as of 12 April 2024

Kia ora everyone, what a week….wet, windy, and wonderful progress. 

What’s happened this week: 

Main St 

• Paving, paving and more paving. The crew are hitting stride as a big chunk of the ‘street side’ paving is done. 

• Counties Energy came and energised the 4 new traffic light poles.  This created real disruption for our 2 ice cream shops and we thank them greatly for their understanding. 

• A reinforced concrete pad was laid between the existing trees to support new tree surrounds and street furniture.   

• The last of the drainage ‘snags’ are being tidied up. 

Roundabout 

• Great news for the crew as the site is confirmed to be clear of any further asbestos piping. There have been other unknown and unexpected road surfaces and pipes found…. but at least they’re not asbestos! 

• Following all our discoveries we can now be certain of the best stormwater systems and layout for the site.  

• It’s important to briefly pause and refine now we have this full picture. Rework is a project's worst enemy and one we always try to avoid through good planning! 

What’s happening over the next week or 2: 

Main St 

• The last of the street side paving will be done early next week and the shift to the shop side will happen. Everyone is keen to see the temporary fences come down – especially the Main St staff that have been tucked in behind for weeks.  

• Comms connections will be installed in the streetlight poles (traffic lights are self-learning but sometimes need to be remotely adjusted).

• Prep for the concrete speed table (pedestrian crossing) will be done if the weather allows.

Roundabout 

• We’ve made a call to focus on the Main St next week, for 2 reasons: 

• First and foremost, we want to complete paving in front of the shops as soon as possible. This will get the temporary fences down and let some light back into the shop fronts. 

• We can focus on nailing the stormwater layout design and approach for the roundabout - before our crews go full speed on it. 

Enjoy your weekend, stay dry (unless you’re swimming), and please contact me directly with any questions or concerns. If I don’t have the answer I can find it for you!