No ‘budget blowout’ but pressure on Ashburton’s civic centre build
From local democracy reporter Jonathan Leask:
There is immense pressure on the budget for Ashburton’s new library and civic centre, but it remains within its $56.75 million limit, the town’s mayor says.
The claim of a budget blowout in a submission on the annual plan drew the attention of district councillors at the hearings last week, prompting mayor Neil Brown to refute the claim.
As a member of the project control group, Brown said there had been no mention of a budget blowout.
“We mentioned we have lost some time and there is certainly pressure on the budget, but there has been no budget blow out.”
The project’s completion has been pushed back from the end of this year into 2023.
What those delays will cost is still to be determined.
Council chief executive Hamish Riach said Covid restrictions and now supply chain issues are “impacting pressure on costs and the forecast completion date, which is now expected to be in the first half of 2023”.
“The project is still within budget, which includes the sum previously set for contingencies, though it is fair to say there are real financial pressures, and costs are being very closely monitored.
The project had an amended budget of $51.6m in the council’s 2018-28 long-term plan, but that was then increased to $56.75m to allow for contingency, due to the uncertainty around the impacts of Covid.
The budget includes $20m from the Government’s ‘shovel ready’ project funding.
Brown said that funding was not paid in a lump sum but was paid in instalments as milestones were reached in the construction.
The construction timeline is the project's overbearing issue due to industry’s widespread supply chain issues, with materials like timber and plasterboard in hot demand.
Riach said that was a major pressure on the project’s timeframe but “where possible, we are trying to minimise those issues by ordering well ahead of time”.
Several submissions called for cutbacks on the Library and Civic Centre, but Brown said consultation on the project was completed three years ago and construction was already halfway through.
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
-
62.1% Summer
-
36.4% Winter
-
1.5% Other - I'll share below
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Loading…
