NEW FIRE STATION

Evening Post, Volume CXV, Issue 71, 25 March 1933, Page 14

NEW FIRE STATION

t LOCATION QUESTION

CORPORATION SITE SUITABLE

EXPERT'S REPORT

The question of a new fire station for Wellington City has been agitating tie Fire Board, the City Council, and the general public for some years— almost, in fact, from the date on which the control of city fire brigades was handed over by the council to the board. It is generally agreed that the present building is not satisfactory from the viewpoint of modern requirements, and .the main issue is to find the most suitable site for a new station. The Kre Board has insisted throughout that the best site is the one at present occupied by the central station, but this site the City Council is not prepared to part with in view of possible civic requirements in the locality. The corporation, however, offered to I the board on. long tenure a site immediately adjoining, and occupied now by the shell of the building which formerly housed the tramway power station plant, the area being about the same as that of the central fire station site. The Fire Board was not prepared to take a. leasehold tenure, and has decided in favour of purchasing the freehold site owned by the Education Board, ana on. which stands the Clyde Quay School, the purchase price to be £25,00(5. CORPORATION SITE SUGGESTED. As the citizens have to find half the money; to purchase the fire station site, it is felt by the City Council, and by many citizens, that the new station should be built on one of the areas already owned by the city, and recently the council offered to the board a portion of the destructor block. This suggested site fronts the boat harbour on • one side and Oriental Parade on the other, and in the opinion of the City Council as a/ whole it is fully equal to the_ Clyde Quay site as regards central position, favourable aspect to the sun, and good locality. The corporation yard site can be purchased by the Fife Board from the City Council for £19,000, £6000 less than the purchase price for the Clyde Quay School site. , The suggestion was made by board members tha.t the corporation yard site was less suitable from an earthquake safety point of view than the Clyde Quay site, in that the latter site offers a rock foundation, while the corporation yard site does not,'a point which led councillors to remark, during recent discussion, at the council table, that the site originally wanted by the Fire Board (the present central station site) is open to precisely the objection now raised by the board against the corporation, block area. However, in order that the matter might be fully inquired into, the Mayor (Mr. T. C. A. Hislop) arranged that a report should be made by Mr. B. A. Campbell, consulting engineer, of ChristchuTch, on the question whether a, fire station could be erected on the corporation yard site with foundations in all respects suitable and satisfactory from an earthquake resistance point of view. COXSIDERED QUITE SUITABLE. Though details of Mr. Campbell's report are not obtainable, it is understood that the effect of his opinion is that the corporation yard site is in every way suitable as regards the •earthquake safety of a properly constructed building. Bores were sunk in the ground and a. careful examination was made of the sub-structure, establishing that the actual foundation. of the fire station would not be on reclaimed land, but would rest on. the original shingle of the old shore front, offering quite suitable building foundations. No donbt the cost of foundation work would be rather more than would be required at the Clyde Quay School site, but the Teport, it is believed, states that if that additional cost is incurred the stability of the building will be in every way as certain as it would, be on the Clyde Quay site. It is understood that this additional cost of foundation work would be met by the City Council, and even, allowing for this cost the total saving on the land purchase would be at least £4000. Mr. Campbell is a well-known engineer in Christehurch, and as a member of the Napier Beeonstruetion Advisory. Committee, he has a peculiar knowledge of earthquake resisting building requirements. He has also Jieen responsible for the design of some of the'largest buildings in K"ew Zealand, and was for some years Professor of Engineering at Canterbury College.

,3?he Fire Board, it is stated, has arranged for a report by Mr. P. Hoi gate, structural engineer, of Wellington, and the,opinion of these two highly qualified, experts .should be of great assistance in solving this long;debated question. ' .

There can be no doubt that it is in the Interests of the whole city /that the site should cost as little as is con-sistelft'-Tvith^the requirements of a soundly erected building, and that such a_ site shonld, if possible, be one already belonging to the city.' The Teport made by Mr., Campbell suggests that these requirements are fulfilled by the corporation yard site.

STORMS AHEAD?

The attitude of the City Council's representatives on the Fire Board has been the subject of some comment. These representatives are Councillors Forsyth, Mcadoweroft, and Semple. It seems.that they have received a definite, direction from the council that the policy should be for the board to purchase land belonging to the city, but at each meeting of tho board they have'voted against the council's direction. It has already been suggested that if the council's representatives on the. board decline to carry out the wishes of the majority of the council the representation should bo changed.