POWER supplies at Te Kūiti’s airfield are going to have to be rejigged before any new hangars can be built.
WAITOMO district council is leasing out hangar space at the Te Kūiti aerodrome faster than they can be built, with two sites leased out and people paying rent on space that is unable to be built upon. The Lines Company will not agree to the construction of any new hangars until the overhead cables at the Te Kūiti aerodrome are realigned, the council heard last week. $186,000 COST Reorganising the airport power will cost $186,000 which has not been budgeted for. The need for the realignment of the airport power cables was unforeseen by council staff, because The Lines Company did not raise the issue during the consenting process for the most recently constructed hangar, the report to council stated. Development at the airport is now stalled. No new hangars can be approved or considered in the marked-out development area because of the existing power cable. Realigning the overhead power cables, will create additional space for fertiliser loading trucks well outside the influence of any electrical cables. The council has sought pricing from The Lines Company for the realignment of the existing power cable, Action Electrical for the connecting of the existing users to the newly installed power supply, complete with pillar boxes. McIndoe Group to drill new ducts under the recently upgraded accessway for the new consumer power cables. TWO OPTIONS And ECL Group for the relocation of the fuel tank power supply, control and monitoring equipment and fuel vent pipe. Councillors were presented with two options, either pay up – or do nothing. If they do nothing, construction of the hangars will be halted and there may be “potential reputational harm” to the council for reneging on agreements, infrastructure services manager Shyamal Ram said in his report. Approving the project would demonstrate the council’s willingness to invest in community facilities. There was a strategic assessment of the future of the aerodrome underway, which will outline future opportunities for the development of the aerodrome. Irrespective of the outcome of that analysis the power line realignment will be required to cope with current demand for hangar leases. APPROVED Councillors approved the expenditure without discussion the situation had happened. The Lines Company acting network manager Craig Hackett said TLC had been working closely with WDC in the past 13 months, and provided safety advice and technical expertise as part of a standard process. “Our team now have a full scope of work to complete the relocation of the lines. We’re working with WDC to finalise a schedule of works. “Once the relocation has been completed, WDC will be able to recommence work on the new hangers safely,” Craig said.
