$1m flood repair set for May finish

By Jo-Marie Baker
First there were houses, left teetering on the brink.
Then heavy machinery moved in, clearing away debris and revealing the extent of the muddy chasm.
Now, almost two years on from the flooding which left a dramatic scar on Lemon Grove Ave's landscape, a green tinge is the first sign it is beginning to heal.
Grass seed was sown on the new 1.5ha reserve late last month and recent rainfall has seen it take hold.
A 420m concrete walkway is now complete but will not open to the public until other earthworks are finished. A bund and a new pond are about to be built at the bottom of the hill to help divert stormwater from nearby Hinewa Rd.
Tauranga City Council development engineer Chris Farnsworth said he hoped the $1m project would be finished this May - in time for the two-year anniversary of the floods which hit Otumoetai and wiped out numerous homes.
Mr Farnsworth said the council's landscaper was working with engineers to decide which plants would best suit the contours created.
"Certain root structures would wreck a slope so you have to consult a geotech engineer really," Mr Farnsworth said.
Between 5000 and 10,000 plants would eventually go in and feedback given though previous public submissions would be taken into account.
"We have a huge amount of stuff to put in there but that will be starting at the earliest this spring."
A mobility scooter test for the walkway was also planned shortly to check how easy it was to negotiate.
"We've made it as flat a grade as possible so we can allow easy access for everyone but it's obviously taken a bit of earthworks to do that," Mr Farnsworth said.
"Residents will be more than happy I believe. I'd like to thank them for being so understanding about how long it's taken to do."
Meanwhile, work to protect homes in lower Vale St, Bureta Rd and Ngatai Rd from flooding is continuing.
A culvert is being built to divert stormwater from the Otumoetai golf course down Bureta Rd and into the harbour.
So far, council contractors have finished building the culvert from the harbour to Ngatai Rd and built the bund in the golf course. The bund will hold the water on the golf course and allow it to gradually drain through the new culvert rather than flowing into Bureta Rd and Ngatai Rd.
The next step is to extend the culvert all the way to the golf course and reinforce the bund. Work should be finished in June.