The Local - Mt VictoriaThe Wellington City Council is making resurfacing contractors fix the damage they caused to new curbing they installed in Elizabeth Street, the latest bizarre episode in a lengthy project plagued with difficulties. Jane O’Loughlin reports.
Nearly all the curbing around new trees planted in the street was damaged by resealing work, with most of the concrete structures badly crushed and broken.
Contacted by The Local, the council said it issued noncompliance and rework notices to the maintenance and resurfacing contractor.
“This will be repaired at the contractor’s expense,” a spokesperson said. “Council will not pay for this damage.”
But local resident Ian Robertson says part of the problem is that the sealing work should have been done before the curbing, and the workers were ‘cursing’ when they realised what they were supposed to do.
“It was sprung on them that it would be fiddlier than they thought.”
The workers told Robertson they hadn’t been allocated enough time to do the job properly. When they asked their superiors for more hours they were told to get on with the job, whereupon “they trashed every single tree surround.”
Ironically, residents say it was Fulton Hogan contractors that both built the tree surrounds in the first place, and then destroyed them.
Robertson says this lack of coordination was typical of the project overall.
“The team did this lovely finish to the footpath and another group came along and dug it up.”
Another local resident, Judi McCallum agrees. “That seems to be the main problem – they haven’t done their due diligence before they make a plan.”
McCallum says contractors did not seem to have checked records for local underground streams, and were surprised to discover a high water table when they went to dig deep holes for the tree pits, an issue that made the pits problematic to build.
The Elizabeth Street renewal project started in April last year, with the goal of replacing trees that were uplifting the pavement and damaging pipes, and touching the power lines.
The council replaced 22 trees, putting the new ones on the road instead of the footpath, and in pits to contain the roots. The new trees also had curbing installed around them.
But placing the trees on the road means they are at the mercy of cars knocking them.
“Within a month half of them have been broken by people reversing into them,” says Robertson.
The neighbours list a wide range of problems and concerns with the project.
Residents “went ballistic” when the council proposed losing 21 car parks, and eventually settled for losing just one.
A kowhai tree planted in memory of a deceased resident had to be moved, upsetting locals. The council first promised to move it, then when that became too difficult, said it would be replaced. No replacement has yet appeared.
McCallum says speed humps have been removed – despite the council promising they would be retained – and she’s worried that the street will now become attractive to boy racers, having already experienced one incident.
The pair are also frustrated at the weeds that have sprung up around the new planted trees, due to the lack of weed mat or underplanting.
Contemplating the street with its broken tree surrounds, battered baby trees and messy seal, Robertson wonders whether it was worth it.
“The street looks pretty sad compared to what it used to look like.”
According to the council, the total cost for the tree removal, procurement, building structural tree pits, replanting, surfacing of the footpaths, kerbing works has cost $331,541. This doesn’t count the asphalt paving works which part of the maintenance contract.
McCallum and Robertson were both surprised the figure was so low, given the length of the project and rework that had been required.
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