Your views: Readers' letters

DRILLED: The site of the broken sewer pipe in Karoro Rd.

Sewer damage

I write to address any possible misconception arising from an article which appeared on the front page of the Wanganui Chronicle on April 28.

The article claimed that "the Whanganui District Council has initiated legal proceedings to recover more than $1 million needed to repair damage to a main sewer pipe", during drilling by a contractor for Opus Consultants as part of investigations to support a foundation design for a new transformer at Powerco's substation at Karoro Rd.

It referred to "papers presented to the council infrastructure and special projects committee this week". These papers were minutes presented and discussed at the committee meeting of March 15. No discussion on the matter took place at last week's meeting.

The process described at that time was solely to identify who was liable for the costs. No legal proceedings have been initiated to recover any costs.

Both Powerco and Opus have been extremely helpful and co-operative and have both undertaken to achieve a satisfactory resolution to the situation.

It is time-consuming and complicated working through a process with three different insurance companies and their associated loss adjusters and lawyers, but Opus is front-footing the situation and making progress.

We are all working to have the solution in place well before the end of this year.

KYM FELL
Chief Executive, Whanganui District Council

Editor's note: As the Chronicle reported on April 28, papers presented to the council infrastructure and special projects committee last week said: "WDC has initiated a legal process to determine who will be liable for the costs."

Aramoho School

Did I or did I not read that Aramoho School had closed? If so, how long will it be before it is vandalised?

Wouldn't it be better to have it filled with homeless folk and families now living in cars?

Winter is coming. Just a thought.

PAM NOYES
Whanganui

Care and respect

Recently I was the lucky recipient of a knee replacement at Whanganui Hospital.

I am writing to express my thanks to the surgeon, anaesthetist, theatre nurses and ward nurses and helping staff who looked after me during that time.

I was impressed by their professionalism and their meticulous care in ensuring that I and other patients recovered quickly.

Also, an important component of my preparation and recovery was the physiotherapy that I received from a hard-working bunch of physiotherapists who ensured that after six weeks I was fully healed and able to get on with my life again.

I had to wait 18 months for my operation which is really too long. I and other pensioners paid our taxes over the years without any opportunity to avoid them and now we are entitled to the medical care that we require.

I have over the years worked in 65 different occupations among them as a wharfie, freezing worker, van driver, librarian, before ending up working as a teacher.

I am now working as an artist and a writer. In our city, I see many other pensioners who are still contributing to society as volunteers or looking after a spouse or are still working.

We refuse to accept that we are ready for the knacker's yard.

So thank you, Whanganui Hospital, for treating us with care and respect.

CHRISTODOULOS MOISA
Durie Hill