Bob’s Christchurch News  The year is nearly over and it’s been a busy one in Christchurch. Riccarton Wigram and all the suburbs in the area have had a lot going on. 

Summer is here. 

You should already have your guide to summer activities from the City Council. 

Every year, the Christchurch City Council coordinates an exciting programme of events and 2009-10 is certainly no different.  This year’s programme will see key feature events return, including the much-anticipated New Year’s Eve celebrations, ASB Classical Sparks, Anthony Harper Lawyers’ Summer Theatre, Tip Top Kite Day and the PGA Golf, just to name a few.

For five days in March, North Hagley Park will be home to the second Christchurch-based Ellerslie International Flower Show.  Garden City SummerTimes also highlights Christchurch’s diversity with events celebrating a wide range of cultures, from the Chinese Lantern Festival and Waitangi Day to the always popular Culture Galore.

If you haven’t received your copy you can get the details from www.bethere.co.nz , or ring (03) 941 8999. 

The weather has been so good you will have noticed advertising on saving water.  While not serious as yet – high water use will result in restrictions.  Christchurch City has one of the highest quality natural water supplies of any city in the world.  

This handy meter shows how much water is being used and you can keep an eye on it here : http://www.ccc.govt.nz/homeliving/sustainableliving/waterwise/index.aspx 

Waterwise reading

• Make sure all taps are turned off tightly to stop drips.
• Turn off the tap while you are brushing your teeth and you will save 10L of water a minute.
• Rinse, don't soak – take a short shower instead of a bath and you will save up to 70L of water.
• Every time you flush the toilet you use 13L–20L of water, so make sure you only flush when you need to.
• Do not switch on the dishwasher or washing machine until you have a full load ready to go.
• Rinse and peel vegetables in a bowl or sink instead of running them under the tap – you could save up to 10L every minute.
• Water the garden at cooler times of the day, in the morning or evening, to stop evaporation and water wastage.
• Do not hose down paths and driveways, use a broom.
• Buy a gun nozzle – a trigger gun hose can make it easier to turn the water on and off, preventing water wastage.

Recycling – glass overflow I was a key mover on getting recycling improvements in Christchurch so it is a mark of success we have such a glut of bottles.  What hasn’t been so good is the paper and tops of the bottles has been harder to shift than was expected.  Many of you may have seen the item in the Press about the 10,000 tonne mountain of glass.

Christchurch City Council has been keeping glass collected since February 09. New equipment to solve the problem will cost about $200,000 will be in place in January.

The new screening equipment will crush the glass into smaller pieces, allowing it to pass through a smaller screen that would keep out bottle tops and other debris.

We’re not the only ones, Queenstown Lakes District Council has had to spend more on it’s process as well.  

Recycling of the scale we are now achieving is a major change so there will be teething problems but the end results are important.  

Roads and streets work

A priority for me is work on our local streets.I’m pleased work on Church corner roading is complete and Picton Avenue work is underway. 

City Mall ready for business www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch/3173646/Revamp-injects-new-life-mayor/The new City Mall is finished. This important central city location supports tourism and was looking very run-down before work started.   

The new Mall was officially opened by Mayor Bob Parker on Thursday 17 December, when he said “the completion of the City Mall is a key milestone for our Central City Revitalisation Strategy, which aims to strengthen, grow and enhance the heart of our city to ensure the city as a whole continues to prosper. The strategy reflects this Council’s commitment to renew and revive the heart of our community.” 

Work started on Project City Mall in August 2007 with the aim of creating a more attractive, vibrant city centre for the public to enjoy. The two-year project to bring life back to City Mall has been a success, receiving positive feedback from retailers and the general public.  

All retailers in the Mall have been thanked via letter and retailers on High Street, between Cashel and Hereford Streets, have been informed that the team will lay rails in High Street on the existing foundations beginning 18 January 2010 and lay rails through the intersection of High, Hereford and Colombo Streets over Easter 2010 as part of the tram project. 

“The revitalisation of the Central City pedestrian mall was more than just a repaving project. It included an overhaul of the entire space, including the development of recreation and events areas, more plantings, new street furniture, improved lighting, public artworks and the removal of two air bridges. 

Keeping the central city alive and vibrant is important but we need to also ensure our city’s other major shopping areas aren’t neglected. This was an important project for Christchurch and long overdue.  

Draft Open Space Strategy

Consultation is also underway on the Draft Open Space Strategy with pubic meetings held in the City and at Lyttelton and Akaroa during the last week of November.  The draft strategy provides a framework to guide the provisions and development of all public open space within Christchurch and Banks Peninsula for the next 30 years.  The submission period has been extended by two weeks and now closes on Friday 5 February 2010. 

Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna O Waiwhetu

The refurbishment of the Gallery’s permanent collection galleries is complete, and is now open.  Exhibitions featuring the work of Seraphine Pick, the et al collective and emerging artists have either concluded or are drawing to a close, while new exhibitions include Blue Planet (the blue-themed children’s exhibition), Chris Heaphy’s Untitled (Bleu) and the acclaimed Neil Pardington exhibition: The Vault.  Due to open in early December are Talisman (featuring the work of 12 New Zealand jewellery artists) and an exhibition of watercolours by Australian artist Ricky Swallow. The Naked and the Nude also opens on 18 December. 

Our City O-Tautahi

Our City O-Tautahi’s two exhibitions: Greater Christchurch – there’s a plan, we're on our way and Never Be Afraid – a New Zealand soldier writes to his niece about life in a prisoner of war camp finished on 21 November. These two exhibitions attracted over 5,000 visitors. Our City O-Tautahi now welcomes two new exhibitions for the Christmas period: Finding New Zealand – how maps show the exploration and development of New Zealand and the A-Z of Canterbury Birds - a photographic ornithological odyssey, which showcases the work of a Christchurch Photography Group.  

New Christchurch Civic Building

Work on site at the new Civic Building continues and the project remains on time and budget – we’ll all be working to keep that on track.   

Riccarton/Wigram work underway 

• Bus Priority Project (Hornby - Riccarton Route)                 being assessed. 
• Brynley Street work                                                                   Complete
• Douglas Clifford Pond                                                                Complete
• Halswell Domain Car Park                                                       Detailed design
• Haytons Drain Culvert                                                              Detailed design
• Riccarton Main Drain (Wainui to Matipo)                           Construction
• Wigram Village Green Playground                                        Tender
• Owaka/Awatea Link                                                                  Design
• Lower Milns Basin                                                    Design
• Wigram Retention Basin Capacity Upgrade                       Design
• Burbank Reserve path                                                              Design
• John Oliver Reserve path                                                         Design
• Upper Riccarton Domain path reseal                                   Design
• Awatea Basin                                                          Tender
• Wilmers Pumpstation                                                               Preliminary Design