Twenty-five years ago Kevin Costner starred in this post-apocalyptic
extravanganza
where the Polar Icecaps had melted leaving nothing but seascape. The budget was blown out of the water and it bombed at the box office.
where the Polar Icecaps had melted leaving nothing but seascape. The budget was blown out of the water and it bombed at the box office.
Now it would appear that York’s past engineering guru, Bret Howson, has starred in his own mini under- water bombshell in Avon Terrace and blown another large hole in ratepayers pockets turning his pipe dream into everyone else’s nightmare.
In fact it is allegedly a $250,000 nightmare meant to stop storm water
from flooding the gardens of the 3 new stilt homes, built way up high to keep
the floorboards dry- because the area is subject to flooding.
As the photographs below show, this project has been spectacularly
unsuccessful leaving the property developer, like the AMI insurance advert
says- up ‘Ship (or if you prefer Shit) Creek’.
And as many ratepayers struggle to keep their heads above water, the Shire has blithely splashed out municipal funds on a submarine pen when they do not have one.
Prior to purchasing and developing the land, the developer knew the area was in a natural watercourse and prone to flooding, hence the requirement to build on stilts.
And as many ratepayers struggle to keep their heads above water, the Shire has blithely splashed out municipal funds on a submarine pen when they do not have one.
Prior to purchasing and developing the land, the developer knew the area was in a natural watercourse and prone to flooding, hence the requirement to build on stilts.
With hindsight the developer should have realized that he was dealing with the Shire of York Executive Management where 250,000 things could go horribly wrong.
As a self-proclaimed visionary Mr. Howson’s personal business mantra is to ‘have a simple but positive vision, respecting and understand every task we do-providing services from project inception to construction and celebration’.
This is an intuitive, imaginative, insightful and mind-soothing slogan where the celebrants can celebrate up to their necks in dirty brown floodwater.
While shifting the garden deckchairs on the ‘Titanic’ the Shire’s latest, part time consultant engineer, has been busily getting quotes to lay pipes under the road directing stormwater to the river, which is, allegedly exactly what should have happened in the first place.
According to the law, the owner or occupier of an up-slope property is not liable for flooding problems merely because surface water flows naturally from their land on to lower land.
Putting it succinctly- when surface water is a natural watercourse upon the land from which it flows, as distinct from water artificially brought or concentrated there (such as a dam) and allowed to escape, the owner is not liable merely because surface water flows naturally from his land on to lower land.
Taking into account this Avon Terrace U-Boat pen is a natural watercourse, why were ratepayer’s forced to fund this project in the first place and why did the project sink to the bottom of the harbour?
It is a quarter-of-a-million dollar question that only the Chief Executive Officer, Paul Martin, should have to answer.
David Taylor
David, I think you may have been a little conservative with your guesstimation of the costs involved in this debacle. The buried concrete pipes alone cost $250,000.00, the cost to bury those pies was in excess of $150,000.00, so all up the cost is in the region of $400,000.00.
ReplyDeleteIt is truly mindboggling how local government is allowed to flagrantly waste public money on ill-conceived public works, apparently with no accountability whatsoever.
Check Bret Howson's website he is an amazing man.
ReplyDeleteSo many wonderful projects, such a professional outfit.
The only thing missing is an actual engineering qualification and the public liability insurance needed to design an extravaganza such as the U Boat pen.
If you ask the Shire Council they will tell you he doesn't need any qualifications to design our roads and drainage, apparantly someone at WALGA said so.
Just shows how utterly stupid our Council is.
I was of the understanding the water was to be piped away. AWAY allowing the water to run it's course ending the flooding.
ReplyDeleteThat was the plan until howson management got their grotty hands on it. They designed the original plan and then redesigned to suit a budget, only to blow the budget out to beyond the costing of the original plan.
DeleteYes you are correct, that was the original concept until Paul Martin decided to engage his good mate Howson to carry out the works.
DeleteWith a little bullshit and xxxx licking Martin succumbed to his charm and agreed to spend a fortune burying some old pipes to store the water on site. Utter stupidity and an environmental disaster. River street is now a lake breeding mosquitoes next to the daycare Center and the u boat pen is worse than it was before they spent the money we didn't have on a moronic pipe dream.
Paul Martin was warned by locals it couldn't work but he chose to back his buddy all the way to the bank. Last count Bret Howson had creamed 200 thousand dollars in engineering fees from this community, not a bad effort for a bloke that didnt finish high school and has no engineering qualification what so ever.
Its who you know not what you know in local government.
Our council are next to useless, believing every word uttered by Paul Martin and handing over the money without any regard for the concerns of the locals.
They are all culpable of gross negligence and will ultimately be held to account.
Uboatiquitous fuck-ups over and over.
ReplyDeleteWas the pond always as big as that I don't travel spencer brook road often but I don't remember it being that big.
ReplyDeleteQuadrupled.
DeleteIn the real world if a company deigns a drainage system that fails they are held to account and forced to pay for the remedial works needed to correct the failures.
ReplyDeleteIn this case HOWSON Management was paid to design and manage this project so they should be required to rectify the problems at their cost.
Perhaps the new EMIDS can shed some light on the matter, he is a qualified engineer and has a duty of care to this community. He should take up the batten and lead this community out of the darkness. Truth and justice are what is required not cover ups and lies as we have witnessed to date.
Perhaps he will be a great assett to this community, or perhaps he will be another WALGA stooge, time will tell.
Mosquito heaven, it will be idyllic for the new homeowners to be eaten alive while sitting on the elevated verandas of their Lao houses.
ReplyDeleteThe Shire has started pumping water out of the River St swamp onto Avon Tce.
ReplyDeleteMore costs to rub salt into the wounds.
I feel sorry for Andrew Crotty the Shires Assett Manager, he is nobodys fool and would have known the Howson Management plan to build dams and bury pipes was a totally stupid idea. Sadly he does not have the confidence of the CEO who has eyes only for Howson Management. Why employ a competent qualified individual then engage a con man cum consultant to do his job. Maybee this is why the EMIDS and the Works Manager and the Foreman all left, too much interference from the anointed parasite Bret Howson.
ReplyDeleteNow the new EMIDS will be given the job of covering up the trail of crime and corruption, well he will be flat out doing that and will have little time to actually sort out the mess and review all the draft plans prepared by his predecessors.
Lets hope he talks to the community before he believes the shit that the CEO Paul Martin is going to dish up. Ths CEO wouldn't have a clue what day it was let alone understand how to manage his staff or this communities needs.
You raise a good point.
DeletePaul Martin was given all the support he needed, an EMIDS, an Assett Manager, a Works Manager and a Foreman. That is more staff than any CEO has ever had in the history of this town.
Why on earth did he engage Bret Howson, what could he possibly be doing other than the work of the employees the Shire had on the books.
If they couldn't do the job in the first place why were they given jobs.
Its a rort pure and simple and we are going to pay the price via rate increases.
Wake up Council this CEO must be shown the door before he sinks this community further into debt with his stupidity.
Oh dear! How on earth are they going to deal with this one!
ReplyDeleteSimple Liz, we sue Howson Management for damages and then engage a real engineer to sort out the mess.
DeleteWell Liz C, at least Mark Duperouzel gets the water-skiing lake he always pined for.
ReplyDeleteAnd Mark Duperouzal may just get the huge rubbish tip he so desperately wanted
DeleteDisgusting, this is peoples homes and public safety we're talking about.
DeleteIf they had of left it alone it would have been fine. The ditches have always been there and well used when we were kids as an awesome bike track. The water always layed there but drained away a lot faster that what it does now. That land could have been utilised a lot better than what they have done with it and it would not have affected where the new properties have been built.
ReplyDeleteDevelopment over the years such as more paved surfaces and rooftops makes for more surface runoff. Infrastructure must be put in place to catch up with development, its all part and parcel. In this case the intention was correct, the design and management was flawed.
DeleteAgreed, infrastructure must be put in place to catch up with development.
DeleteBut it must be done in accordance with a risk based prioritization of the funding allocation.
In simple terms the maximum benefit for the maximum number of individuals with a high value placed on reducing threat to life as oposed to threat to property.
Spending 250 grand on saving three buildings from flooding is unjustifiable when our roads are falling apart due to gross neglect with the ultimate cost measured in lives lost.
The RAC commercials on tele are distressing for those of us that have witnessed the past two decades of decline in our infrastructure.
Duty of Care
Wake up Council
Agreed Roads can be dangerous especially whilst travelling at high speed or whilst driving fatigued etc. but have a look at what mould can do to a human immune system even whilst you sleep, let alone Ross River Virus etc. or a child stepping into a sinkhole or being infected with dangerous bacteria, parasite etc.
DeletePage 2 of this weekend's west australian is sobering.
DeleteThe road fatality rate in the wheatbelt shires is 11 times that of the metro area.
When the roadside drains are full winter after winter the roads buckle and water ponds on the roads. People die as a direct result.
In 2016 the Shire was told by an acknowledged road expert it needs to spend over 4 million a year to maintain our roads in a safe condition.
Check the budgets since then, our CEO and Council have taken the advice of a con man and ignored the legitimate advice presented in a formally accepted document, see Talis Report May OCM 2016.
Who is culpable ?
How many engineers does it take to change a light bulb?
ReplyDeleteIs that reference to the gaping holes and titanic swimming pools. Have they considered using local contractors for advice on what they do every day? Could save a packet and gain some respect
ReplyDeleteThey don't even take or ask advice of their own staff everyone working at the depot accept the clueless cordinator knew it was doomed to failure anyone want to see a real hanson fail go check out the rv park
DeleteIs that the area the other side of the swing bridge, it looks like the bloke running that job burried the culvert at the church corner and sent the stream down the road verge to the other end where its washing the river bank out. Its a bit stupid to try to change the direction of a stream.
DeleteSeems like a lot of money to spend on something that benefits just a few visitors. 70 grand and rising is the word from the shire.
Great to see the depot having their say here tho
DeleteObviously shire engineers and their counterparts are throwing it all in your faces, why not give some opportunity to to the locals? Just might find that they know their stuff and care about their own reputations and the town they call their own.
ReplyDeleteTouche. Outstanding arguments. Keep up the good effort.
ReplyDeleteTo many useless chiefs who think they know better. Time for rate payers to band together and demand some truthful answers instead of the bullshit they would have you believe.
DeleteWell, Trevor Randell has removed any reference to ‘the blog’ from his ‘York Community Concerns’ (YCC) Facebook page. While he promotes free speech on his Facebook page, it doesn’t apply to free speech from any other social media site, regardless of how well researched and true he information is. Another school of thought says he removed it because Shire President Wallace asked him to, something to do with David Taylor’s harsh criticism of the Shire in his articles. Nice one Trev, true to form.
ReplyDeleteTrevor Randell is simply a puppet for David Wallace, he is trying to deflect the criticism justifiably directed at his master.
ReplyDeleteWhen the truth of the cover ups and lies finally emerges David Wallace will be held up as a weak and stupid leader who failed to represent his community.
I think its time to show some compassion.
ReplyDeleteDavid Wallace aka the Bushpig is not a bad person, he inherited some major problems testament to the Hooper Boyle era.
He is not a university educated lawyer and has relied on advice from figures in authority so cut him some slack.
I heard Andrew crotty has been paid $185,000 per year for 4 years as the asset manager and has produced nothing in four years. There goes our rate increase and road safety funding
ReplyDeleteDon't think so, you're right off the mark
DeleteAndrew has been here 2 years and would be on a salary half that
Deleteand has done what?
DeleteHe's probably done everything asked of him I'd be looking at the one's doing the asking he's probably waiting on the powers that be to complete the next step that's usually measured in years maybe months if you're lucky
ReplyDeleteAndrew crotty is a qualified engineer and he knows what he’s doing, he’s worth $185,000 if not more.
ReplyDeleteI think you may be a little confused, an engineer is someone who went to a university and passed all the exams over the 4 year period it takes to gain the bachelor's degree.
DeleteI think Andrew may be an engineers assistant, a little more like a tradie with numbers.