern Representative
Please update Fletcher – EQR details
Due to earthquake damage to their building in Woolston, this Hub has been temporarily relocated. All emergency work for the Hill suburbs still goes through this Hub.
Woolston Hub
Ph 03 341 9954
145 Blenheim Road
Community Liaison Officer Natalie Absalom
Phone 03 341 9959
Woolston
natalie.absalom@eqr.co.nz
The Woolston Hub will relocate back into the area when they find suitable premises.
Ferrymead Hub can still be found in the East Coast Building:
Ferrymead Hub
Phone 03 341 0139
1091 Ferry Road
Sandra Frame
Phone 03 3459478
Community Liaison Officer
Ferrymead
sandra.frame@eqr.co.nz
Funding
Vodafone and the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal Trust have launched a $4 million fund to help rebuild Christchurch communities, places and services ……
Vodafone Launches Multi-Million Dollar Fund for Canterbury
Mt Pleasant Swap Meet Re-starts
The Mt Pleasant Swap Meet will recommence on Sunday 30th October between 3-4pm out the front of the sad old shops on Major Hornbrook Rd (just up from Billy’s Track & down from Freeman’s Rd). Anyone with something to swap from the garden, baking or any other type of home spun goodie is welcome to participate. Or if you unsure about how Swap Meets work just along for a look.
Back on Bikes Event 5 November 2011
For information on this great bike event which is happening at McCormacks Bay November 5th click here http://tiny.cc/vlajt.
Community Update 4 October
Volunteers wanted for Community Information Stall at Saturday’s Farmers Market
People tell us they like having a community information stall at the Farmers Market on a Saturday. Unfortunately due to the family commitments of many on our committee this is quite a hard thing to staff. We are therefore calling for volunteers to staff the stall for 1.5 hour slots on a Saturday.
Tasks: Give out any information on hand, record any concerns from members of the community. Easy!
If you can help please email linda.rutland@xtra.co.nz or phone 384-2160.
Flames – Thank you
Big thanks to Flames Restaurant for hosting our recent street coordinator meeting. With so few venues in the community it was great to have this space. Please see Flames latest mid-week specials http://tiny.cc/hfq0f
Are you Red-stickered and unable to live in your home?
The Residents Association is inviting all Red-stickered residents to a social get-together on Saturday 29th of October 4pm at the Redcliffs Bowling Club. The purpose of the get-together is to bring those in similar circumstances together so that notes can be swapped and experiences shared. The Association will provide nibbles and the cash bar will be open. If you have any particular ideas for any information or organisations relating to your rebuild you would like available at this gathering please let us know otherwise it is simply a mix and mingle opportunity.
As our email list doesn’t reach everyone on the hill please invite other Mt Pleasant residents you know to be in this situation.
This event is being held in Neighbourhood Week 2011. Please confirm your attendance to mtpleasantcommunityassn@xtra.co.nzby placing (your name) – Attending in the subject line so we can be sure our venue will be large enough. We are not sure how many Red-Stickered homes we have in Mt Pleasant.
Your help required to make a safe cycle/walkway from Estuary to Sumner a reality
The Mt Pleasant, Sumner and Redcliffs community groups have recently formed a joint venture to secure the funding and necessary agreements to seethe Coastal Pathway (cycle/walkway). We’ve been lobbying for (for years) to at last become a reality. If we’re going to make this happen, action is required NOW. Now is a great time to build such a pathway. The estuary edge needs rebuilding and there are spare rocks around that would otherwise require costly removal. The same consents will be required whether a pathway is built or not.
The principle challenge is to convince those who can make it happen. The council is designing a Masterplan for Ferry Road to Sumner, but Stage 1 currently stops at the Ferrymead Bridge. There are open sessions this Thursday and Friday in Woolston (details below) so please drop in and plug the idea of a coastal pathway. This is our once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a great link to the CBD and to address the traffic issues and the lack of public spaces along the route. http://www.ccc.govt.nz/thecouncil/policiesreportsstrategies/SuburbsRejuvenationProgramme/FerryRoadMainRoadCorridorWork.aspx
You may also have heard about CERA’s draft recovery strategy– online submissions close Oct 30th. It is crucial CERA gets the same message:it may have better access to funding to make the Coastal Path happen more quickly http://cera.govt.nz/recovery-strategy. The ONLY way these visions can become a reality is if we all get in behind these ideas and make our voices really loud!! Most NZ cities have already made their water edges accessible and inspiring. Wellington and New Plymouth are recent examples. Such a path, stretching from Sumner to Ferrymead, and then continuing on to town via the towpath/Linwood Canal/Avon river, and around the edge to Southshore/Brighton,would be an excellent addition to our city. It would be good for Mt Pleasant: not only would we have a lovely place to walk and ride, we would have a much better connection to our estuary. The same applies to Redcliffs and Sumner. The wider city would benefit too: the beaches would become more accessible; mountain bikers and runners would gain better access to the hills; local shops,cafes and bars would benefit from hungry and thirsty visitors. Our roads would be quieter. We would have a beautiful waterfront edge, a more appealing way to get to the beach, and a whole series of new places to bump into our neighbours. Isn’t this the kind of community we are supposed to building?
Most pertinent of all, we would have something to boost our morale, to celebrate and showcase the world-class environment we’ve chosen to call home, and another great reason to get out amongst it.
FerryRoad / Main Road Corridor Community drop-in sessions:
Thursday 6 October 4pm to 8pm
Friday 7 October 12 noon to 3pm
Venue: St Johns Church Hall
Corner Ferry Road
St Johns Street
Woolston
For further information on the project contact: suburbancentres@ccc.govt.nz
McCormacks Bay Reservoir repair
For details please click here http://tiny.cc/mfwzv
Christchurch residents face the start of Level 3 water restrictions from Saturday, 8 October
Christchurch City Council has been warning residents of likely restrictions for several months. “We are working hard to repair reservoirs, damaged wells and drill new wells but we need Christchurch residents to limit their outdoor water use now. This is a city-wide issue,” says Council Water and Waste Manager Mark Christison. Christchurch’s water supply systems were badly damaged during the 4 September, 22 February and 13 June earthquakes. The level of damage means that for the first time since the drought of 1998, Christchurch will face water restrictions until at least February 2012.
“If we don’t start conserving water now, with an aim to reduce the traditional summer-time outdoor water demand, total outdoor watering bans will have to be imposed for the city,” says Mark. “By everyone playing their part now and abiding by Level 3 restrictions, it is hoped we will be able to move through the summer period without more severe restrictions.
In detail, Level 3 water restrictions mean:
- No one waters outdoors on Mondays
- Residents with odd-numbered street addresses can water their gardens on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays
- Residents with even-numbered street addresses can water their gardens on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
- Sprinklers, garden irrigation systems and unattended hosesare not permitted at any time
- Car washing is permitted on the allocated day
“All Christchurch residents need to adhere to these restrictions. We need everyone to work together, share ideas on how to conserve water and help reduce the demand on our fragile water systems while the infrastructure is being repaired.”For more information, see www.becomewaterwise.co.nz or share your water-saving tips on www.facebook.co.nz/ChristchurchCityCouncil.
CERA Update
Weekly update from Roger Sutton, Chief Executive, Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority
Monday 3 October 2011
The Avondale Earthquake Assistance Centre reached a milestone last week with the 1000th visitor walking through the door. The service continues to provide support and information to people who are making decisions around their land offers and we congratulate the team for the support they’re providing to residents. Last week 21 residential red zone properties had been settled There are another 113 settlements underway and 473 expected within the next four weeks. Currently we have 6,154 red zone properties on the database of which 5,332 have returned their consent forms and 5,074 offer letters have been sent. Of those who have accepted the offer 440 selected option one and 737 selected option two.
We’re really pleased with the input from people who came to the four draft recovery strategy consultation workshops last week. These were information and input sessions and people had some really good ideas Around 200 people have provided written feedback so far, either online through the CERA website or by using the comment form and posting it back to us.Consultation finishes at the end of the month. We are also encouraging community groups and workplaces to hold their own discussions. We have a PowerPoint template on the CERA website for people to use and run their own sessions if they want to – such as was successfully run by two Canterbury University students last week. (Visit our Recovery Strategy page at http://cera.govt.nz/recovery-strategy formore information). There are a whole lot of plans already underway in a number of recovery areas. The purpose of the strategy is to pull together the recovery plans that are already being developed, look at the timing and priorities of the recovery work, see if there are any gaps and ensure there is a co-ordinated approach to the recovery as whole.
Planning for the public bus tours into the CBD red zone is underway. We are working with emergency services, the Christchurch City Council, the army (who staff the cordons), Department of Labour (who cover health and safety issues), St John and community support services. There are a number of things to work through around logistics, safety, resourcing, timing, staffing and support and minimising disruption to the work in the CBD. At this stage we are looking at holding them on Saturday afternoons and Sundays when there is less demolition work going on. We want to make it happen as soon as is practical in as safe a way as possible and will let people know as details are finalise.
The Cashel Mall restart with temporary retail in containers and the reopening of Ballantynes is on track with the owners group and others involved confident they can meet the completion date of 29 Oct. Cordons in the CBD have reduced as much as possible since CERA took over from Civil Defence and the current red zone will be halved by Christmas as demolitions are completed. By April next year we expect the current red zone to be gone, but there will be areas around a few specific sites that will remain restricted due to ongoing work, for example Cathedral Square, around the Hotel Grand Chancellor/Westpac area and in the Crowne Plaza area.
RogerSutton
Chief Executive
Canterbury Earthquake Recovery Authority