Agenda of Infrastructure Committee - Wednesday, 17 August 2022

MEMORANDUM

TO: Infrastructure Committee

MEETING DATE: 17 August 2022

TITLE: College Street / Botanical Road Intersection Safety Investigation Plan

PRESENTED BY: Hamish Featonby, Group Manager - Transport and Development

APPROVED BY: Sarah Sinclair, Chief Infrastructure Officer

RECOMMENDATION(S) TO Infrastructure Committee

1. That the Committee note that Officers will report back to the Committee in November 2022 on recommended options to improve safety at College Street and Botanical Road.

1. Overview of the problem or opportunity

1.1 On 26 May 2022 Committee of Council resolved:

1.1.1 ‘That the Chief Executive report to Council with a plan to improve safety at College Street and Botanical Road, including right hand turn lanes and provision for active transport.’

1.1.2 ‘That a budget of $15k be established to support design work for a Botanical Road/College Street safety improvement plan.’

1.2 The resolutions came about in response to public submissions to the Annual Plan for ‘Right turning arrows in the signal phases at Botanical Road / College Street’. The submissions included:

1.2.1 197 – “We would like to join other voices asking for right turning arrow in the signal phases at Botanical Road / College Street. At the moment vehicles turn at Ferguson Street roundabout and then along Kingston Street to enter College Street at a non-controlled intersection creating congestion in a narrow residential street.”

1.2.2 324 – “Support a right-hand turn arrow from Botanical Road to College Street which is dangerous and in peak hours a time onerous intersection that means cars turn down Kingston Street which would not be necessary if there was free traffic flow.”

1.3 Currently right turning traffic must give way to straight and left turning traffic during a green light and can turn only when there is a suitable gap. As traffic volumes increase, the ability to find a gap in the traffic to make a right turn becomes more difficult. This increases the probability of drivers performing risky manoeuvres to get through the green light without a long wait.

2. Background and previous council decisions

2.1 The intersection of Botanical Road and College Street has two lanes on each approach, one for left and straight through movements while the other is for right turns only.

Figure 1: Intersection of Botanical Road/College Street

2.2 Botanical Road is a Minor Arterial road that carries approximately 9,000 vehicles per day north of intersection and approximately 7,700 to the south.

2.3 College Street west of Botanical Road is a Minor Arterial road which carries approximately 9,200 vehicles per day. To the east of Botanical Road, College Street is a Collector road which carries approximately 6,600 vehicles per day.

2.4 West End Primary School is located on the east corner of the intersection, while on the northern corner there is a dairy, bakery and laundry. The intersection is close to Awatapu College, further south on Botanical Road. During school peak times, a 40km/h variable speed limit applies to College Street and Botanical Road near this intersection.

2.5 According to Waka Kotahi NZTA’s Crash Analysis System, eight recorded crashes have occurred, comprising of one Serious Crash and seven non-injury. Of these crashes the serious injury was associated with a collision with a pedestrian, one non-injury crash is associated with right turning traffic and one non-injury associated with a cyclist and left turning vehicle.

2.6 In 2020, the cycle lanes on College Street were upgraded as part of the College Street Transport Improvement project. This project implemented buffered cycle lanes from Maxwells Line through to Victoria Avenue. Cycle lanes at the intersection of Botanical Road and College Street were considered, but not installed, due to assumptions regarding the loss of intersection capacity and concerns around increased traffic delays and queuing.

As traffic speeds are generally lower on approach to signalised intersections it was considered appropriate at the time for the lead in cycle lane to be omitted and have cyclists and traffic merge safely on approach.

2.7 The intersection currently runs two main traffic phases, one phase for all traffic on Botanical Road, with the other for College Street traffic. For pedestrians, the pedestrian phase runs in time with the corresponding traffic phase, with pedestrians having several seconds head start over traffic to mitigate conflict with turning traffic.

2.8 Concerns were raised by the public during consultation on the College Street cycle lanes about the efficiency of the College Street/Botanical Road intersection, including long delays during peak times. A dedicated right turn phase of the traffic light sequence was suggested. This issue was also the subject of submissions to the 2022/23 Draft Annual Plan.

2.9 Council has requested that Officers report back with a plan to improve safety at College Street and Botanical Road, including right hand turn lanes and provision for active transport.

3. options

3.1 There are several options available that can be considered to improve the intersection in terms of safety, whether it is for traffic or active traffic modes. Each option has advantages and disadvantages. The following section describes the general options available. Combinations of options have not been listed but would be investigated as part of the modelling.

3.2 Right Turn Phase

3.2.1 A right turn phase can be added to the existing traffic signals for each approach giving a dedicated movement whilst other traffic is halted. The upgrade would require new lights, signal software, additional detector loops and civil works associated with the underground ducting and signal poles.

3.2.2 The advantages of right turn phases are:

- Increase of priority and safety of right turn movements;

- alleviation of right turn queuing from blocking straight through and left turning traffic (should this occur).

3.2.3 Adding right turn phases may have implications to other movements and transport modes such as pedestrians and cyclists. As the number of signal phases increase, it can result in lesser proportional time for other movements thus potentially increasing the overall time for other users at the intersection. It can also lead to longer queues in some lanes which may block off the adjacent right turn lane from being utilised.

3.3 Lead in cycle lanes

3.3.1 Currently the combined through and left lane is marked as one lane, however it is possible for two lanes of traffic to operate in this space should drivers choose to make space.

3.3.2 A lead in cycle lane could be created by reducing the width of the through and left turn lane to the size of a standard traffic lane. This would enable cyclists to traverse to the front of the intersection unimpeded by traffic, whilst traffic travelling through and left will be reduced to one combined lane. Right turning cyclists will still be required to merge with traffic and enter into the right turn lane.

3.4 Cycle phases and head start

3.4.1 Similar to right turn phases, an additional phase could be added for cyclists to give greater priority and protection at the intersection. According to NZTA, cycle signals at intersections are approved for use in certain situations. This includes:

- providing an exclusive cycle phase where cyclists can only move at a different time to traffic;

- providing a head start for cyclists where the green light is displayed in advance of the green light for general traffic.

3.4.2 The exclusive cycle phase or head start will give cyclists higher priority at the intersection. This will either eliminate or reduce the potential conflict with traffic and can assist with cyclists making right turns.

3.4.3 Similar to right turn phases, cycle phases will reduce the time allocated to other movements. The impact of installing cycle phases is currently unknown.

3.4.4 Introducing such phases would also require similar infrastructure as indicated for right turns phases. Dedicated road space would also be needed so that the cycle phase is not accidentally triggered by vehicles.

3.5 The options will all have impacts on the performance of the intersection, which are currently not well understood.

3.6 Several pieces of work will be undertaken to understand the impacts before determining the best option, or combination of options including:

- traffic turning surveys to collect data on intersection turning movements throughout the day. The data will provide information on the peak traffic periods and provide information necessary to model the intersection. Surveys are planned for late July 2022.

- intersection traffic models of various scenarios using the traffic turning surveys to understand the potential traffic impacts of the intersection (anticipated to occur August/September 2022).

3.7 Options and/or combination of options will be evaluated and Officers will present findings to Council, with recommendations.

4. FINANCIAL

4.1 As part of the Annual Plan process, Council approved new funding of $15k in 2022/23 to investigate improvements to this intersection. This funding will be used to undertake traffic turning surveys and intersection modelling of potential improvement (or combination of) options.

4.2 There is currently no budget within the capital programme for the implementation of changes at the Botanical Road/College Street intersection. An indicative estimate of the right-hand turning phase option outlined in 3.2 is between $50-100K, and the lead in cycle lanes described in 3.3 would indicatively cost $10k. There was no estimate of the cost of the cycle phases and head start described in 3.3 at the time of writing.

5. Next Steps / Plan

5.1 Traffic surveys and modelling – July to September 2022.

5.2 Option analysis – October 2022.

5.3 Report to Council on recommended option/s in November 2022.

Does the Committee have delegated authority to decide?		Yes
Are the decisions significant?		No
If they are significant do they affect land or a body of water?		No
Can this decision only be made through a 10 Year Plan?		Yes
Does this decision require consultation through the Special Consultative procedure?		No
Is there funding in the current Annual Plan for these actions?		No
Are the recommendations inconsistent with any of Council’s policies or plans?		No
The recommendations contribute to Goal 1: An Innovative and Growing City
The recommendations contribute to the achievement of action/actions in Transport The action is: There is timely provision of transport infrastructure to support city growth and economic development opportunities. Street design is responsive to land-use, place and movement.
Contribution to strategic direction and to social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being	The upgrade to the signals could provide a higher level of service for traffic and cyclists, thus supporting city growth.

Attachments

Nil

Memorandum

TO: Infrastructure Committee

MEETING DATE: 17 August 2022

TITLE: Road Maintenance Contract - Six Monthly Report

Presented By: Hamish Featonby, Group Manager - Transport and Development

APPROVED BY: Sarah Sinclair, Chief Infrastructure Officer

RECOMMENDATION(S) TO Infrastructure Committee

1. That the Committee receive the memorandum titled ‘Road Maintenance Contract – Six Monthly Report’, presented to the Infrastructure Committee on 17 August 2022.

1. ISSUE

1.1 To provide a six-monthly update on the road maintenance contract – work programme and performance.

2. BACKGROUND

2.1 Our contractor, Fulton Hogan, have completed their first financial year looking after Palmerston North’s roading and footpath networks. The initial set up of a contractor into a new area comes with challenges such as resourcing up, learning about the road network and understanding the demands and priorities of the city.

2.2 Fulton Hogan have focused heavily on responding to these challenges and go into the second year of the contract with greater understanding of Palmerston North City Council (PNCC) drivers and Palmerston North road user and resident concerns to better meet roading maintenance expectations in the coming year.

2.3 A paper was presented to Council committee in March 2022 detailing the data that the new contract had been collecting and analysing, as well as providing an update on contract progress.

2.4 In the past six months Council Officers have focussed on setting expectations in terms of contract performance, quality management, communication and responsiveness.

3. ROAD surface – Reactive maintenance

3.1 KBase – Request for Service

3.1.1 The primary mechanism for public requests for service from PNCC, KBase, has been modified for the roading maintenance contract. The contractor receives the request information directly into their operational management tool (RAMM) – along with a phone call/email advice from the Council, depending on the criticality of the problem, to enable the contractor to plan and prioritise responses.

3.1.2 Palmerston North residents have been lodging requests as they encounter issues, such that the contractor has received over 6,100 Kbase requests over the course of the year. This is an average of 24 requests each working day.

If the resident has specified they would like a call back as part of the KBase lodging process they will be advised once the appropriate remedial action is determined. In most cases a response to a reactive maintenance issue is done within set contract timeframes. In certain circumstances a more extensive repair is required and so once approved by Council Officers the contractor will advise when the larger repair is expected to occur.

3.1.3 The spread of Kbase requests throughout the year is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Kbase requests received by Contractor 1 July 2021- 30 June 2022

3.2 Potholes

3.2.1 Potholes are formed by water seeping into small cracks in the road surface and/or traffic ‘impacting’ or loading the road, especially heavy vehicles. Potholes are often a symptom of a road surface which is no longer-waterproof and beginning to deteriorate or deteriorating more quickly than expected based on asset life. Once the surface is performing less optimally, the combination of water and heavy traffic at the same time can cause potholes to appear very quickly, sometimes within just a few hours of a rain event.

3.2.2 The rapid appearance of potholes means that the maintenance regime for individual potholes is reactive and is based on the pothole being documented either directly by the contractor as part of their inspection regime or notification via KBase. Either way they are logged into RAMM to capture the location and severity of the defect and aid in operational and tactical decision making.

3.2.3 Throughout the year the contractor has completed pothole repair works at just over 1,060 different locations with over 2,500 individual potholes repaired across the sealed, unsealed and footpath networks. This is an average of 10 potholes each working day, with more potholes repaired per day in wetter months than dry months.

3.2.4 The contractors’ methods of data compilation and presentation have allowed PNCC to identify locations where groupings of potholes occur, and in such cases a more extensive asphalt ‘holding’ repair has been performed to waterproof a larger area of failing road and remedy multiple potholes at once.

3.2.5 The budgets for road repairs are spread across maintenance and renewals for Pavement and Surfacing. Allocation of funds across the different activities is not prescriptive, eg. pothole repair vs a more extensive maintenance mill and fill repair. It is up to Officers to determine the best way to prioritise the investment to maintain the roads to a suitable standard. At present $1.5M is allocated to resolving these types of defects.

3.2.6 Repairs to the road pavement overall are shown in the graphic on the following page. This shows how the $1.5M spent on pavement and surface urgent defect repairs during 21/22 was allocated in terms of types of repairs.

This $1.5M is funded from two different budgets. The remainder of the budgets is spent on pre-resurfacing repairs which is preparation work before resealing, such as raising and fixing service covers and trench levelling.

10 Year Plan Sealed Pavement Renewal & Maintenance Budgets

	21/22	22/23	23/24	24/25	25/26	26/27	27/28	28/29	29/30	30/31
Sealed Pavement Renewals	$1.65M	$1.80M	$1.97M	$2.40M	$2.81M	$3.47M	$3.57M	$3.68M	$3.78M	$3.89M
Sealed Pavement Maintenance	$1.54M	$1.65M	$1.72M	$1.79M	$1.97M	$2.39M	$2.48M	$2.57M	$2.65M	$2.93M

Key:
Temporary – 1-2 months
Semi-permanent – 1-2 years
Permanent – 15-20 years

Figure 2: Road pavement repair cost split 2021-22

3.3 Heavy Leaf Fall

3.3.1 At the start of the maintenance contract the inspection and cleaning regime cleared many sumps and drains which had not been cleaned for years. A routine sweeping route was implemented and key drainage assets cleared to help minimise impacts of heavy rainfall and subsequent surface flooding.

3.3.2 The weather patterns this year meant that the Autumn leaf fall occurred a month later than usual and over a condensed timeframe. Most leaves fell over a two week period. Unfortunately, this period of high leaf fall coincided with a Covid outbreak within the Fulton Hogan team and the breakdown of a cleaning vehicle. The leaf clean-up response within the city was stretched thinly, and the rapid ongoing leaf drop meant many streets needed multiple visits in very short timeframes.

3.3.3 Public complaints regarding leaf fall were high at 296 over the May - June period of heavy leaf fall. The requests for service were used to help prioritise areas within the network that needed the most attention. The combination of the contractor reallocating workers from other activities and bringing in more sweeper truck resource and assistance from Council’s Parks team meant that after the initial slow start leaves were cleared up more effectively. In one instance Fulton Hogan had 10 different teams on the network clearing leaves at the same time.

3.3.4 Learning from Autumn 2022 has resulted in the identification of heavy leaf fall hot spots and high response need areas. The following map shows an example of sweeper planning for next year. It shows a weekly sweeping plan during high leaf fall, which is a combination of heavy leaf fall sweeping and regular street cleaning. Before next Autumn this information will be shared more broadly, including on our website, to ensure the public are aware of when and where the sweeper drivers are focusing their activity.

Figure 3: Example Autumn road sweeping weekly schedule

3.4 Boy Racer Response

3.4.1 Boy racer issues continue to impact the city and are creating high demand for cleaning up of debris and street sweeping as well as urgent out-of-hours responses to road safety and environmental issues, including deliberate diesel spills. This has been funded through the year using the road maintenance emergency incident response budget because there was no specific fund. The 22/23 budget has $150k allocated to boy racers response, although it is hoped that deterrent work will lessen the demand for post-incident response.

3.4.2 Asphaltic concrete speed humps were installed at the turning area on Works Road and Valor Drive to help deter racing activity and further speed humps are being designed for Works Road. These and other locations continue to be monitored and swept as needed currently at MakoMako Road, Richardsons/Roberts Line intersection, Bennett Street and Bounty Place.

3.4.3 In support of a planned NZ Police operation the Fulton Hogan team volunteered their time to provide traffic control at two locations. Public access to two roads commonly used by street racers was closed over a weekend that heavy street racer activity was predicted.

During daylight hours Fulton Hogan traffic controllers staffed the cordon and the police took over the duty late afternoon. This was a great example of collaboration between Fulton Hogan, NZ Police and PNCC to address antisocial behaviour.

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4. Road surface – planned works

4.1 Renewal & Minor Safety Works

4.1.1 Several factors caused delays during the 2021/22 construction season. Investigation, planning and design work was delayed by lockdowns, lack of funding clarity and staff resourcing due to Covid sickness. By the time Waka Kotahi funding was confirmed in November, a proportion of the timeframe for design or construction for the year had already lapsed. This has resulted in the construction of some projects not being complete by the end of the financial year and the consequential moving of other projects into the next financial year.

4.1.2 The wet weather experienced over the summer, along with Covid impacts on staff resources also delayed the resurfacing programme, such that the contractor was unable to complete the chipseal reseal programmed works before the Autumn period when cooler weather makes this work no longer viable. Outstanding chip sealing sites across the city at Birmingham Street, Roberts Line and Te Awe Awe Street are scheduled for completion early in the next financial year over the summer period. The asphaltic concrete resurfacing programme was not affected by weather and progressed well.

4.1.3 A late start to construction due to Waka Kotahi funding, Covid impacts and weather meant the planned footpath works were not fully achieved. This has meant footpath extensions at Worcester Street in Ashhurst as well as footpath renewals at Oxford Avenue, Railway Road, Gillespies Line and Reserve Road are now planned to be completed early in the new financial year.

4.1.4 The Minor Safety programme was also impacted by the delays described above. The Minor Safety programme is a Waka Kotahi co-funded 3-year safety focused programme which is very prescriptive about how funds are allocated. As such, scoping and design on the projects could not begin until final confirmation of the funding and programme late in 2021. This has had consequential effects on the construction programme, and part of the 2021/22 programme was not constructed, with budgets carried forward into 2022/23.

4.1.5 With 22/23 being the middle year of the Long Term Plan (LTP), security of funding from Council and Waka Kotahi enables an early start to the season in a number of activities to ensure a catch up on planned work is achieved without impacting on delivery of this year’s programme. An example of this is the low cost low risk projects which were approved by Waka Kotahi in December and hence under delivered in 21/22 but, now the planning work has been completed, can be delivered across the full 22/23 year to catch up on carry forwards as well as the current year’s projects.

4.1.6 Investment across the network for 2021/22 has achieved the following:

- Resealed 21km of roading (4% of the sealed network), 60% of expenditure spent on urban applied asphaltic concrete and 40% expenditure spent on chip sealing rural and urban streets;

- Replaced 272m of kerb and channel mostly associated in combination with urban reseal sites;

- Undertook $1.5M worth of road surface repairs to alleviate the worst of the network’s pavement deformation faults, eg. potholes;

- Structural renewal work to address the Fitzherbert bridge joints, repair retaining wall barriers on Atawhai Road, replace vehicle-damaged guardrails on a bridge on Kahuterawa Road and reinforce and stabilise waterway approaches to a bridge on Turitea Road after storm damage;

- Smaller and less complex Minor Safety projects have been completed such as raised platforms and crossings on Havelock Avenue, Brighton Crescent, Churchill Avenue and Highbury Avenue;

- Fulton Hogan private development project to construct signalised intersection improvement works at Amberley Avenue and Pioneer Highway for the new Countdown supermarket was completed, for which Council contributed to pavement strengthening works.

5. FOOTPATHs

5.1 A paper was presented to Infrastructure Committee in May 2022 which summarised footpath condition work to date.

5.2 Formal rating of the condition of sections of footpath was undertaken in August 2018. The process rated footpaths from Excellent through to Very Poor and provided a tool to prioritise maintenance and renewals activity. The overall results are shown in Figure 4.

Figure 4: Poor and Very Poor condition footpaths based on 2018 assessment

5.3 In 2020 condition assessment was undertaken using a different methodology. This identified individual defects on the footpaths rather than giving an overall score per section of footpath. The two data sets are not directly comparable although there is some correlation in terms of where the faults are compared to the areas identified as poor condition.

5.4 Since the 2018 condition surveys, remedial work has been completed on some of the worst sections, eg. Nottingham Avenue has had a full renewal performed.

5.5 Some sections have been investigated and determined to not be as bad as expected. The Hodgens Place example shown in Figure 5 below shows a section of footpath as Very Poor condition (in red) but it only has three minor defects, none of which affect the usage of the footpath.

5.6 The footpath work undertaken in 2021/22 was prioritised through a focus on usage – outside schools, parks, CBD, etc. alongside the condition datasets, to balance planned investment between poor condition and heavy usage sites.

5.7 During 2021/22 Fulton Hogan undertook 1,552m of concrete grinds to remove 1,030 trip hazards and completed 2,070m² of new or replacement concrete footpaths, 428m² of new vehicle crossings and nearly 1,200m² of asphalt footpath resurfacing.

5.8 For the 2022/23 Footpath Maintenance and Renewals Programme Fulton Hogan used the 2018 Condition Survey results as a first basis for programming future works. This has involved interrogating the condition survey results, estimating work required to renew the section rated as Very Poor, a desktop analysis to correlate the number of complaints against those sections and onsite validation to determine whether work is required at the most urgent priority level. This analysis and work planning was completed in 2021/22 to develop the 2022/23 work programme.

5.9 Based on the Fulton Hogan analysis, the estimated cost to repair all remaining footpath sections rated in as poor or very poor in the 2018 survey is $3.07M using current unit rates. This is made up of $340k to repair all footpath sections rated as ‘very poor’ and $2.73M to repair all footpath sections rated as ‘poor’.

Figure 5: Correlation of ‘Very Poor’ condition ratings minimal defects observed

5.10 The budget for Footpath Renewal work for 2022/23 is $997K which includes an additional $150K approved at Committee of Council as part of the Annual Budget process for 2022/23. At this level of funding per annum, it would take three years to fully remediate these sections.

Forecast footpath maintenance and renewal expenditure in the 2021-31 10 Year Plan
FY	2022/23	2023/24	2024/25	2025/26	2026/27	2027/28	2028/29	2029/30	2030/31	Total
Maintenance & Operations Expenses (000's) (excludes depreciation and interest)
Budget	$516	$595	$611	$626	$672	$702	$723	$743	$784	$6,474
Renewal (000's)
Budget	$997k (22/23 Annual Budget)	$1,090	$1,366	$1,406	$1,446	$1,488	$1,531	$1,576	$1,946	$13,924

Note: Operation expenses incorporates environmental maintenance from operating programmes and CBD cleaning which is currently not specifically funded through NZTA co-funding rules. This has not been separately itemised from maintenance expenses.

5.11 As reported in the Footpath Report in May 2022, Renewal budgets are proposed at similar rates for years 1, 2 and 3. The budgets for these years (highlighted in the table above) is higher than the confirmed LTP Council budget 21-24. Originally Waka Kotahi reduced the funding towards footpath renewals in the National Land Transport Programme (NLTP) and Council kept their full share in the budget. So, some of the LTP budgets for footpath renewals did not include Waka Kotahi subsidy amounts. However later in 2021, Waka Kotahi increased their total subsidy for footpath renewals to previous levels. The number shown above reflects the true subsidised budget, reflecting the ongoing renewal investment not changing for this LTP cycle.

5.12 The number of streets which have received more than 10 Kbase footpath related complaints during the year is considered in planning works for 22/23.

Figure 6: Streets in the City receiving more than 10 Kbase complaints during the year

5.13 Defects are loaded into the asset database, prioritised and compared to the Condition Assessment and KBase records. Figure 7 provides a sample of the map of the current recorded defects across the city.

Figure 7: Footpath defects

Key:

5.14 Other factors considered includes the community served by the footpath by considering proximity to schools, health care facilities, rest homes, the CBD, parks and any other factors that increase the usage and reliance on footpaths.

5.15 At present the programme is being validated prior to final review by Officers. Once approved it will be shared with the community within the next few months through the Council website and social media.

5.16 The footpath renewals programme for 2022/23 is likely to be similar in scope but the higher level of funding will enable more improvements than 2021/22.

6. Utilisation of Sub-Contractors

6.1 Fulton Hogan have utilised 20 subcontractors to supplement their own team and provide specialist expertise. Local market engagement was a requirement of the contract tender to help support a healthy local contractor market. Fulton Hogan have employed more subcontractors than they originally indicated in their tender, up slightly from the last report to 49% of the workforce. 15% of those subcontractors are small local suppliers.

Figure 8: Breakdown of works undertaken by subcontractors

7. asset challenges

7.1 Road Pavement Faults

7.1.1 Part of the road maintenance contract is embedding routine inspections, data collection and analytics into business as usual. This allows decisions and prioritisation to be made at a ‘whole of network’ level based on current defect data. The inspections cover all aspects of the roading corridor from pavement and surface of the road, through to signs, sumps, culvert pipes and bridges. The inspections capture the severity of the defect as well as the size, to enable a more realistic assessment of the repair needed.

7.1.2 These captured defects are then used to create monthly maintenance plans and to prioritise and justify larger interventions where multiple defects occur. As these defects are remedied, our data systems are updated as part of the monthly payment claim process.

7.1.3 The database for defects identified in the Palmerston North transport network shows a large number of pavement and surfacing defects and suggested repairs. They include faults such as potholes, cracking, depressions, failing surfaces and trenches.

7.1.4 This information indicates a deterioration process at a much higher pace than our planned and funded repairs and renewals programme. Work is underway in preparation for the next 10 Year Plan, to use the information to identify works and investment options to improve or rectify the situation.

7.1.5 One input into the 2024-34 10 Year Plan and 2024-27 NLTP bid will be an adjusted Sealed Pavement Renewal project list. This will further highlight that we have a growing number of road sections that need major intervention and not enough budget to reduce the requirement in a timely manner.

Updated Pavement Renewal Locations

Indicative Timeframe

Validated Locations

2022/23

· Ferguson-Pitt Street (Part of Pitt/Ferg Upgrade ($1.4m)

· James Line (Kelvin Grove Road to Schnell Drive) ($1.5m) (Capital New funded)

· Custom Street, Ashhurst ($2.7m) (Capital New funded)

2023/24 onwards

(currently temporary holding treatments are being used to hold these renewals off until funds are available)

· Tremaine Avenue (Konni-Wood) – Postponed due to funding constraints in 22/23

· Vogel Street (Tremaine to Featherston) – heavy maintenance to defer for 3 – 5 years in 22/23

· Railway Road (west of rail crossing at Bunnythorpe)

· Campbell Road (roundabout to Stoney Creek Road)

· Kelvin Grove Road (Ashhurst Road to Henaghans Road, including seal widening and isolated vertical improvements)

· Stoney Creek Road (rail crossing to Kelvin Grove)

· Tremaine/Milson intersection

· Railway Road (Tremaine to rail overbridge)

· Tremaine Avenue (Milson to Thames Street)

· Pioneer Highway (2x sections between Botanical and Amberley)

· Summerhill Drive (Mountain View Road to Tennent Drive)

· Turitea Road (SH57 to Valley Views, seal widening)

· Kairanga-Bunnythorpe Road (rail line to Te Ngaio, dependent on 2x bridge upgrades)

· Tremaine (Thames Street to Vogel), Francis Way

7.1.6 Figure 9 shows the spread of road and top surface faults across the network and Figure 10 is a summary of the network map showing the number of road and top road surface faults there currently are on the network.

Figure 9: Identified road and top road surface faults

Figure 10: Number of identified faults across the network

7.1.7 Similar to the previous key, the 872 Urgent and Must Do defects have breached our assumed Level of Service, whereas the 1185 Should Do defects are signals that the asset is soon to fail. The 104 sites which are being Monitored is the first signal of a defect without visible sign of increasing severity.

7.2 Drainage Faults

7.2.1 Fulton Hogan has applied considerable focus to ensure critical stormwater sump infrastructure has been cleaned of all detritus ahead of forecast storm events. In some cases, this increased attention has identified infrastructure in poor condition and requiring programmed maintenance upgrades. These repairs will assist significantly in the mitigation of adverse effects from rainstorm blockages.

7.2.2 Culvert inspections across the rural network have been undertaken identifying some substandard culverts requiring future programmed remedial replacement. Kerb and channel repairs have also been carried out on reseal sites across the city.

7.2.3 Large diameter galvanised steel culverts on Greens and Kahuterawa Roads have recently been identified as needing replacement due to condition as the base of the culverts have failed. These are planned for replacement once resource consents have been obtained.

8. road performance

8.1 Smooth Travel Exposure

8.1.1 Smooth Travel Exposure is the percentage measure of how much of the distance travelled across the road network is smooth – higher being better. A standard measure of road roughness is determined for each section of road through automated data capture and then multiplied by the number of vehicles that would have travelled across that road during that time and aggregated to a metric of the single percentage travelled on smooth roads.

8.1.2 The red line in Figure 11 below shows how Palmerston North compares to its peers of similar networks (urban/rural mix), other mostly urban networks and within the region and nationally. In general, the results show fairly smooth travel for most road categories. This is a good reflection of the superficial treatment types utilised over the past few years to remedy poor riding sections of road.

8.1.3 The measure unfortunately does not signal the underlying condition of the road, only the surface ‘top coat’, which means it is not a good measure of underlying road lifespan or risk of failure.

Figure 11: Performance of PNCC roads (smooth road exposure) compared to peers

8.2 Condition vs Investment

8.2.1 With the inspection regime in place Officers now have an accurate understanding of the quantum of defects on our roads. The multitude of defects in Section 7.1, Road Pavement Faults, highlights the volume of issues compared to the current level of funding, based on prior understanding of the network and prior performance. At the surface level, superficial repairs have improved journey smoothness however the data indicates costly underlying issues which will require significant investment.

8.2.2 Figures 12 is a graph produced by the Road Efficiency Group (REG) Insights tool, which shows how our level of investment in maintenance and renewals compares to our peer group of similar road networks and across the region. Our peer group consists of medium sized cities with limited lengths of rural roads.

8.2.3 Palmerston North consistently sits towards the bottom end of the scale within our peer group in terms of investment, which may be explained by the compact nature of our city. The peer group comparison however doesn’t consider the large influx of freight traffic impacting on our urban roads. This is more likely to help explain the substantive deterioration in road lifespan over the past few years in particular, which means in turn that previous investment levels are unlikely to be adequate in the future. The implications of this are discussed in ‘Next Steps, below.

Figure 12: Level of investment in PNCC road network compared to other networks

9. Other reflections

9.1 Officers met with Fulton Hogan staff to reflect on the successes and challenges of the first year of the project. Both parties acknowledged that the contract was slow to resource to required levels, which was exacerbated by Covid impacts on resource availability across New Zealand.

9.2 Officers acknowledge that the data arising from the contract is excellent and has significantly increased our understanding of the network and its challenges. Work is underway to respond to our improved network understanding. This includes the following:

· Assessing the distribution of road maintenance and renewal budgets and making recommendations of changes which would improve our responsiveness to priority issues or resolve issues earlier.

· Innovating new maintenance approaches to address specific problems.

· Developing strategies to identify and secure targeted and prioritised funding in the next LTP.

9.3 Officers and Fulton Hogan have reviewed responsiveness and prioritisation decision making on the contract. A weekly prioritisation meeting has been initiated between the two contract managers to ensure decisions reflect wider Council priorities as well as asset priorities.

9.4 Officers and Fulton Hogan recognise that a lack of public information about planned works, and reactive responses, has exacerbated public frustration about road condition issues and responsiveness. A web page is currently being trialled to make planned work schedules available to the public in a map-based format. This will be searchable to enable users to identify planned works on individual streets. In addition, FAQs will be prepared on reactive maintenance and inspection schedules will be put online in map form.

9.5 PNCC Communications staff and Asset Managers have also provided a briefing to local media about potholes, how they form and how they are repaired to help build shared understanding of reactive issues and underlying road issues, and to promote the snap-send-solve app.

10. NEXT STEPS

10.1 As specific programmes are confirmed for the 2022/23 year, they will be shared with the public through the Council website and social media as appropriate.

10.2 With the next National Land Transport Fund applications due in August 2023, the next 12 months will be focused on preparation of the business case.

10.3 Decisions are needed on the level of investment in maintenance, operations and renewals we will seek Waka Kotahi co-funding for. A clear understanding of how the network is currently performing both in terms of smoothness and lifecyle (defects and underlying issues) compared to required level of service and the difference between the two will be key to right-sizing the funding request to achieve the outcomes required.

10.4 The business case development process will involve engagement with Elected Members, Iwi and consultation with other key stakeholders early in 2023.

10.5 Further six-monthly reports covering progress on the work programme and performance of the road maintenance contract will be provided to the Infrastructure Committee over the term of the contract.

11. Compliance and administration

Does the Committee have delegated authority to decide?		Yes
Are the decisions significant?		No
If they are significant do they affect land or a body of water?		No
Can this decision only be made through a 10 Year Plan?		Yes
Does this decision require consultation through the Special Consultative procedure?		Yes
Is there funding in the current Annual Plan for these actions?		Yes
Are the recommendations inconsistent with any of Council’s policies or plans?		No
The recommendations contribute to Goal 1: An Innovative and Growing City
The recommendations contribute to the achievement of action/actions in Transport The action is: Develop, maintain, operate and renew the transport network to deliver on the Council goals, the purpose of this plan, and the Government Policy Statement on Transport.
Contribution to strategic direction and to social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being	An efficient and effective transport network enables social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing by supporting people, goods and services to move throughout the city.

Attachments

Nil

Memorandum

TO: Infrastructure Committee

MEETING DATE: 17 August 2022

TITLE: Tamakuku Terrace Six Monthly Update

Presented By: Bryce Hosking, Group Manager - Property

APPROVED BY: Sarah Sinclair, Chief Infrastructure Officer

RECOMMENDATION(S) TO Infrastructure Committee

1. That the Committee receive the memorandum titled ‘Tamakuku Terrace Six-Monthly Update’, presented to the Infrastructure Committee on 17 August 2022.

1. ISSUE

1.1 The Infrastructure Committee requested six-monthly updates be provided throughout the duration of the project.

2. BACKGROUND

2.1 The District Plan includes a specific Structure Plan and suite of planning provisions for the Whakarongo Residential Area that will direct the subdivision design and development. This includes guidance for providing different section sizes.

2.2 Tamakuku Terrace provides an opportunity to deliver a subdivision consistent with the requirements of the District Plan.

2.3 Once developed the subdivision will create 114 new residential sections. Sections will be of a variety of sizes to appeal to a wide variety of purchasers by giving options regarding design, build type and purchase price.

2.4 Section sizes will range from 275m² (a couple) through to 810m², with the average section size being 463m².

2.5 The development of the site will be split into two stages:

· Stage 1 – 79 sections; and

· Stage 2 – The balance of 35 sections.

2.6 Stage 2 is subject to the approval of the comprehensive discharge consent (CDC) for the entire Whakarongo Growth Area from Horizons Regional Council and is anticipated to closely follow, but remain distinct from, Stage 1.

3. Development update – up to july 2022

3.1 Below is the project update from the July 2022 project steering group meeting:

Health and Safety

3.2 The health and safety incident report for Stage 1 of the project is summarised below:

	Near Misses	Incidents	Notifiable Events or Loss-Time Injuries	Total
Accumulative to date	3	12	0	15
This period	0	1	0	1
Total	3	12	0	16

Regulatory

3.3 All consents have been obtained for the project from both Palmerston North City Council and Horizons Regional Council for Stage 1.

3.4 Horizons Regional Council have continued to commend the contractor for the environmental controls onsite which have been working well in the recent rain events.

3.5 The KiwiRail Authority Grant and Permit have been issued to allow the Stage 1 works that are within the KiwiRail corridor to proceed, noting this is different from the consent required for Stage 2 to construct the stormwater pipe under the rail corridor.

Progress Update

3.6 Overall, the contractor is progressing well, and the site is being well managed.

3.7 The revised practical completion date for Stage 1 is now mid-August 2022. This has been delayed from the original expected completion date of November 2021.

3.8 Most of this delay is due to wet weather especially as the project nears completion with rain throughout large parts of July.

3.9 In addition, there were also delays caused from Covid-19 Alert Levels 3 and 4 in August 2021, and a small number of minor delays relating to additional environmental controls required by Horizons.

3.10 The section titles for Stage 1 are now expected in October 2022.

Key Programme Milestones

3.11 Below is a summary of the revised development milestones:

Key Project Milestones	Programmed Date	Current Status
Stage 1 Construction Completion	November 2021	August 2022
Stage 1 Presales	Ongoing	Ongoing
Stage 1 Titles Issued	February 2022	October 2022
Stage 2 Resource Consent Application Lodged	April 2022	June 2022

3.12 Please note the Consent application for Stage 2 is subject to Council achieving the greater Resource Consent for the Whakarongo Growth Area. This includes acquiring the Downstream Oxbow from a neighbouring party.

Sales

3.13 The sales as at 31 July 2022 are summarised below:

Stage	Presales
Stage 1 Unconditional Sales	20
Stage 1 Conditional Sales	16
Stage 2 Conditional Sales	4
Total Presales	40

3.14 Council launched the second sales release comprising of 16 sections on 15February 2022. We have not sold any of these sections to the market.

3.15 The market has continued to soften in the first seven months of the year, which is illustrated by the average house price index in Palmerston North City reducing by 5.9% over the last three months. In addition to this several agencies have reported a considerable decrease in open home numbers and enquiries.

3.16 There are multiple factors that are causing this downward pressure including increasing interest rates, lending serviceability and building cost escalation.

3.17 Bayleys were engaged on 18 March 2022 to assist with converting the enquiries into sales. Amongst the continued marketing campaign Bayleys have also held a targeted information evening in May 2022 which has created further interest in the project.

3.18 Despite the overall softening of the market, there has continued to be strong interest in the project with over 860 visitors to the website in June and 760 visitors in July 2022 which is almost double what it was in May.

3.19 Moving forward the focus will be on the build partners, supporting them to sell House and Land Packages so that they can purchase more sections. Council is proactively exploring opportunities around terms to make it easier for build partners to pre-purchase sections and make purchasing overall within the development even more attractive.

3.20 The first of the house and land packages being offered from one of the build partners is now being advertised online. This is on one of the smaller sections in the development to demonstrate a positive outcome that can be achieved on one of these sections.

3.21 The recent government budget increased the Kāinga Ora First Home Cap on new builds to $700,000 in Palmerston North City and the Kiwibuild cap has increased to $715,000. Officers are working with build partners on how they could reach these levels.

3.22 Council Officers continue to assess the pricing within the current market, and we will respond to market corrections accordingly, however we do not recommend making reactionary decisions or leading price corrections. Whilst Council do not want to be leading price corrections in the market, equally it is important the section prices remain aligned to the market.

Marketing

3.23 A marketing refresh is planned to coincide with construction completion and increase in marketing to drive enquiry. We will be able to move from image renders to actual photos which will assist with this. A new campaign has been approved with NZME with features in local, regional and national publications. This is still within the overall planned marketing budget for the project.

3.24 Bayleys have also signalled that once construction is finished and potential purchasers can walk around the site, this will help with the overall marketing and engagement strategies as potential purchasers will be able to physically visit the sections and get a feel for the live environment.

3.25 The design guidelines and section covenants for the development have also been reviewed to ensure these were not going to be a barrier to entry. This process was completed in consultation with the build partners. The design guidelines are aligned with the District Plan with most elements being considered as part of the consenting process.

3.26 The guidelines ensure the quality of outcomes within the development and assist with the overall consenting process. Feedback from the group builders is the guidelines have not materially added cost to their house and land packages.

Financial

3.27 Stage 1 of the project continues to track within the programme budget and all variations have been accommodated within the project contingency.

3.28 Revised sales projections have been factored into the 2022/23 budget.

4. wider whakarongo growth area

4.1 Advanced negotiations continue with the private landowners in the lower terrace of the Whakarongo growth area to acquire the natural oxbow. This is the key component in achieving the wider Whakarongo growth area consent with Horizons.

4.2 Council Officers are expecting a draft set of consent conditions from Horizons in early August 2022 for review.

5. NEXT STEPS

5.1 Continue to deliver the project in accordance with programme.

5.2 Achieve all consents for Stage 2 of the project, with earthworks commencing around October 2023 in the summer construction window.

6. Compliance and administration

Does the Committee have delegated authority to decide?		Yes
Are the decisions significant?		No
If they are significant do, they affect land or a body of water?		No
Can this decision only be made through a 10 Year Plan?		No
Does this decision require consultation through the Special Consultative procedure?		No
Is there funding in the current Annual Plan for these actions?		Yes
Are the recommendations inconsistent with any of Council’s policies or plans?		No
The recommendations contribute to Goal 1: An Innovative and Growing City
The recommendations contribute to the achievement of action/actions in City Growth The action is: Housing development is initiated at Whakarongo
Contribution to strategic direction and to social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being	Progressing with the Tamakuku Terrace subdivision development within the Whakarongo Growth Area will: · Provide additional sections to the marketplace to help reduce the supply vs. demand shortfall; · Provide choice to purchasers through a variety of section sizes and provide them the freedom to choose their preferred house builder; · Provide a best practice example to the private development community showcasing the opportunities and benefits of working closely with local iwi, urban designers, territorial authorities and local experts to achieve excellent outcomes. · Support local contractors and the employment market.

Attachments

Nil

Memorandum

TO: Infrastructure Committee

MEETING DATE: 17 August 2022

TITLE: Central Business District Streets for People Programme - Six Monthly Update

Presented By: Geoffrey Snedden, Senior Project Manager

APPROVED BY: Sarah Sinclair, Chief Infrastructure Officer

RECOMMENDATION(S) TO Infrastructure Committee

1. That the Committee receive the memorandum titled `Central Business District Streets for People Programme – Six Monthly Update’, presented to the Infrastructure Committee on 17 August 2022.

1. ISSUE

1.1 The Streets for People Programme for improvements to the Central Business District streets is funded through Programme 2122 – CBD Streets for People.

1.2 The terms of reference for the Infrastructure Committee include oversight of the progress of the design and build for the Streets for People Programme. The Infrastructure Committee requested six-monthly updates be provided throughout the duration of the project.

2. BACKGROUND

2.1 In 2010 Palmerston North City Council (PNCC) commenced a new urban design journey for the City, including the city centre. This resulted in the development of both the City Centre Framework 2013 (CCFW) and City Centre Streetscape Plan 2016 (CCSP) to inform and guide future city centre urban and streetscape development. The CCFW and the CCSP outline the steps for making the city centre a vibrant place that locals are proud of and that leaves a lasting positive impression on visitors.

2.2 The Streets for People Programme was put in place to implement the CCSP and was incorporated into Council’s 2018-28 10 Year Plan. The objective of the programme is to invest into the public realm resulting in the following benefits:

· Improved vitality in the city centre, more people, more often, more interaction with the streetscape;

· Slowed traffic speeds and decreased through traffic volumes – with pedestrians prioritised;

· A range of population demographics actively using the streets;

· Improved multi-mode share for getting to and moving around the streets.

2.3 A map of CBD Streets for People Programme (2122) is outlined below.

2.4 The first stages of the programme, Square East (Stages 1 and 2) between Church Street and Main Street, were completed in June 2020. This resulted in new wider footpaths, reduction of on street parking and improved street amenity, including trees and seating. These stages were tendered publicly with Higgins Construction Limited being awarded both contracts.

2.5 In June 2020 Council approved the procurement process to engage a design consultant to undertake all design services for all the streets in the programmes. This was because bundling the remaining streets into one design contract would enable price efficiencies and result in development of a comprehensive and connected streetscape plan. A complete set of detail design drawings would also allow PNCC to undertake Early Contractor Engagement to explore delivery options such as contract bundling, decrease construction costs and enable efficiencies in construction programming to reduce the overall length of disruption to the public, retailers and other stakeholders.

2.6 At the 20 December 2021 meeting Council endorsed sole source negotiations with a contractor for construction for Square East Stages 3 and 4. The Contractor was subsequently engaged under an Early Contractor Engagement contract to provide buildability and risk input through the design phase prior to delivery of the work, which is described below.

3. PROJECT SUMMARY – up to July 2022

3.1 Status of Project: Detail Design

3.2 Work completed to date:

3.2.1 BECA has completed the preliminary design stage for all the streets in the programme. The detail design for Square East Stages 3 and 4 has also been completed, which included:

· Rangitāne co-design;

· Value engineering material selection, whilst retaining aesthetic and functional requirements;

· Engagement and stakeholder design with affected parties.

3.2.2 The detail design for Square East Stages 3 and 4 was issued to a contractor through an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) agreement. The intent was to involve the contractor early to resolve buildability issues, improve value engineering and mitigate supply chain delays caused by Covid.

3.2.3 The contractor developed a construction price along with two construction programme methodologies for Square East Stages 3 and 4. This was submitted to PNCC in mid-May 2022, and a paper for Council approval was drafted.

3.2.4 As part of the Annual Plan deliberations the construction budget for Square East Stages 3 and 4 was deferred to the 2023/24 financial year.

3.2.5 Due to the deferral of the budget, the procurement methodology, including any need for sole sourcing, will be reviewed in early 2023, to reflect current known market conditions, and to enable procurement and delivery of the project in the revised timeframe.

3.2.6 Detail design of the other streets in the programme was not completed in the 21/22 financial year – the delaying effects of COVID on the supply chain meant that the project team prioritised the design of Square East Stages 3 and 4 to best meet planned construction deadlines. Funding is proposed to be carried forward into this financial year (22/23) to complete the detail designs for Broadway, Square North, Rangitikei Street, Church Street, Square West and the Inner Square, to a stage where Officers have confident post-Covid cost assessments to inform discussions on delivery.

3.2.7 Learnings from the Value Engineering process for Square East Stages 3 and 4 will be incorporated into the designs underway.

3.2.8 Whilst some engagement with stakeholders is underway and will continue through the design stage, it is proposed to bring the design to a pre-consultation basis, to understand the delivery programme prior to undertaking any further engagement with those affected by specific project stages.

4. Financial

4.1.1 The Streets for People Programme has the following budget, including a proposed carry forward of $600k from 21/22 to 22/23 to complete the design contract underway.

Programme ID:	2122 – CBD Streets for People

	22/23 (000s)	23/24 (000s)	24/25 (000s)	25/26 (000s)	26/27 (000s)	27/28 (000s)	28/29 (000s)	Total (000s)
Capital costs		5,288	925	6,276	6,766	3,726	661	24,244
Marcomms/Engagement		41	20	20	20	20	20	144
CCSP - Square North				264	2,441			2,705
CCSP - Square East	600	2,903						3,503
CCSP - Church Street					394	3,643		4,038
CCSP Broadway Ave			439	2,931	2,640			6,011
CCSP Rangitikei St		2,343						2,343
CCSP- Square West			465	3,060	1,269			4,795
CCSP - inner Square						62	641	703
Inflation		126	45	482	717	506	110	1,989
*Total Capital Cost*	600	5,414	971	6,758	7,483	4,232	772	26,234

4.2 The programme has the following contracts in place:

Vendor

Description

Value

Spend to date

BECA

Services provided:

· Concept through to detail design for all the streets

· Co-design with Rangitāne

· Localised traffic modelling

· Lighting design

$1,066,243

$632,508

WT Partnership

Services provided:

· PM services

· Stakeholder liaison

· ECI contract and price negotiations – SE 3 & 4

· Quantity Surveyor reviews SE 3 and 4

$223,150

$209,338

5. next steps

5.1 The key milestones for the delivery of the detail design for the programme are as follows:

Date	Activity
End August 2022	· Finalise detail design and costings delivery programme for the streets in the programme. · Review of Stages 3 and 4 value engineering and implications on design stage. · Review implications of tender price across the programme (noting that the intent of completing the pre-consultation design is to develop robust post-Covid costings). · Review of the ECI process to identify advantages/benefits that were achieved. These can then be incorporated in future procurement strategies for similar works.
February 2023	Six Monthly Project Update Report to the Infrastructure Committee (if required).
End May 2023	Paper to Council on options for delivery of the construction stage of the programme, and associated engagement planning for each option, plus costs and opportunities for external funding.

6. Compliance and administration

Does the Committee have delegated authority to decide?		Yes
Are the decisions significant?		No
If they are significant do they affect land or a body of water?		No
Can this decision only be made through a 10 Year Plan?		No
Does this decision require consultation through the Special Consultative procedure?		No
Is there funding in the current Annual Plan for these actions?		Yes
Are the recommendations inconsistent with any of Council’s policies or plans?		No
The recommendations contribute to Goal 2: A Creative and Exciting City
The recommendations contribute to the achievement of action/actions in City Shaping The action is: · The city centre contributes positively to the perception of Palmerston North; · Visible public life and pedestrian counts increase; · There is increased demand for floor space; · The city centre has a series of places with a strong place identity; · The City Centre Streetscape Plan is delivered, with Square East the initial priority.
Contribution to strategic direction and to social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being	A vibrant city centre will make Palmerston North even more attractive for work and play, provide more opportunities for locals and visitors to connect with the city and the people who live here, and bring significant benefits for the local economy. The Streets for People programme provides for investment in the public space to ensure our roads are places for people, not just vehicles. It emphasises pedestrian friendly public spaces, cultivating a lively economy after 5pm, and attracting more private investment in the city centre.

Attachments

Nil

Memorandum

TO: Infrastructure Committee

MEETING DATE: 17 August 2022

TITLE: Memorial Park Development Plan - Update Report

Presented By: Kathy Dever-Tod, Group Manager - Parks and Logistics

APPROVED BY: Sarah Sinclair, Chief Infrastructure Officer

RECOMMENDATION(S) TO Infrastructure Committee

1. That the Committee receive the memorandum titled ‘Memorial Park Development Plan – Update Report’, presented to the Infrastructure Committee on 17 August 2022.

1. ISSUE

1.1 The Memorial Park Development Plan 2017 (the Development Plan) provides the strategy for the preservation and enhancement of the existing values and unique characteristics of Memorial Park. The Development Plan site plan shows enhancements and replacements of existing features, and the addition of new features planned for the park. A copy of the plan is shown in Attachment One.

1.2 Implementation of the Development Plan was funded in Ten-Year Plan 2018-28, with significant investment planned for years 1 through 5 (2019 to 2024).

1.3 This report provides the committee with an update on the redevelopment of Memorial Park, and the completion of two significant anchor projects – the installation of a splashpad and redevelopment of the children’s playground.

2. BACKGROUND and history

2.1 Memorial Park is one of the six City Reserves. A City Reserve is intended to be a destination for the wider community and visitors to the city. Each City Reserve has its own special character and facilities.

2.2 Memorial Park was originally a gravel extraction pit and rail siding yard. The park provided rail ballast for the Palmerston North to Foxton rail network. Once this work ceased, the pit that remained after heavy gravel extraction was considered an “eyesore” by the community. The community lobbied Council to develop a park on the site, and it was named Fitzroy Park.

2.3 The park was dedicated as ‘Memorial Park’ in 1954 by Major General Kippenberger, in recognition of lives lost and the general war effort achieved during WWII. Significant investment occurred in the original development of the site including landscaping and the addition of play features, a cycling track, sportsfield, skating rink, paddling pool and public amenities.

2.4 Over time the original features at the park lost their shine and, in the absence of a coordinated development plan, additions to the park occurred in an uncoordinated and untargeted manner. As a result, the park began to lose its special character.

2.5 In August 2017 Council began extensive engagement with the community regarding development plans for Memorial Park. The engagement process helped identify the park’s special character and the values the community and stakeholders held as important.

2.6 The themes that came through strongly in the consultation were:

· 1950’s optimism and family fun;

· Water play; and

· Playground, family areas, and lazy, long summer fun days at the park.

2.7 In addition to these themes it was identified that Memorial Park could provide a high level of physical accessibility, making the park more inclusive.

2.8 The Development Plan was adopted in 2017. It takes a coordinated approach to the park’s development over time.

2.9 The Ten-Year Plan 2018-28 provides the budgets for the delivery of a series of projects over time.

2.10 As well as the Memorial Park Development Plan Implementation programme (new capital):

· Provision was made in the Ten-Year plan for approximately 60% of the developments at Memorial Park to be funded through renewals to replace existing assets such as hard surfaces, playground and general building renewals.

· Funds within the programme for Improving Accessibility and Safety in Parks were prioritised to Memorial Park.

2.11 The community aspiration of a high-quality splash pad was approved by Council as part-subject to securing external funding of $250,000 towards the total cost of $500,000.

2.12 In 2019, Officers reviewed the overall development programme and project planning. It was determined it would be beneficial to align and combine the playground renewal planned for 2027/28 with the new developments planned. The advantages were:

· More ability to deliver on accessibility improvements by undertaking all site works at once;

· An economy of scale to carrying out all earthworks at once;

· A reduction in disruption to the park users with one larger worksite and some works carried out in parallel vs the alternative of staging;

· Some future renewals, such as the deteriorating playground safety surface, would be achieved more efficiently;

· Greater impact for the community, with many of the benefits of the upgrades and renewals combined.

2.13 An amendment was made to the 2020/21 Annual Plan to bring forward budgets, from 2027/28 to 2020/21. The overall funding provision in the Ten-Year Plan 2018-28 was not altered, just the timing.

3. Project Management

3.1 A series of projects associated with the implementation of the Memorial Park Development Plan over the 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22 financial years were managed by the Parks and Logistics Division of Council. The projects included:

· A new and fully accessible splash pad, including an underground tank, water reticulation system and pump house;

· A new and fully accessible playground which meets all playground and accessibility audit standards;

· A new and accessible family and BBQ area;

· A new caretaker’s shed;

· Conversion of the old caretaker’s shed into a skate rental shed for the Memorial Park Sports Trust;

· New concrete around the new caretaker’s shed, the skate rental shed and the paddling pool;

· New pool fencing;

· A new War Memorial entrance that houses the restored original 1954 flagpole that was dedicated by Major General Kippenberger.

3.2 There were several aspects to the management of this programme of works that made it particularly challenging to manage, including:

· The impacts of Covid-19 in the early construction and fund-raising stage for the splashpad and playground;

· Contractor and materials availability;

· Timelines for completion to have the playground and existing paddling pool available for summer.

3.3 Covid-19 produced significant uncertainties – particularly regarding the availability of specialised equipment for the splash pad and play equipment - which was sourced from overseas.

3.3.1 When the Covid-19 pandemic began to escalate across the world, $15,000 of the targeted $250,000 of external funding had been secured.

3.3.2 In the early stages of the pandemic, securing specialist equipment from overseas was identified as an emerging risk, due to disruptions to supply chains and price escalations as a result of the pandemic. The mitigation actions and associated risks were assessed. The decision was made to immediately place on order for the equipment, with very high confidence at that time that funding would be secured in a timely manner.

3.3.3 Once the equipment was purchased and in New Zealand the pandemic was well underway and the funders changed focus to help respond to issues arising from the pandemic. This pushed the splash pad play equipment out of the short-term timeframe to receive funding, and reduced confidence the external funding needed to complete the project would be secured in a timely manner.

3.3.4 The splash pad project was put on hold until the external funds had been secured.

3.3.5 The programme of works was revised to focus on making the playground and existing paddling pool available for use by the community as soon as possible. This posed additional risks and programming complexity, including additional work site fencing and separation of the civil works previously coordinated between the playground and splashpad projects. The playground opened on 2 July 2021.

3.3.6 With the splash pad on hold, the contractors moved off site to meet their commitments to other work. When full funding for the splash pad was finally secured, Council was only able to secure the contractors intermittently on the project, due to their other commitments. The project delivery timeline required further revision.

3.3.7 The splashpad project was ultimately delayed by 7-8 months, and eventually opened on 12 December 2021.

4. Project Outcomes

4.1 The project outcomes sought, as articulated in pages 17 to 25 of the Development Plan, are:

· Play equipment – use and repurpose as much of the existing playground equipment as possible;

· Splash pads and water play – expand and develop water play at the park;

· Entrance and feature wall – create a new ‘memorial’ arrival area with a curved retaining wall that is welcoming;

· Work with the existing themed buildings and rejuvenate with colour and local history;

· Poppies play space – the new water play area and playground should have the poppy theme and war memorial remembrance built into the design;

· Paddling pool surrounds and fence – create a subtle, black accessible fence and concrete the paved area;

· Picnic and BBQ – develop a new family area and BBQ area – that is larger with more BBQ – and under trees.

4.2 The two projects achieved the following outcomes:

· An estimated 300-400% increase in user numbers;

· Extremely positive community feedback – as viewed through social media – a sample of comments is provided in Attachment Two;

· One of New Zealand’s best outdoor free water play features, including New Zealand’s largest splash pad;

· A doubling of the area of water-play space at the park;

· Subtle and appropriate recognition of the park as a war memorial using built-in design features and murals;

· A fully accessible and poppy-themed playground, family area and splash pad. It is noteworthy that there have been enquiries from other councils and schools about the playground design and its accessibility aspects;

· High re-use - All swings, shade sails and climbers were repainted and reused. Only the wooden playground was in too poor of a condition to be re-used;

· A nearly complete restoration of the park, buildings and surrounds – including new curved entrance, new caretaker’s shed, upgraded skate rental shed, new pool fence, new hard-stand concrete surfaces and new safety surfaces.

4.3 The park is being managed by Council staff in partnership with CLM and is continuing to be popular. CLM is training Council staff in the operation of the splash pad as well as providing pool side supervision during busy periods.

4.4 There remains a small drainage issue at the splash pad. The levels are out by up to 20mm in places, causing water to pond on the path leading to the playground. The discrepancy in the levels would have almost certainly not occurred if the hard surfaces for both splash pad and playground were able to be completed at the same time as had originally been planned. Rectification of this issue will be a relatively small cost that can be accommodated within existing budgets.

5. Financial

5.1 Over the past three financial years, approximately 85% of the Memorial Park Development Plan implementation has occurred.

5.2 The total cost to date is $2,116,307 against a budget of $2,100,000, of which $250,000 was raised externally.

5.3 Costs by year were:

· 2019/20 $749,899

· 2020/21 $923,523

· 2021/22 $442,885

5.4 The components of the overall project were:

· Splashpad

Budget $500,000 of which $250,000 was raised externally

Spend $580,000^{^[1]}

· Playground

Budget $600,000

Spend $620,000

· Earthworks, landscaping and amenities

Budget $1,000,000

Spend $916,307^{^[2]}

6. Lessons learned

6.1 A project lessons learned debrief has been conducted with an independent facilitator.

6.2 The key project management lessons learned were:

· Having a Development Plan produced on sound and comprehensive community engagement was key to ensuring final built facilities were aligned with community values and aspirations. The project scope was well defined.

· The passion and creativity of the Project Team, in both design and project management stages, was a key factor in producing the quality final product.

· The unforeseen and rapidly developing risks Covid-19 presented were managed well. Excellent adaptation while the project was in-flight was evident.

· There could have been better communication with Elected Members on actions and delivery timelines as the project evolved.

· These projects would have benefited with more detailed construction plans and project management documentation, including procurement plans (the Project Management Office has developed training and mentoring).

· A critical assessment of contractor capacity to manage multiple projects at once when constructing a large and complex job like Memorial Park might have helped make some improvements to timeframes.

· The aspirations for the park expressed in the Development Plan were met.

7. NEXT STEPS

7.1 The lessons learned from this project have been captured by the Project Management Office and will be used in planning of other Council projects.

7.2 Planning for the next projects in the development of Memorial Park is well underway. Projects in 2022/23 include:

· Removal of the old caretaker’s shed;

· Installation of a new toilet/change room to replace the existing change room;

· Design and installation of the Heroes Walk Memorial.

· Installation of the sensory garden;

· Continue replacement of the closed board wooden road boundary fence with pool style fencing (renewals).

8. Compliance and administration

Does the Committee have delegated authority to decide?		Yes
Are the decisions significant?		No
If they are significant do they affect land or a body of water?		No
Can this decision only be made through a 10 Year Plan?		No
Does this decision require consultation through the Special Consultative procedure?		No
Is there funding in the current Annual Plan for these actions?		Yes
Are the recommendations inconsistent with any of Council’s policies or plans?		No
The recommendations contribute to Goal 2: A Creative and Exciting City
The recommendations contribute to the achievement of action/actions in Active Communities The action is: The recommendations contribute to the outcomes of the Creative and Liveable Strategy Create a city that has great places for all people, particularly families Have the most active community in New Zealand Implement projects from approved Master Plans, Reserve Management Plans and Development Plans
Contribution to strategic direction and to social, economic, environmental and cultural well-being	The implementation of the Memorial Park Development Plan enhances recreation opportunities and activities available in the City. The park is a popular gathering place for families and groups and adds to the vibrancy and pride in Palmerston North.

Attachments

1.	Memorial Park Development Plan 2017 ⇩
2.	Sample of Social Media comments - Memorial Park upgrade ⇩

[1] $80,000 of concrete pad was not originally budgeted for.

[2] Full park concrete upgrade, new caretaker’s shed, upgrade skate shed, electricity upgrade to park, water upgrade to park, earthworks for splash pad and playground, retaining walls, pump house, pool fencing, new entrance, family area upgrade and handrails.

Vaughan Dennison (Chairperson)
Susan Baty (Deputy Chairperson)
Grant Smith (The Mayor)
Brent Barrett	Karen Naylor
Rachel Bowen	Bruno Petrenas
Zulfiqar Butt	Aleisha Rutherford
Lew Findlay QSM	Orphée Mickalad
Billy Meehan

COMMITTEE WORK SCHEDULE – AUGUST 2022
Item No.	Estimated Report Date	Subject	Officer Responsible	Current Position	Date of Instruction/ Clause number
1.	~~August 2022~~	~~Memorial Park – Final Implementation Report~~	~~Chief Infrastructure Officer~~		~~Play, Recreation & Sport~~ ~~24 February 2021~~ ~~Clause 8-21~~
2.	~~August 2022~~	~~Streets for People Update (six monthly)~~	~~Chief Infrastructure Officer~~
3.	~~August 2022~~	~~Road Maintenance Contract (six-monthly report on work programme and performance)~~	~~Chief Infrastructure Officer~~		~~16 March 2022~~ ~~Clause 4-22~~
4.	August 2022	Asset Management Improvement Plan update	Chief Infrastructure Officer	To be included in ‘Asset Management Review’ report going to Finance & Audit Committee on 24 August 2022	16 March 2022 Clause 5-22
5.	August 2022	Ferguson/Pitt Street Intersection Upgrade - additional safety management options and timings	Chief Infrastructure Officer	Included in reports to Council on 3 August 2022	Council 2 March 2022 Clause 4.3-22
6.	March 2023	Update on infill lighting required to achieve compliance in P and V categories (update for Programme 1367)	Chief Infrastructure Officer		16 March 2022 Clause 3-22
7.	2023	Feasibility of siting a Chinese Garden within the Victoria Esplanade	Chief Infrastructure Officer		Committee of Council 9 June 2021 Clause 28.29-21