Kaiapoi to seek new consulting engineers

Press, 10 October 1984, Page 20

Kaiapoi to seek new consulting engineers

The Kaiapoi Borough Council is going to “shop around” for new consulting engineers. It will also investigate the possibility of employing its own engineer.

The council's growing dissatisfaction with its consulting engineers, Royds Sutherland McLeay, Ltd, came to a head recently when it received a 58977 biU for work on the new library. Although the account had been paid by the time it was considered by the council, council members wanted the amount to be questioned.

The chairman of the library committee, Cr Peggy Wade, told the councU on Monday the amount had been reduced by 51347 during a “bargaining session” she had had with one of the firm’s partners, Mr Nigel Taylor. A refund would be paid to the council.

She said the firm’s scale of fees was not questioned, only the time spent on some jobs.

Mr Taylor did not say the account was high but did express surprise at the time taken over some tasks, said Cr Wade.

The Mayor of Kaiapoi, Mr Howard Cumberland, suggested the council also investigate employing its own engineer.

He asked council staff to find out how much money had been paid to Royds Sutherland McLeay by the council so far this year.

Mr Cumberland had suggested in June that the council might soon look for

new engineers. At that time the council had been upset at receiving a report from the firm which it considered it bad not asked for but for which it would be billed. The issue had been settled when the council and representatives of Royds Sutherland McLeay had an informal meeting. Rubbish

The council also expressed dissatisfaction with its rubbish collection contractor, Mogal Bin Services. The Town Clerk, Mr Rob McCabe, said the contractor had been late beginning its collection three weeks in a row. It was meant to start at 8 a.m. but had been starting as late as 5 p.m. Cr Wade said that some people were not having their rubbish collected until 7.30 p.m. and others would take their bags inside in the evening and miss the collection.

Mr McCabe said he had been at the point of ringing radio stations to ask them to broadcast that there would be no rubbish collection when Mogal Bin Service would ring to say that trucks were on the way. He had been assured the collection would start on time this week. “I have assured them that if they do not start on time this week the works committee will consider drastic action at its meeting on Monday,” he said.

Hansons Mall A report on the council’s legal responsibilities for the maintenance of the roof of the Hansons Mall building will be sought.

The council owns the air space above the roof and had required the roof to be built fiat Water collecting on the roof leaks into some of the shops and offices below.

The council took an op- j tion on the air space from the second floor upwards •when the block was built At one stage it was thought the new Kaiapoi library might ’ be built above it

Council staff had made temporary repairs to the roof as a public relations job but would not do so again.

“Enough is enough,” said Mr McCabe. Several letters were received by the council from shop owners concerned that temporary repairs had been done but that the council now was “negating any responsibility” for fixing the roof. Cr Wade said the building should have been designed to allow for a flat roof and prevent leaking.

Cr Alistair Blackie asked for a report so the council could be sure if it did or did not have a legal responsibility for the roof.

He asked if the council could have some liability because it had wanted the roof to be flat

Stamp

The council will investigate having a stamp produced depicting the Tuhoe, which makes pleasure trips on the Kaiapoi River.

Cr Wade asked that the matter be studied after she had seen a stamp depicting Akaroa’s lighthouse.