Western News: July 31, 2018

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4 Tuesday July 31 2018 Your Local Views Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi WESTERN NEWS eep quarries away from residents Selwyn district councillor Jeff Bland writes about his opinion on quarrying RECENTLY I received an email, which read “as our elected representative what is your personal view about the quarry that Fulton Hogan wish to establish at the corner of Dawsons and Curraghs Rds, near Templeton?” Before I share with you my reply I will tell you a little bit about me. A fair while ago I worked for a large organisation that owned and operated a number of quarries. The stone from these quarries was used in river work and stop bank protection. I was young and working in this environment was exciting. Quarries were noisy, dusty and dangerous. I loved handling the explosives, operating the drilling rigs and jackhammers. It was hard dirty work but well paid and rewarding. The biggest quarry we worked was a huge towering cliff, not benched, nearly 125m in height. It was in a rural farmland environment. Unfortunately, there was one house located about 200m from the quarry entrance. The owner OPINION: Selwyn district councillor Jeff Bland writes about why he believes quarries “must be” located well away from existing houses. of this house we will call Mr Smith. It would be fair to say that Mr Smith hated us quarry workers for very good reason. His home was constantly exposed to the stone dust drifting out of the quarry. He was tortured by the incessant hammering of the drilling rig and the jack hammers. The noise of trucks grinding their way out to the weighbridge, then to the quarry entrance directly opposite his front gate was relentless. His children trudging home from school had to walk through the often wet grass, the roads were busy, the trucks large and often overloaded. If this wasn’t bad enough, after one quarry blast, a piece of granite the size of a football crashed through the roof of his house. Mr Smith often used to stand opposite the quarry shaking his fist and cursing us. The boss said to ignore him as he was just a bit nuts. Back then if you stood in the way of progress you were belittled. Mr Smith was just one voice and the quarry owners were many. The quarry has been closed for many years now. Mr Smith’s house may still have the mismatched sheet of corrugated iron on the roof. The rivers are confined by the stop banks, the farmers have prospered and everyone has forgotten what happened. But I haven’t. I see the similarities to the Templeton situation. Small man versus large company shareholders wanting to maximise its profit. The noise, the dust, the trucks grinding their way from the quarry floor onto roads not designed for their size or weight, kids walking in the grass. The company employees are just doing their job. I accept that we need gravel for roads. It is progress, but progress comes at a cost not usually borne by company shareholders. Now getting back to my reply. I am of the opinion that quarries must be located well away from existing houses. In this case, there will no doubt be arguments put forward by those promoting the quarry and those opposing it. I suspect that this will end up going through a hearing process and a commissioner will be appointed to listen to both arguments. It will be in this forum that the matter will be decided. However, don’t under-estimate the power of public opinion. Those that are worried about the location of this quarry should voice their concern, stand united. Public opinion may well influence the outcome. Don’t be like Mr Smith, shaking your fist and cursing the workers once the quarry is operating will be pointless. •This is my opinion only and should not be construed as an opinion of the Selwyn District Council. Readers respond to the Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board’s call to demolish the broken and vacant Sockburn Service Centre. Heather Wilkins - Commercial land so yes the land should be kept. Was so handy having the Sockburn Service Centre. Where do people go now? About time too. Erina Parks – So little respect from the council for the neighbours and local community that they’ve had to put up with this eyesore for so long. Telly Power – Why has this taken so long? The eternal question we ask about everything in Christchurch. Trevor Taylor – I wonder how much the council has paid in fence hire for this place? Waste of money. Mark Peters - About time to get it demolished, it has taken far too long, too close to the Upper Riccarton Library to build the full mega centre, maybe the pool and recreation centre but difficult for Hornby folks to access being the opposite side of the extremely busy Sockburn roundabout, so not where I would like to see it built, take a serious look at the Sockburn/Wigram School site that will be vacated at the end of the year. Readers react to Lincoln University’s caterer Heather Watson’s retirement after 31 years in the job. Jillian Oliver - What a wonderful woman, loved reading this. Stephen Leitch - Well deserved too after all the effort that has gone into the operation that is often overlooked. NEGLECTED: The former Sockburn Service Centre building now sits vacant with windows broken and covered in graffiti. Letterbox Advertising Flyers and Newspaper Inserts DESIGN We offer professional design services. PRINT We print your gloss mailers and letterbox flyers. Delivery Canterbury wide coverage or targeted zone deliveries. 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WESTERN NEWS Latest Christchurch news at www.star.kiwi Tuesday July 31 2018 5 News Pothole repairs too slow in south-west Local News Now Fire rages, homes at risk HAZARD: Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board member Ross McFarlane says potholes are a common sight on Marshs Rd, Halswell. • By Anan Zaki A COMMUNITY board member says ratepayers in Halswell are being let down by slow city council services. Halswell Ward community board member Ross McFarlane raised the issue at the last Halswell-Hornby-Riccarton Community Board meeting after the city council failed to repair a number of potholes he reported. He said rural Halswell was more prone to potholes than other parts of the city. “We’ve got so much traffic coming via non-mainstream roads because of roadworks on the Southern Motorway,” Mr McFarlane said. Mr McFarlane said he reported nine potholes but only one was repaired. Most of the potholes he reported were on Marshs Rd, Halswell. “These are only like 5m across, with no centre lines, they are really rural roads which are copping an absolute pounding. “I would hate to think that people could swerve to avoid a pothole,” Mr McFarlane said. Potholes are a road hazard the city council should address as soon as they appear, he said. When asked about Mr McFarlane’s concerns, the city council city streets maintenance manager Mark Pinner said fixing potholes was weather dependent. “Work to repair such areas can be limited and delayed until we can ensure we can work and complete what we start in dry conditions.” Roading contractors needed to make sure the road surfacing remained waterproof, Mr Pinner said. Contractors had also been asked to speed up works, he said. “Council’s contractors have increased their resources to reflect the expectation council has set for the speed of response, methodology and quality of carrying out pothole repairs,” he said. Areas such as the rural south-west where potholes are more common will be targeted for more frequent repairs over the next year, Mr Pinner said. STOLEN: Police are still seeking the owner of the stolen Nike Air Jordan shoes, as well as a bicycle and scooter. Hornby burglary breakthrough •From page 1 “We had three other people who phoned in to report that they have lost items but haven’t done anything about it,” Senior Constable Ward said. Police believe the latest calls meant the teenagers are still active. Police are yet to decide if the boy will be charged or not and the outcome depended on a Youth Justice family group conference in four weeks time. “The victim and the family will be at the conference and we will see if we can come up with a plan to prevent this boy from re-offending,” Senior Constable Ward said. Oranga Tamariki Ministry for Children states that a Youth Justice family group conference is designed to get young offenders to take responsibility for their actions and make amends for what they have done. It can be done through community service or a finding a part-time job to pay for damages. Police are still seeking the owners of a $300 pair of Nike Air Jordan shoes, an Avanti bicycle and Razor scooter, which were stolen in the door-stepping thefts. The remaining eight are still at large and the police will only be able to apprehend them when more stolen items are reported and owners come forward, Senior Constable Ward said. “The concern is the other ones will carry on doing it,” he said. •If the recovered items belong to you or if valuables were stolen from outside your property, phone Senior Constable Bruce Ward at the Hornby Police Station on 363 7435. Fall in love with your favourite furniture all over again! before Daily Specials • Recover your chairs and couches and save money! • Excellent range of fabrics • Quality workmanship guaranteed • Free quotes available • Over 30 years experience Somerfield upholStery ltd Furniture Recovery Specialist after 10 Calgary Place, Hornby 03 349 0456 or 021 251 6200 www.somerfieldupholstery.co.nz 238 Port Hills Road, Heathcote corner of Port Hills and Chapmans Rds shop hours Monday to Saturday 8am - 6pm Sunday 9am - 4pm
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Western News: July 31, 2018

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