17 September 2012

Koutu Youth Space completion set back by wet weather

Rotorua District Council (RDC) has moved out the original completion date for the Koutu Youth Space in Karenga Park by two months due to wet weather delaying ground works.

RDC youth projects officer Jill Campbell said due to a very wet winter, and the usual Karenga Park drainage issues, the site would not be ready for compaction until around November or December 2012.

The compaction process involves compacting dirt fill on the site to raise soil levels which will ultimately help water drain off more effectively than at present.

“We had originally hoped that the youth space would be completed by the end of January 2013, however we’ve had to reschedule the project completion date to late March in the new year,” says Mrs Campbell.

“It would have been impossible to stay on track with the original timeline without incurring a higher contract price and, in all likelihood, we could have ended up with a substandard court surface if the compaction phase was rushed.”

Mrs Campbell added that although there will be a major improvement to the current condition of the park, there may still be an isolated area where water would continue to pool for a short time during heavy rain periods.

“While it’s not possible for the fields to ever reach top class condition we will certainly be able to improve their current poor state sufficiently for local play to take place. This is an exciting development on what had previously been a largely unusable wet space.”

The Koutu Youth Space in Karenga Park will include a netball court, basketball court, skateboarding and BMX features, seating, artwork, and retain the existing field and playground.

ENDS

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