Ashburton Courier: November 30, 2023

20 Ashburton
NEWS
Courier, November 30, 2023
www.ashburtoncourier.co.nz
Cavendish Chambers coming down
BY JONATHAN LEASK
Local democracy reporter
The demolition of an 87­yearold
building is under way to
make way for acar park.
The red brick building at 255
Havelock Street is being torn
downand will be replaced with
car parks for Te Whare
Whakatere, Ashburton’s new
library and civic centre.
Ashburton District Council
chief executive Hamish Riach
said the demolition of the
earthquake­prone Cavendish
Chamber building began at the
end of October, starting with
asbestosremoval.
The contractor has been
workingtosalvagefittings and
fixtures from the interior of the
building for recycling.
“When the contractor is
ready to bring the building
down it will happen fairly
quickly.”
Once the rubble is cleared
the site will become acar park
for visitors, and is anticipated
to be completed by the end of
January.
“The public car park was
scheduled to be completed by
January 31 and remains on
track to meet the original date.”
Council staff are still set to
move in and operate from the
new building from December
18, but due to construction
delays, the library opening has
been pushed back to January
22.
Out the front of Te Whare
Whakatere, the $2.45m
revitalisation of Baring
Square East is on track to be
completed by the end of the
year, Riach said.
As part of the revamp,some
of the existing features have
had afacelift.
❛The public car park
was scheduled to be
completed by
January 31 and
remains on track to
meet the original
date.❜
—Hamish Riach
The arbors, dubbed the
‘whalebones', which were
installed when the square was
last redeveloped to mark
centenarycelebrationsfor the
Ashburton Borough in 1978,
have had adeep clean.
Community consultation in
2020 around the square’s
renovation split public
opinion on the retention of the
precast concrete archway
arbors.
Infrastructureand open
spaces groupmanager Neil
McCann said the council
decided to keep them, but four
of the original arbors have
been removed.
“One was taken down in 2019
because it was structurally
unsound and we took down
three moretobalance the
squareduring this current
redevelopment.”
The central water feature,
founding father John Grigg
statue, the Frontiersman
Memorial, and Lew Summers'
‘love sculpture’ all remain in
place.
The Boer War Memorial,
installed in 1903 and moved a
few metersinthe 1978
remodel, was moved to Baring
SquareWest last month.
DEMOLITION: Work has begun
at the Cavendish Chambers
building in central Ashburton.
PHOTOS TONI WILLIAMS
Public interest journalism
funded by NZ On Air
Moore Toys
Awide range
of Quality
Wooden Toys
andEducational
Games
Come seeusatthe Plains
Christmas Function 10th December
Ian R. Moore
Asburton
December
18, 19, 20, 21
021 257 5791
2629264
2629080
EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT­THE SECRETS OF SANDBAGS
Given that we recently experienceda
short, heavy bout of rain that caused
surface flooding in some areas of the
district, Ithought it would be timely
to discusssandbags.
Sandbags are certainly useful, but
they do have limitations.They
require time and effort to fill and
place, and for this reason are most
effective when used in advance of an
event; in short and sharp events, they
might be of little use.
Sandbags are not 100% waterproof;
water will slowly seep through. They
are effective at directing water away
from doorways and other key areas,
rather than keeping it out
completely.
When an emergency happens, Civil
Defence,Council and emergency
serviceswill be focused on
preserving life and protecting key
infrastructure such as roads, water
and sewage. It’s unlikely we'll be able
to assist with sandbagging individual
properties.
It’s the responsibility of property
owners to take appropriate action to
protect their property from flooding,
and at the risk of sounding like a
broken record, being prepared
before an emergency happens is key.
So, what are your options?
Sandbags are widely available for
purchase from hardware stores but
will quickly sell out duringanevent.
The mostaffordable option are
BE PREPARED:Inaflooding emergency sandbags can help divert water
away from areas.
polypropylene sandbags which can
be found in packs of 10 and cost less
than $2 each bag. These come packed
flat and will need to be filled before
use.
Another option is sandless flood
barriers which can be found locally at
Mitre 10. These are filled with a
powder that swells when wet. They’re
abit pricier but come withthe
convenience of not needing to be
filled before use.
Both types can be reused if dried
and stored properly, but wet sandbags
will rot or deteriorate quickly.
In apinch, you can also create your
own sandbags with old pillowcases,
plastic rubbish bags, or any other bag
that will help to keep the fill together.
Well­fastened PVC sheeting can help
provide flood protection to doorways.
Fill sandbags with sand if possible, or
heavy garden soil. Avoid rocky soil as
that will let water through easily.
Civil Defence does not have astock
of sandbags, however in alarge event
we may make sandbag stations
available through local contractors,
such as Ashburton Contract Limited
(ACL). In these cases, be prepared to
fill and transport your own bags, and
dispose of the bags after their use ­ we
do not provide a“pick up” service.
Jim Henderson
Emergency Management Officer,
Ashburton District Council