Difficulties with the proposed Meerkat tsunami siren system to be installed in Tauranga were known and advised to council last year, reports the city services manager Ian MacDonald today.
Auckland based company Meerkat's tsunami sirens.
The statement was made after Ian was asked by councillor Murray Guy at today's Projects and Monitoring Committee why the council is doing an about-face on its previous decision to award the contract to Meerkat systems
Ian says he advised council in December that there were three issues that could impact on the Meerkat sirens system.
They are; resource consent issues for the siren poles in more than 60 locations; the cost of the system; and ensuring the system met national tsunami siren standards.
Meerkat's proposal has so far failed on consenting and expense.
Ian has promised a detailed and full engineers report to councillors on the sirens issues at a date yet to be set.
'What is important is that we get a proper report that covers all the issues,” says Ian.
He's hoping the report from city engineer Howard Severinsen will cover all the issues and provide some solutions 'about where we are and what we can do to go forward”.
Murray's next question about whether the feedback to council will involve discussions with people in the community, outside of the council did not receive a direct answer.
The question came after the Mayor Stuart Crosby passed on information last week that the council is not proceeding with the Meerkat tsunami sirens project.
The Meerkat system using electronic sirens has repeatedly failed comparison in the public arena with a proposal from Wellington based Tactical Tooling to install air-raid type sirens.
The Tactical Tooling sirens were successfully tested in the Mount and at Papamoa last October. The test was followed with an invitation for a sound off against the Meerkat sirens, which was not taken up.
Tactical Tooling's repeated claims they have a system that is considerably cheaper than Meerkat and works as demonstrated, has failed until now to make any headway against the council's screening processes.
20 comments
Sorry to Council Workers?
Posted on 11-03-2013 17:17 | By tabatha
When are council workers, who are employed by the CEO wake up and realise where their weekly pay is coming from. There is to much underhanded activity and it is coming more to light that decisions are being made by workers and not the elected members. Yes elected members need to be informed. I feel that the elected members need to take a stand and say that in future in workers make decisions without council approval a warning under the employment act is invoked and if the same worker continues they are without a job. Please Councillors stop being ridden on by the workers you are elected by the ratepayers and I sure there are others like me who are becoming frustrated at this action.
Royal Commission of enquiry needed here!
Posted on 11-03-2013 17:39 | By YOGI
What a shambles it all is, like so much time has passed by and with all teh justified pressure heaped up on TCC the message has only taken 10-12 months to sink in and for a comment that "Merkat failed ..." like the rest of the world knew that before it all started. So at last the real issues get to the surface and have to be admitted, how long is a piece of string ehre ... The real question is about the tendering process where it was announced to Councillors that a tender process was underway but TCC staff had already eliminated all but Merkat, like you have to ask what is going on here and that of course leads into the whole tendering process from the get go to now!
Instead of a proper tender system
Posted on 11-03-2013 17:40 | By Phailed
Maybe who gets the job could be influenced by councillors and their pet desires. But I'd call that suspect. Just get a decent way of tendering jobs.
Bring on the Election
Posted on 11-03-2013 18:20 | By Tony
These people seem to have no idea what we think of their collective stupidity. Every thing they touch gets screwed up and its never anyones fault. Geee I hope some new blood that can count to 10 without taking off their shoes and sock put their hands up next time
Simple solution
Posted on 11-03-2013 18:28 | By Johnney
Why can't the national coordination centre get telecom to automatically call all landlines with a recorded message that a tsunami is imminent in the affected area.
Peitro
Posted on 12-03-2013 04:17 | By TERMITE
Telecom can't do that as the whole system will collaspe completely. TONY, agree on new blood, to be able to count would be an improvement, to count to ten would be a miracle! PHAILED, TCC staff have already got the jump on Councillors by a decade, maybe more on the tendering process, please refer to TONY's comments they explain why that has been so easy to do. TABATHA TCC staff don't need to wake up as they have a nice cozy life, pampered, well featehred and some by all of us mug ratepayers and that happens mostly because we have not got a clue of the extent of freebee handouts and soft as cushioning all over the place at TCC. YOGI, now that is the truth, however they will all keep their jobs ad live happily ever after for an eternity!
Pietro
Posted on 12-03-2013 07:27 | By whatsinaname
fantastic idea but there are a lot of people tht dont have land lines. .by the time warnings in place come thru the tsunami would of hit. You would need a siren or something outside every house. to make it work successfully
Telecomms
Posted on 12-03-2013 09:36 | By Papamoaner
The telecomms can be quickly overloaded which is why sirens are needed to warn the community to immediately listen to their radio stations for advice by means of prepared messages that are triggered with the sirens. Makes good sense.
In the meantime.....
Posted on 12-03-2013 16:06 | By Bassist
....here comes a tsunami, with NO warning! Bunch of idiots!!!!! If I performed like they do in my job I'd be fired on the spot!
fire sirens
Posted on 12-03-2013 19:20 | By emtees
Ummm there is a reason why they use air raid type sirens at volunteer fire stations.So the members can hear them,even when in deep sleep.I only hope common sense prevails.
To Bassist
Posted on 12-03-2013 21:18 | By Papamoaner
Er, sorry to burst your negative bubble, but sirens were never meant for instant tsunamis. They are for the Tsunamis that are coming within the next 30 minutes to one hour - the most dangerous of the 3 types of Tsunami. The council have put a lot of effort into planning escape routes for that type of tsunami, and are now looking at better siren alternatives. That's good. Give credit where credit is due. There are 3 types of tsunami, but you seem to be unaware. For tsunamis with no warning at all, nothing can help us, so what are you on about?
Papamoaner
Posted on 14-03-2013 00:54 | By TERMITE
Three types, so lets see they would be: - Bad, badder and badest! Right on the point of a 0-30 minute warning timeframe, no hope of escape from that, less chance of a siren being turned on in that time frame. in 30-90 moniutes provides an oppurtunity to alert many of the pending danager however particularly at the far end of Papamoa (largest NZ Coaldesac) the bottleneck out of there will make it more or less impossible to save anyone anyway as the exit path is so limiting, for more than 90 minutes the possibility of saving most is considerably better. Bottom line here is the sooner all realise the danger the more chance to get out.
Do once do right
Posted on 15-03-2013 11:23 | By TERMITE
Better not to have Sirens if they do not work, may as well live in blissful ignorance otherwise, then byt the time you know of the problem it will all be over anyway, less trouble, no stress, wonderful right?
To Termite
Posted on 16-03-2013 14:24 | By Papamoaner
You might like to read up on some overseas examples where sirens save huge numbers of lives with as little as 30 minutes warning of approaching tornadoes. In some places, as little as 15 minutes warning of missiles approaching. The escape route times from Papamoa are a separate argument that shouldn't be mixed in with the sirens debate.
Papamoaner
Posted on 17-03-2013 19:51 | By PLONKER
There is an issue in Papamoa it is called "The largest NZ dead-end street" only one way out for most, not a lot of options really. Although not comforting in many respects Mayor Crosby's words only provided the faintest glimmer of hope for a few when he recommended the best answer for those resident in Papamoa is to "Run for the hills". Sadly it has a bit of a ring of hopelessness about it from TCC before the Siren issue is resolved.
Screaming Sirens
Posted on 20-03-2013 18:21 | By PLONKER
Louder is better, no holds barred on this one, no consent to turn it, leave it on and make it as loud as possible anytime needed.
Screening Process
Posted on 20-03-2013 23:51 | By TERMITE
Looks to me that it is not a 'screening' process but an 'elimination' process that someone at TCC had already decided the answer to prior to the start, why?
Air raid
Posted on 26-03-2013 17:05 | By YOGI
They work, 1/5th the price, fraction of the maintenance, and less than 10% needed compared to Meerkat, add to that the way less poles required and that they actually work. The decision was obvious from the start ... so why so hard to get to the "right" decision here?
no brainer
Posted on 04-04-2013 13:23 | By gregor
those meerkat systems will corrode, need mega maintenance and will work half as well as the alternative from Tactical Tooling. Please let common sense prevail with our ratepayer funds here.
Fool report
Posted on 06-04-2013 13:34 | By YOGI
Gregor, you are right who needs a report to tell all what the obvious is, what is already know and publicised, guess it keeps a few seat warm at TCC for a few more months ...
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