Nelson Weekly
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Wednesday 28 September 2022
Lessons from Greenmeadows MAX FRETHEY
Local Democracy Reporter
An external review into the construction of Stoke’s Pūtangitangi Greenmeadows Centre has been received by Nelson City Council with many of the report’s recommendations already having been
pre-emptively adopted. Construction began on the community centre in November 2016 with a budget of $6.14 million that was later increased to $7.35 million. However, by the time the build was eventually completed in May 2019, two years late, the cost had
Natureland’s Bengu Fetzer, left, and Ruth Seabright with their new residents. Photo: Kate Russell.
ballooned to $8.04 million, overrunning the already extended budget by 9.4 per cent, or almost $700,000 – though council will be paid $340,000 on behalf of the principal parties to the construction project “(without admission of liability)” following discussions with council.
Additionally, the construction was plagued by significant building errors which included the incorrect installations of windows, cladding, and bracing. The problems were identified during auditing and rectified, with the review noting that the centre was “ultimately completed to a high
standard”. The report, which was received in a full Council meeting on Thursday, focussed solely on the council’s own procedures regarding vertical infrastructure projects which are significant builds that
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New kids on the block KATE RUSSELL Natureland has welcomed a cheeky trio of new residents, and they are very eager to meet the people of Nelson. Three Nigerian crossbreed dwarf goats arrived on 13 September and visitors will soon be able to get “up close and personal” with them. All girls, one is four-years-old and the other two are around a year old. “They settled in straight away,” says manager Ruth Seabright. “We sourced them from a breeder in the North Island specifically for their size and character.” Ruth says because the goats have been hand-raised, they are “very friendly”. “We wanted some animals that would be great for doing educational encounters with children and these guys just have such nice personalities and are so gentle. They are great teachers
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