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Brendon McMahon/LDR
Preliminary new protection work under way on the southern side of the State highway 6 bridge across the Waiho River at Franz Josef, in June.
Several major infrastructure projects are about to start on the West Coast, including floodwalls at Franz Josef Glacier and repairs at Westport – a year after one-third of the town was flooded.
West Coast Regional Council chief executive Heather Mabin said a new project manager had been appointed to oversee the various projects on its books at Franz Josef, Hokitika, Greymouth and Westport.
It followed an agreement about two months ago to co-opt staff from the Wellington Regional Council for management of about $22 million worth of stacked up projects from the Government’s shovel ready funds.
Scott Hoare, a senior project manager at Inovo Projects in Christchurch, would now be managing the projects.
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He was now working to finalise the details for the Waiho (Waiau) River floodwall project at Franz Josef.
The council was still awaiting the necessary consents to begin the Waiho work.
A project manager had also been appointed to work with Hoare for the emergency repair of Buller River flood defence work at Organs Island, and to repair scouring in the O’Conor Home embankment at Westport.
The Westport repair work is due to start on Monday.
Peter Meecham/Stuff
Flooding in Westport in mid-July 2021. MetService has issued a heavy rain watch for the Buller District south of Mokihinui, while a heavy rain warning is in place for Westland south of Otira for the two days from 2pm Sunday.
The $2m cost of repairs has been funded by the council as an urgent repair job ahead of the broader $45m Westport township protection scheme.
The council opted to because Westport was still vulnerable in the event of another large flood event like that of a year ago.
Meanwhile, Mabin met with Westland District Council management last week to discuss that council’s access project across the Hokitika seawall.
Supplied
Coastal protection at West Coast location showing the interlocking concrete blocks as commissioned by the Westland District Council to protect a new accessway to the Hokitika beach.
On Tuesday, Cr Stuart Challenger said he had fielded inquiries from local residents about the scope of the project, including concern it had not been subject to a local tender.
He was surprised to hear it had been described as a joint councils project.
It also emerged on Tuesday the regional council had received a bill of about $90,000 from Westland council for its share of the beach access project, but internal inquiries found no evidence of any formal agreement.
Mabin said work was ongoing with Westland to clarify what had happened.
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