Alliance on notice

Pictured on Queenstown's infamous arterial road - which opens today - are the council's...
Pictured on Queenstown's infamous arterial road - which opens today - are the council's commercial and procurement manager Geoff Mayman (left) and mayor Glyn Lewers. Photo: Mountain Scene
Queenstown mayor Glyn Lewers says he’s keeping a "watching brief" on a critical CBD stormwater upgrade, that’s already months behind schedule.

The Ka Huanui a Tahuna Alliance started upgrading services to lower Ballarat St on October 14 last year.

That section was to have been finished by December20.

The work includes construction of a new "outfall feature" into Horne Creek, by the Village Green - it’s now understood that’ll take about 12 weeks to build.

However, the Alliance say they’re returning to that site on February 10 - it means lower Ballarat St, between Stanley and Camp Sts, will be closed till May 16.

There’ll, again, be no general access to/from Athol St from lower Ballarat St for the duration.

Then, from February 19 till April 24, the Stanley-Ballarat St intersection will close to allow crews to connect the piped stormwater network.

Public bus stops will be relocated to the Stanley St carpark during that period, while carparks will be closed.

Council’s commercial and procurement manager Geoff Mayman says while crews did install "a lot of utilities" last year, "they are considerably behind where we thought they’d be".

"It was more complex than anticipated."

Lewers says, similar to the CBD street upgrades and the arterial road construction, crews have found "so many services" they didn’t know about, or in positions that weren’t mapped correctly.

"I think the average was a new one every 90mm when we did the street upgrades in the CBD."

The stormwater upgrades form a critical part of the overall 1.1km arterial road budget - which now sits at $128.02m.

When asked if the delays would have a further financial impact on ratepayers - the Alliance has gone cap-in-hand to the council for more money about four times to date - Mayman says "it’s always [been] planned, and the project’s going to carry on".

"I don’t know the detail, but if it is, it’s minor in the scheme of things."

Lewers: "Put it this way, it’s a watching brief from my point of view.

"Our views have been made pretty clear."

As part of the next phase, the Alliance is planning night works, 10pm to 10am, from February 19 to March 17, Sundays to Thursdays.

That follows engagement with affected businesses, and ensures access to Brazz and Speight’s Ale House will remain clear and accessible during the day.

Council property and infrastructure GM Tony Avery says there are special conditions imposed on the Alliance to ensure heritage features such as Wellingtonia trees, the historic courthouse building and Ballarat St bridge, as well as Horne Creek, are protected.

 

Advertisement

OUTSTREAM