Cable delays hold up Turoa job

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 8, Issue 384, 30 April 1991, Page 3

Cable delays hold up Turoa job

Just 250 metres of cable remains to be laid to complete the reticulation of the Turoa Ski Field by the King Country Electric Power Board. Late supply by the manufacturer of the cable may frustrate the board's efforts to complete the project by the target date on 10 May, the Board heard last Friday, but contingency plans exist to overcome the cable shortage should it be necessary to allow full supply to be made by the end of May. Earlier, a drum of cable was destroyed when it was jettisoned by a helicopter crew after the wooden drum disintegrated while being transported. Chief engineer Colin Marting told the board the last of the cable wasn't expected out of the South Island factory until 3 May and would take a couple of days to install. General manager Peter Till said the electric motors for the ski lifts were not expected before 10 May so there was no need to worry yet. Asthma awareness Dr Neil McKenzie, community paediatrician and Mabs Minifie, president of the Wanganui Asthma Society, were in attendance to talk to people about asthma and to answer questions at the special Asthma caravan set up in Raetihi and Ohakune last week. "We are very pleased with the response as we were busy all the time. We thought the weather may have put people off," said Dr McKenzie. "We have promotions in Wanganui and felt that the rural areas usually miss out, so this year we have come to Ohakune and Raetihi".

Chairman Ken Street said the delay was sad nonetheless because every other aspect of the project had been completed to the critical path drawn up by board staff. The board was told that contract cable jointers had performed at a rate that was astonishing on the Turoa job. "We had allowed for a joint to be completed every two days," said Mr Martin. "The cable join-

ters did four cable joints a day and their work couldn't be faulted." The new power supply is to be officially switched on at a Queen's Birthday Weekend function to which board members will be invited. Director Gordon Gower said he understood snowmaking was intended as part of the original agreement to supply Turoa, but he had now learnt this was not the case. Mr Till said

Turoa has some snowmaking equipment but this wasn't part of the original cost/benefit studies done to justify the Turoa project. Mr Martin said two transformers had been lifted into the Whakapapa Skifields last weekend for snowmaking purposes and he did not believe Turoa had any option but to follow suit if it wanted to compete.