Council approves calling of tenders for aquatic centre build

Site-clearing machinery could be moving on to the Maori Park site of Timaru’s new Caroline Bay Aquatic Centre within two weeks following the Timaru District Council’s approval Monday, May 24 for an early-works package and the calling of tenders for the aquatic centre’s construction.

The approval to call tenders will allow the council to obtain construction costings of the project and a council meeting on July 20 will decide whether those costings were within expectations given the competitive marketplace.

Today’s approval, at a special meeting of the council, signalled the next phase towards the start of construction work on the site and followed a report by the council’s chief executive Warwick Isaacs and district services manager Ashley Harper who told councillors that following quantity surveyors’ estimates the project was within the original budget, external funding avenues were up to expectations and the centre’s business plan had met the stringent operational requirements set for it by the council.

Mr Harper said the council’s approval was authority to begin the tender process for the main constructional aspects of the works.

However, the building consent for the early-works package, including demolition and site work, has already been approved and the first tender to be let will be for demolition and site preparation work.

Yesterday’s council meeting decided that the early works were necessary so that tenderers had a clear site on which to base their tenders and to eliminate uncertainty over ground conditions.

Mr Harper said the early-works package would include demolition, services termination, excavation and fencing and a contractor would be appointed in the next few days.

“We hope to begin that work within the next two weeks,” he said.

“Residents will soon see some activity on Maori Park but that will be clearance work, not the start of construction of the new centre per se.”

He said that although the work areas would be cordoned off, the public should stay well clear of the barriers and refrain from using areas of the site that might present a hazard during this work such as machinery, rough ground or exposed building materials such as reinforcing rods and rubble.

The tender process for the main construction work would be robust and thorough, he said.

“In early June we will be reviewing registrations from contractors who have registered with the council their interest in construction work.

“We will invite a short list of contractors to provide tenders. The council would then choose the successful tenderer on July 20.”

Mr Harper said he was pleased with progress in external funding.

“The council is happy that the potential capital spend is where it thinks it should be," Mr Harper said.

“The Caroline Bay Aquatic Supporters Club has raised its original target, and councillors have been briefed on excellent progress on other external funding opportunities to meet the $8 million target.”

He said that because of some benefactors’ wishes to remain anonymous not all details could not be made public at this time.

Overall, good progress is being made on the journey towards the new aquatic centre.

The council last week confirmed the repositioning of Blackett’s lighthouse from Maori Park to a site on the Benvenue Cliffs several hundred metres away to ensure there was no conflict between the heritage building and the aquatic centre which will be close to the existing site.

The New Zealand Transport Authority and the Regional Transport Committee had approved intersection improvements at the Evans St/Te Weka St intersection ahead of the pool’s scheduled opening in mid-2012.

And the council is leaving no stone unturned to ensure that concourse concrete for the new aquatic centre will be of the highest standard given local conditions.

Mr Harper has instigated test pours of exposed-aggregate concrete floor panels at Century Pool where some sections of the concrete around the pool will be removed and replaced with four different concrete options.

“I just want to be happy with local aggregate and local conditions and the way we achieve the best result.”

Two options were originally proposed by our architects, but suppliers suggested a further two be looked at.”

The test work will be carried out when the Century pool is closed on Saturday June 4.

ENDS

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