The Tauranga City Council's annual cleaning and maintenance regime to keep the city's pipes working properly gets underway next week. The annual mains flushing programme is expected to take about six weeks to complete. Work starts in the Greerton area on Monday, August 17 and moves towards the Avenues.

This information from the Tauranga City Council's weekly works bulletin for the week beginning August 17, 2009, shown below.

City Waters

Water Supply:

• The annual mains flushing programme will begin next Monday 17th August, taking approximately six weeks to complete. Will initially start in the Greerton area and work towards the Avenues. Notices will be placed in local newspapers and on Council's website to notify areas affected.
• Our online Rating Information Database now enables customers to obtain land rates and water rates invoices by e-mail. To set up this facility, you can sign up on our web site. Go to the TCC website, type ‘rates' in the search box and click on the Rating Information Database link.
• Work is substantially complete on the watermain upgrades in the area next to the Harbour Link Project.
• Pillans Watermain Upgrade - Work continues with pipe laying in Maxwells Road, pipe connections in Landscape Road, and under-road thrusting in Chapel Street still to happen.
• Council contactors City Care Ltd will be installing new water mains in Mansfield Street during August.
• Work is substantially complete for the water main upgrade in Lydbrook Terrace, with only reinstatement works to be done.
• A schedule will be sent out to contractors shortly for the Darraghs Road watermain upgrade.
• Subsequently to the large emergency water outage at Maungatapu, additional water connection supplies are to be installed. Work to start in the next month.

Drainage:

• Three sewer problems to report this week, two caused by paper: A property connection to a sewer in Maunganui Road near Golf Road was reported as a paper jam and a property connection to a manhole in Emmett Street was reported with a quantity of paper blocking the service pipe outlet. The third report involved tree roots which caused an obstruction into a manhole to a house connection in Waitui Grove.
• The Pollution Prevention team were called to one incident this week. A tin of paint was dropped onto Maunganui Road near Adams Avenue on the weekend. The paint spill was then being washed into kerb and street sump as part of the clean up. So this required the need to have a vacuum tanker to suck up the washed material out of sump. Drains are just for rain!
• Work continues on a number of stormwater soak holes in Cameron Road between Chadwick and SH29 and alongside the Race course and Tauranga Golf course to improve the stormwater soakage system there.
• A high number of reports of street grates being lifted and then dropped into street sumps. Last weekend five needed to be attended to by the contractor.

Waiari Water Supply Project:

• Resource consents for the construction and operation of a new water intake and treatment plant to serve the Papamoa urban growth area have been granted. The consent appeals period will close at the end of August.

Southern Pipeline:

• Brian Perry Civil has started work on the site of the new 1,300m3 wastewater storage tank and pump station site at Maleme Street. This marks the start of construction for the main Southern Pipeline Project.
• The resource consent decisions have been received and seven parties including both applicants have lodged appeals. Four external appeals relate solely to the Memorial Walkway.

Inflow Reduction Project:

• Esk Street - Council staff will be visiting the remaining property owners with non complying gully traps over the next couple of weeks.
• Royal Palms/Fashion Island - Further new inspections will begin in the following streets within the next couple of weeks: Bahamas Key; 52 - 92 Beachwater Drive; Florida Key; 92 - 202 Gravatt Road; Havana Key; Malibu Key; Monaco Key; Monte Carlo Key; Monterey Key; 1 - 15 Oriental Parade; 1 - 35 & 89 - 142 Palm Beach Boulevard; 462 - 504 Papamoa Beach Road; 35 - 86 Percy Road; Piha Close; St Heliers Place; 1 - 25 Santa Barbara Drive; 1 - 43 Santa Monica Drive; Santorini Key; 2 Seychelles Drive; Sorrento Key; Stella Place. Affected property owners will be notified by letter before they begin.

Parks and Leisure / City Projects

• Mauao - The Oruahine track will be closed at times next week for weed control to be completed on the bluffs above.
• Another 75 Pohutukawas (which have been donated by Paul Salmon) will be planted on Mauao.
• The Mauao base track work is progressing well with no closures required to date.
• Two kauri trees have been ordered to be installed in traffic island tree pits in Kesteven Ave in Merivale. This work is part of the Merivale streetscape improvement project.

Transportation

• Elizabeth Street: Work to replace a retaining wall on the footpath by St Mary's Catholic Church is underway. The work is expected to take about another four weeks to complete. At times the footpath by the wall will be closed to pedestrians. Pedestrians are reminded to take care and use the signed alternative routes to negotiate the Elizabeth Street and Cameron Road intersection. There will be minor delays to motorists for the duration of the works.

Library

• Tauranga City Libraries is celebrating Library Week with a series of activities including tours, internet classes and special story time events.
• A rare book exhibition is currently happening in the New Zealand room. Most books are from the Sladden Collection and are non-fiction publications about New Zealand, Pacific exploration and natural history.
• A sponsored ‘Memories a Plenty' competition is underway. All entries will be considered for publication online, and some also for Caught by the Morning Light, a new anthology to be compiled by Tommy Kapai Wilson on Mauao and its meaning to individuals and groups in the Bay.
• Author and motivation speaker Getrude Matshe is speaking in Tauranga Library, Friday 28 August from 6.00pm - 7.00pm.

Busy Libraries

• Tauranga's libraries were run off their feet last month with a huge number of books being borrowed.
• The total number of books issued across all four libraries was 196,758. This compares to 168,247 issued in July 2008.
• Issues at all the libraries were up on this time last year but the largest increase was at the city library which issued 15,918 more books this July than the previous one. Papamoa library also had a record month issuing 39,759 books compared to 34,584 last July.
• The number of books being borrowed from the libraries has been steadily increasing over the last year.

Events Tauranga

Ticketing

• The box-office was inundated this past with patrons purchasing tickets for the Tauranga Arts Festival, the Tauranga Primary Schools music festival and the rugby game between South Africa and the All Blacks.
• Valerie Donaldson, one the Casual Box-Office assistants, celebrated ten years with council on 12 August!

Baycourt Community and Arts Centre

• Wed 12 Aug to Sun 16 Aug from (9:30am to 4pm) - TAURANGA EMBROIDERERS' GUILD ANNUAL EXHIBITION - Baycourt Exhibition Space
• Thurs 13 Aug (8pm) - HOTEL CALIFORNIA – The Eagles Experience - Presented by Showtime at Baycourt Centennial Theatre.
• Friday 14 Aug (7.30pm) - ARTS COLLECTION - Presented by Mount Maunganui College in Baycourt Centennial Theatre.
• Sat 15 August - Tarnished Frocks and Divas pack-in for their performance next week.

Democracy

Wastewater Management Review Committee Monday, 17 August 2009 at 1pm in Council Chambers

• Microbiological Quality of Shellfish in Estuarine Areas
• Tauranga City Council Wastewater Overflow Mitigation

Strategy & Policy Committee - 18 August 2009

• Petition - Tree Removal – Glenn Terrace (DC 237) - This report contains information from staff in response to a petition being presented at this meeting.
• Gambling Venues Policy - Social Impacts - To identify the Committee's preferred approach to the statutory requirement to review the Gambling Venues Policy and to have regard to the social impact of gambling within the city when doing so
• Adoption of Mobile Shops Policy and Amendment to Commercial Activities on Reserve Land Policy - Recommending the adoption of the amended Operation of Mobile Shops Policy and the amendments to the Commercial Activities on Reserve Land Policy.
• Draft Naming Policy - Recommending the adoption of the draft Naming Policy for streets, reserves and council facilities.
• Kaituna River and Ongatoro / Maketu Estuary Strategy - Seeking approval to adopt the Kaituna River and Ongatoro/Maketu Estuary Strategy developed by the communities of the area and by the Joint Maketu Joint Committee over the last few years.
• District Plan Review Issue Discussion - This report sets out discussion on the review of the current District Plan and proposed content for the land held by Mangatawa Papamoa Blocks Incorporated and the proposed Harbour Central Marine Precinct.
• District Plan Review - Community Feedback and Issues Discussions - This report sets out discussion on issues raised in the draft submission phase of the district plan review project for City Centre and City Living Zone proposals.

Hearings Panel Subcommittee Thursday 20 August 2009 at 9am in Te Awanui Harbour Room

• An appeal to be considered regarding the classification of dangerous dog. Council is authorised by the Dog Control Act 1996 to uphold or rescind the classification.