The South Brighton Newsletter Issue 1 - 07 - 2012

IntroductionWelcome to the first edition of the South Brightside, a newsletter for the South Brighton community. We are hoping that this will provide a medium for the South Brighton community to have a voice.

We have all been through a tough time these past two years. Although some of us are getting back on our feet and reclaiming our lives, there are many people in the community still uncertain of the future. It is in all our interests to work together towards a brighter future. Hopefully we can find a way to stand back from some of our immediate concerns and look at the bigger picture.

The photograph on page 3 shows South Brighton from the air 1964. A 33x48cm high resolution print of this fascinating photograph will be awarded to anyone who contributes to our next newsletter. Please submit useful information, earthquake stories, poetry or short stories to southbrightonRA@gmail.com. If you are interested in the poster include your postal address. We will be publishing some more photo archives in future newsletters that tell the story of this area.

In the next issue of the South Brightside, we will have a date for a community Spring clean day. The Garbage-monster has been seen by the river and on the beach, and we don’t want it growing any bigger...

We also express our gratitude to CCC for printing the South Brightside Newsletter. We have worked hard to obtain the information published in this newsletter, but it is only accurate to the best of our knowledge. Apologies for any inaccuracies.

Graffiti / TaggingTackling graffiti is a challenge in any suburb in Christchurch but the owner of The Bridge Street Bakehouse, Craig Minehan has experienced some success in the last twelve months. The wall beside the cafe had become a target for mindless graffiti and was a local eyesore. The painters of the mural that currently occupies the wall approached Craig about a year ago. They were local people prepared to paint the wall at their own cost to contribute to the community. Initially the painting dissuaded local taggers but recently Craig

Bridge Street Café

finds himself painting out tags each week. His advice to anyone suffering from graffiti or tagging is to get some identical covering paint and immediately cover it. Failing that, get a large dog! The most effective strategies to reduce the level of graffiti in cities around the world have centred on immediate and persistent removal.

“Off the Wall”If you feel strongly about the graffiti in this area and want to do something about it yourself, Christchurch Council has a volunteer programme called “Off the Wall” that will provide you with free brushes and paint. Phone 03 9418999 or email GraffitiOffice@ccc.govt.nz.

What should I do if I see graffiti/taggingThe Christchurch City council subcontract graffiti and tagging removal to Transpacific Industrial Solutions. They claim to remove offensive graffiti within four hours of notification to the council and will negotiate a suitable timeframe for tagging or non offensive graffiti. To report tagging or graffiti you can call the Council Action line on (03) 941 8666 or 0800 VANDAL. Anyone can report graffiti or tagging, you do not have to be the property owner.Sources; http://www.ccc.govt.nz/homeliving/makeaqueryorreportaproblem/graffititagging/index.aspxhttp://www.justice.govt.nz/policy/crime-prevention/documents/vandalism/STOP-Graffiti-Guide-LR.pdf

Beatty Street Hall. The future of the red-stickered South New Brighton hall in Beatty Street remains uncertain. Meanwhile the school holds assemblies outdoors (when weather permits).

The Garbage Monster

Photographed are four of the remaining club members.

Croquet club closingThe South Brighton Croquet Club was established in the Blighs Garden Reserve in 1926, 86 years ago. After the February earthquake the lawn became too uneven to play on but the indoor course was still used. Many of us may have seen the Croquet Club on election days when it is used as a polling booth. The remaining members have decided to call it a day and in September this year the club will close. The many cups, shields and photographs have been given to the New Brighton Museum.

“This facility could be used to the greater goods of the community” Any ideas? - contact us at SouthBrightonRA@gmail.com

Roadworks and Infrastructure New Underground Pump StationAlthough the crane that was visible from the beach and the far side of the estuary has now been removed, work continues on a first of its kind underground pump station at the Estuary Road end of Kibblewhite street. The size of a small car, it will be 5 metres underground. This new design is more likely to keep the wastewater system working in any further significant earthquakes. When the work is finished very little will be evident above ground, and this new design may be used for other areas of Christchurch. For further information visit http://strongerchristchurch.govt.nz/article/unobtrusive-pump-station-for-south-new-brighton

Ongoing RoadworksFalcon / Blake Street / Estuary Road north / Kibblewhite Street: Wastewater repairs. Expected to be completed by November 2012. Bridge Street: Wastewater repairs due to finish mid August, with traffic lights until then. The gravity wastewater has been completed, but work will continue on the wastewater pipe closer to (and under) the roundabout. Traffic management options are still being discussed. Bridge Street roundabout: crossing islands in the four roads leading to the roundabout will be replaced at some time in the future. when all the work has been finished. No time frame at present. Pine Ave: installing pressure pipes on the side of road.

Estuary Road outside South New Brighton School has been closed or one way since September 2010. July 18th saw a return to two way traffic. Work is still required on the stormwater drains and to replace the pedestrian crossing markings.

Call Fulton Hogan on 0800 3434 to:• ask for further information (Norma and Sandra are very helpful);• complain if contractors are starting work before 7am;• complain if you have noticed contractors’ trucks speeding.

From your Community Board – Burwood Pegasus.The February earthquake and subsequent aftershocks caused liquefaction damage and lateral spreading to the land supporting the bridge. This put a huge amount of pressure on the bridge abutments causing both ends to rotate and the bridge to skew. The land has settled on each of the approaches, especially the eastern end and this settlement caused the approaches to crack significantly.

Repairs are expected to start this spring and likely to take 10 – 12 months to complete: This means this bridge will be completely out of action from September 2012 to September 2013 latest.

New Brighton Bridge (Pages Road) is expected to be the recommended detour. The SCIRT team will provide a traffic management plan. The need to work with the community through your Residents’ Association is vital.

In the near future every household will receive the “Stronger Christchurch” Rebuild Plan for the bridge in their letterbox. Kia Kaha, Linda Stewart, Chairperson

Geotech Drilling on TC3 now completedTonkin & Taylor Ltd are carrying out geotech drilling around South Brighton on TC3 land to help identify the correct foundation solutions for properties. Not every section requires testing and results from one test may be used for neighbouring properties. There are two types: Cone Penetration Test (CPT)This is the least intrusive. A series of rods push a sensor (the cone) up to 20 meters below ground. CPT equipment is carried on trucks, trailers, and even in wheelbarrows to access almost any area. Engineers can use the data to calculate the strength of the ground, and therefore its propensity for liquefaction. Machine drilled boreholeThis involves drilling a hole up to 20 meters deep and 100 mm

• would like to have PDFs of newsletters emailed to you;

• have any comments about this newsletter or have ideas for

future issues;

• can contribute to the newsletter (see above for prizes!);

• can help with future newsletter information gathering, writing

or editing;

• are able to volunteer for small tasks such as delivering future

newsletters (even offering to deliver the newsletter to one

small street is an enormous help);

• would like to be involved in future events such as a planned

spring clean up;

• are able to be involved in the Residents’ Association (monthly

meetings);

• have ideas regarding local issues you would like us to work on;

• would like to contribute an Idea to the Ideas Box.

Who we are, and how you can helpWe are a small group of South Brighton residents who are

involved in the re-establishment of the South Brighton Residents Association, instigated by Linda Stewart, of

the Burwood Pegasus Community Board. We have spent many hours over the last three weeks putting together this

newsletter as we all strongly believed that it was a priority to provide information to local residents.

We plan to publish regular newsletters and also to work for the improvement of the South Brighton area and community, and

to rekindle the community spirit in our area.

Please email us at

SouthBrightonRA@gmail.com if you:

across. Samples of soil are taken and sent away for analysis. It can take from 6 to 48 hours to complete. EQC published a Drilling Plan in June this year, stating that “Approximately 6 - 8 weeks will pass before usable data is made available”. Sources;http://canterbury.eqc.govt.nz/news/where-we-are-working/2012/07/tc3-drilling-planhttp://cera.govt.nz/land-information/land-damage#overviewhttp://canterbury.eqc.govt.nz/news/where-we-are-working/2012/06/tc3-

drilling-plan#testing-process

EQC Land reportsEQC stated that our Land Reports would be posted in June. When queried EQC is not willing to provide a timeframe for these reports. This may happen in August.The information packs are designed to provide EQC’s customers some insight into the assessment of their damage. They contain:- An aerial photo of the site, with land damage indicated on it- Any photos taken on-site- Information showing land damage in the surrounding area- An EQC guide to the land claims process The packs do not include:- The cost to repair land damage- A repair strategy- Information on changes to the elevation of land- Any details of damage sustained since December 2011

Resources: http://www.eqc.govt.nz/

Repairs to housesThere are a few houses in this area we can see are being repaired by the safe site signs they have on the street. We expect more houses to be repaired over the coming months (in TC2 areas). Look at the link for more information http://canterbury.eqc.govt.nz/news/reports

Planting Day We had a great community effort planting Italian stone pine trees and natives on the 10th of June in the domain by Ebbtide Street. There was a very positive air about the whole operation: doing something constructive for the area, and maybe more importantly than that, just talking to people in the same situation and hearing how they are dealing with the challenges we all are facing. Volunteers quickly planted everything that was available then stayed for a BBQ, also provided by the CCC Rangers.

There will be many more plantings so let’s pull together and make the most of these opportunities. Although the loss of the big trees is distressing to many, it does mean we will be able to use the area again safely.

Birdlife in the WetlandsOver the last few months some very special visitors have been spotted in the Bexley wetlands. A beautiful kotuku (white heron) was seen regularly for several weeks around the wetlands, easy to spot by its size. During July birdwatchers have been very excited to see up to eight matuku (Australaslian bitterns) around the Naughty Boys Island area, the first time these birds have been seen here for_ many decades. Bitterns are known for being hard to spot, with

colouring that matches the wetland browns. When they feel they are in danger they ‘freeze’ - stand straight with their bill to the sky.

Due to changed estuary levels birds have changed their feeding patterns. One way this has been evident has been that the majestic royal spoonbills are now regularly spotted north of Bridge Street in the Bexley Wetlands.

BusesThere has been a noticeable reduction in the frequency of the number 5 bus service to Southshore since February 2011. There are no plans to change this in the immediate future. It is anticipated by ECan that major changes are unlikely to be made until 2014 / 2015.

ECan accept that there is a great deal of confusion over which buses continue to Southshore and which ones finish in New Brighton. They also accept that the reliability of the buses has been poor over the last few months, and there is a possibility that

South Brighton 1964 shortly after the pines were planted. Parts of South Brighton are now sunnier than they have been for 60 years. © VC Brown & Son

What this boils down toFrom CanCern TC3 meeting with Roger Sutton“Residents need to have their concerns represented when communications are being planned. In the example of the flood zones, information about the status of your land is not enough. The implications for ongoing insurance, mort-gages, homeowner liability, etc need to be explained.”

Kotuku / White heron

Bitterns

tweaks can be made to the timetable to help passengers who need to transfer between services.

A South Brighton resident recently had a letter published in The Press suggesting that Christchurch introduces the Italian model of using smaller buses for suburban routes, such as that between New Brighton and Southshore.

If you are aware that buses are speeding on the streets or have suggestions about local services phone ECan on 353-9007.

South Brighton SaltmarshesWith the removal of the pine trees, many parts of South Brighton are now sunnier than they have been for 60 years. However the estuary fauna has suffered in the earthquakes as water levels have changed and some of the saltmarshes are dying off. Considering that only 10% of New Zealand saltmarsh still remains underlines the importance of renewing these plants to maintain the birdlife. Historically the plants in this area included flax, rushes, tussock grass, fern, raupo and manuka. We hope for an update in the next issue. In the meantime the South New Brighton reserves management plan is under review, and following that plans for the area will be circulated.

South Brighton Walkways and DomainThe playground in South Brighton domain has lost both its flying fox (due to an arson attack) and roundabout over the last few months. The good news is that the flying fox itself has been stored safely, and a new platform should be coming soon. Likewise the roundabout will be replaced over the next few weeks. It is planned that other playground equipment will be updated over the next few months.

The walkway along the estuary between Ebbtide Street and Bridge Street has had temporary earthquake repairs, and the council is currently working on more permanent repairs to walkways across the city. The walkway between Bridge Street and Admirals Way had some repairs made to it several months ago, but was never finished with fine shingle. Conversations suggest there has been some confusion over this last part of the work, and it is hoped that now it will be finished off. This will be updated in future newsletters.

Idea BoxAs a part of the redevelopment, we the residents have a great opportunity to establish a community owned enterprise to enhance South Brighton.

My vision is a small non-profit spa, set in the beautiful surroundings of our domain. Comprised of a lightweight timber structure on piles (as per photo).

Renewable energy derived from solar cells in the summer months and methane from the waste water plant in winter could be used.

A democratic management structure would steer and administer the facility. Surplus revenue would be used to improve the facility, the domains, reserves, birdlife and help fund other community initiatives in South Brighton.

What are your thoughts? Do you have constructive ideas?

Any such community asset requires community input, please email your feedback to SouthBrightonRA@gmail.com subject “Brightside spa”.With community involvement, we can make ideas like this a reality. Hugo Kristinsson

Local BusinessesIn each issue we will highlight a local business. In this first issue Ian Leighton, who runs the pharmacy on Estuary Road, has contributed the following:

Reflecting on my more than 20 years as community pharmacist at South Brighton Pharmacy I can say in the immortal words of Fred Dagg “we don’t know how lucky we are”. Geographically surrounded by water on two sides and with no exit to the south, South Brighton lends itself to being a small town within a city. This gives the area many fantastic community attributes similar to the small town I grew up in.This shows in the friendly down-to-earth relationship I have with many of my customers including sharing fishing, hunting and gardening stories over the years. This bond is one of the main reasons I enjoy working in South Brighton. As a local business owner I feel privileged to serve the South Brighton Community and would like to take this opportunity to say thanks for your continued loyalty and support.

Information and Assistance SourcesEarthquake Support Coordinators are available to assist people to navigate their way through the wide range of services involved in rebuilding people’s homes and lives. The coordinators work with you to access as little or as much help as you need.They can meet with you anywhere you choose - your home, place of work, or other location. They can provide information, identify services to assist with earthquake-related housing, finance, legal, insurance and health matters, organise meetings between you and the experts. The assistance is free and confidential. Call 0800 777 846

InsuranceWatch.org.nz is the work of a team of volunteers helping quake-affected Christchurch property owners. From personal experience and local surveys, this residents-based group knows that there are significant differences in the progress experienced by customers of different insurance companies. Their aim is to improve insurance response to earthquake affected customers. Visit their website for up to date information on insurance issues, and comparisons of insurance companies. They are presently asking as many people as possible to fill in their online survey so they can act on insurance issues.

LinksRed Cross grants (see for details of Christchurch Earthquake grants including winter heating grant (more broadly available than previously), disability support grant and storage / relocation grant). 0800 754 726 or http://www.redcross.org.nz (look at Grants tab towards top of page).

Cancern: http://www.cancern.org.nz. (good source of information)Rebuild Christchurch http://www.rebuildchristchurch.co.nz/

Local linksNew Brighton Project - working for the New Brighton community. http://www.newbrightonproject.org.nz/New Brighton Community Gardens: 3886506 or http://www.nbgardens.org.nz/ Southshore Residents’ Association: A very informative website, full of local information. http://ssra.org.nz/