NEW FIRE STATION

Evening Post, Issue 122, 26 May 1933, Page 7

NEW FIRE STATION

TWO SITES DISCUSSED

ROUND TABLE CONFERENCE

SAFETY AND COST

Members of the City Council and the Wellington Firo Board met last evening in the- Council Chamber in a long discussion over the two sites proposed for the new central fire station. One, favoured by the board, is the Clyde Quay School site, and the other, advocated by the old City Council, is an area of about an acre near the deatructor in the Corporation yard. Much of the time was' occupied by the answering of questions by tho experts who have already reported to the board or the council. No decision was reached, but good progress was made towards agreement. The Mayor stated that he would move at the next meeting of the City Council that the Corporation yard site should be offered to the Fire Board at a price of £19,700, and that the council should agree to extend Cable Street to Oriental Parade, to give better access to tho site, within the near future. Mr. Hislop also stated that tho council would consider making some contribution to the extra cost of ( ' foundations of a station on the i Corporation site. The Mayor (Mr. T.. C. A. Hislop) ' said ho believed that, if possible, the site for the new firo station should be .on property owned by the citizens. He considered that tho council site was as free from earthquake- risks1, and: offered equal value from the point of view <iL' fire service as the proposed Clyde Quay School site. Ho proposed that ■ in, order that the debate might be kept within reasonable limits, he and Mr. -Nelson should put forward tho vi>,\vs of the council and the JTiro • Hoard, and that members of both bodies should ask questions upon the reports of tho experts, who wore all present. Mr. N. W. Nelson, chairman of the board, said he did not think it should bo laid down who was to speak. It was not a meeting of the- City Council. Mr. Hislop: I don't think we want to get into a series Of lengthy speeches. Mr. S. S. Dean, a member of the board, said the board was very much in a minority, and if the Mayor "'was going to lay down who was going to speak, tho board would not have much of a say. The Mayor had been a most active man as far as the board matters wore concerned, but during tho last •week or ; two bo had been galvanised into action. i Mr. Hislop: I must ask you to deal with the business before the conference. We have not met' to permit you. to make reflections on me. ■Ho suggested they should adopt the course he has* proposed. Councillor E. Semple, M.P., said he ' spoke both as a member of the council and as a member of tho board. Hodid not feel disposod merely to ask questipus. "I have an opinion to express, irrespective of the experts," he declared. "Members of this conference should have the free and unfettered i-ight to express their opinions if they feel disposed to do so." Tho Mayor said there would be a Ineeting of the council at which councillors would have an opportunity, of expressing-their opinions. Mr. Semple: You have got your views into tho "Evening Post" and you won't gag inc. Tho Mayor: I "have always, found that impossible. ~ .. r THE BOARD 'S CASE. Mr. Nelson said that the Clyde Quay School site was considered by the board's advisers as tho most suitable, from the point of view of quality of ground, get-away, and for the provision Of quarters. The Corporation yard site was a good site, but tho foundations were loss satisfactory. .The Inspector of Firo Brigades had suggested that the council site could be made suitable provided that Cable Street was extended through Oriental Bay, and that failing an understanding that that would bo done, ho could not necommehd to the Minister that the sito should be utilised. Whether or not that extension would be made within reasonable time would be an important factor in determining whether Iho site should be considered. He considered that ,the school site was preferable. Referring ■to the suggestion made by Mr. L. S. Drake',. Chief Traffic Officer, and Mr. H. Tait, that the getaway via Cablo Street would be less liable to traffic dangers than Wakofield Street, Mr. Nelson remarked that harbour development plans provided for the building of three more jetties from Tc A'ro scawork, which would mean that „ traffic complications would follow in Cable Street. Mr. Hislop said that Ihe Fire Board Tiad maintained that the present sito - was the most suitable. The council liad offered the freehold of any adjoining site. Mr. Nelson: But you did not offc.1 the freehold. Tho Mayor said that the council dil not have the opportunity, for the board announced its desire to purchase the Clyde Quay school site. The council then offered another'site in that same locality, in the Corporation yard, and investigations were made to answer the suggestions that the site was unsuitable from an earthquake point of view. Mr. Hislop then proceeded to. discuss the reports of the experts in some detail. . AN EXPERT'S VIEW. Dr. P. Marshall, geologist to the Public Works Department, said that he regarded the unevenness of the rock surface under the council site as brought about by typical coastal abrasion: there was nothing in the evidence obtained .from the bores" to suggest an earthquake shear. Mr. P. Holgate, structural engineer, suggested that the rock was not strictly "rock" as engineers used the term. Was there definite uniformity in the mass? Dr. Marshall said that there was not definite uniformity, but that was so on the other site, and in fact throughout Ihe couutry round about Wellington. Mr, Dean: Wellington is definitely on a fault line? Dr. Marshall said that there were very many faults about Wellington, but many were faults of millions of years t ago. Tho only recent fault of 'which * there was knowledge was that of 1855, on the western coast of Palliser Bay. There was too much certainty and dogmatism ascribed to some portions of ground as being subject to earthquake, while other areas were said to be free of risk. Experience at •Napier and elsewhere had shown that one portion of a small area had been viplently disturbed, while over a dividing lino the disturbance was very slight. No one could predict to what extent any particular area would bo affected. ■ ' Councillor Semple said they wanted to select the site from tho, point of viow of safety and not expense. He asked if it would not be safer to erect a building on uniform rotten rock than on piles 30 or 40 feet high. ', Dr. Marshall said tho foundations .might be below the water level, but that did not mean they were below the water. Councillor Sample's question did not come within his province as fin expert. That was a matter of .architecture or building construction. Councillor T. Forsvtii nsked Dr. Marshall if he considered, as far as.

earthquake effect was concerned, a building with a rock foundation would be as safe as on a made-up ground foundation such as Cambridge Terraco or the Corporation yard. Dr. Marshall said the liability of earthquake shock was quite as great in one' of thoso localities as in another. He informed Councillor Semple that the question of tho proximity of a site to the sea did not arise. Within the limits of a harbour the effect of a tidal wave would not be very great. VIEW OF ENGINEERS. • Implying to Mr. Hislop, Mr. Hoigatc said that a safe three-storeyed building could be erected on the council site, as he had stated'in liis report, but the cost would be greater than on the school site, on account of additional foundation work. He still much preferred the school site, on which a more satisfactory building could bo erected. To Councillor P. M. Butler, Mr. Hoigate said ho believed that there was a greater risk in building on tho council site than on the school site. Councillor Semple: You did not condemn the council site, but you suggested that the school site was safer?— Yes, I still hold that view. _ ■ Mr. Dean asked whether, in view of the fact that in the event of earthquake the Fire Board would be probably the most important body in the city, Mr. Holgate would recommend utilising the school site, even at an additional cost of, say, £5000. Mr. Holgate: Perhaps not £5000; perhaps £3000. Councillor Semple: It is not a question of money at all. It is a question of safety. From,a point of view of ' fullest safety, said Mr. Holgate, the school site was preferable. r , . Mr. B. A. Campbell, structural engineer, was next questioned by the conference. He said he saw no reason why a three-storeyed' building should not bo erected on the council site. There had been no investigation to show what was below the Clyde Quay site, but if it was shown that there was rock there, he would have a slight preference for that site. That preference was not from the point of view of safety, but from getting a better job.' Eeplying to the Mayor, Miv Campbell expressed the view that it would be possible to construct a reasonably safe building on tho Corporation site. Questioned by Mr. Butcher, Mr. Campbell said he did not think it would be satisfactory to build one portion of the building on rock and another portion on some other foundation. Another point made was that a properly designed rigid building had. a better chance in soft ground than on hard. In reply to Councillor W. Duncan, Mr. Nelson said that tho Fire Board considered the site of the present fire station the most suitable in tho city. In the event of the board considering tho council yard site, asked Mr. Nelson, could the Mayor indicate the likelihood ,of Cable Street being carried through to Oriental Bay? Mr. Hislop replied that the council had already decided to extend Cable Street, which would involve the removal of a part of the destructor and also tho building at the end of Cablo Street. Until the recently-adopted Bradford system of disposing of rubbish was developed and money was available, Cable Street could not be extended, but that would be done within'reasonable time. Corners could be rounded at once. A SPEEDY GET-AWAY. . Mr. E. Girling Butcher, Inspector of Fire Brigades, said he would recommend that Chaffers Street should not be used for a get-away. The advantage of the Clyde Quay site was that the brigade would have a clear run as far as Taranaki Street. The fact that tho engines had to pass over a tram line was not important;, the main'point was a quick and straight get-away. The Mayor was pressed* to give a guarantee that Cable Street would go through in three years, but he declined to give this. All he could say was that it was likely to go through in three years. Mr. Butcher: Ten years was mentioned previously. , ' ■ : The Corporation site would only bo suitable if Cable Street was available as a get-away. At tho same time he considered Wakeficld Street a better get-away than Cable Street. Even a few seconds saved on tho street were important in fire-fighting. Another point was that the Clyde Quay site was more suitable in every way, for the erection of a fire station. Mr. Marcus Marks said that Ciiy Council and Fire Board were both anxious to do the best for the city, and he thought that if the board could agree to take the site offered by the council the council should undertake to extend Cablo Street within a period \ of, say, three years. He believed that good results would follow upon the conference. Though one council could nti.t bind its successor, he had no doubt that were the council to give an undertakingthc succeeding council would honour it. The Mayor replied that ho would at the earliest possible moment place the matter beforo the council and would move that the Corporation yards site should be offered to the .Fire Board at the price of £19,700, and that the council should agree to carry the road through within a period which the council would have to fix. Councillor Bennett asked if the council would agree to bear some portion of the extra cost of erecting the building on the Corporation site. '■ The Mayor said that he would be prepared to recommend that course to the council, taking into consideration the cost of constructing Cable Street. Mr. Nelson expressed the -earnest hope .that it would bo possible to reach a satisfactory solution, of their difficulties. ,^*______^_««.