Cobbles reign in 'Eat Streat' - news from The Mud

12 March 2014

Rotorua-based Cobblestone Charm Ltd has been awarded the contract in a $30,000 fix to the damaged wooden walkway in the city's 'Eat Streat' precinct.

Rotorua District Councillor Karen Hunt, who is charged with liaising with businesses in the inner city, says Cobblestone Charm has been awarded the contract and the cobblestones will be sourced locally. Cobblestone Charm operates in Rotorua and is owned by Jeremy and Catriona Barrett, listed as living in Te Puke.

The decision draws a line under a very important aspect to the delays around full completion of the development, which has been at the centre of discontent among businesses outside the Eat Streat precinct.

The announcement on the change from wood to cobblestones was made in a council statement yesterday (Tuesday 11 March).

Interviewed by The Mud, Karen Hunt said the work on replacing the wooden flooring with cobblestones was due to start on Thursday (13 March) and was expected to take 10 or 11 days to complete.

“It wasn’t what we hoped but it is very much a good solution to a difficult problem."

Issues always came out of left field in a large project. It was originally hoped to have a surface on which road bikes could run but now it would be one which would be suitable for mountain bikes.

The cobbles will not be of the terracotta colour of other cobbles throughout Rotorua, but will fit with the surrounding structure.

“I think once it’s in, people will actually forget that there were any problems with the wooden floor.”

Karen Hunt said the council now has a list of when all the remaining work will be finished on the project, with roofing and glazing being completed, walls going up at each end and in some of the internal spaces, and then canopies fitted.

The council statement quoted economic and regulatory services group manager Mark Rawson as saying the finished walkway surface would be attractive, safe, and able to bear the weight of a fully loaded fire tender or ambulance if needed in an emergency.

The finished walkway would be attractive, safe and able to bear the weight of a fully loaded fire tender or ambulance if needed in an emergency.

This item first appeared in The Mud at

http://www.themud.co.nz/#!cobbles-in-eat-streat/co0z

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