Working on behalf of local councils around New Zealand, Citycare Property delivers a range of services including facilities management, open spaces maintenance and building and landscape construction.
Based in Tauranga and servicing Tauranga, Mount Maunganui and Papamoa, the Citycare Property team carries out a range of works within the community space, designed to enhance those communities.
Recently, Structures Serviceperson, Damon Nield, was responsible for installing a memorial seat on the shoreline at Marine Park.
“I not long joined Citycare Property and this was my first project,” says Damon.
“It was really nice to be involved and to get the opportunity to give something back to the family while also providing a place for the community to come and enjoy a really nice spot.”
The memorial seat is the culmination of several small projects the structures team has completed at Marine Park including the installation of bollards along with new fencing.
Partnering with local government
One of the more unique projects the structures team has had has been the installation of a playground at Pyes Pa Memorial Park cemetery. Council reached out to Citycare Property with the idea of installing the playground on a piece of unused land adjoining the chapel.
“As far as I know, this is the only playground in any cemetery in the Bay of Plenty,” says Structures Serviceperson, Rick Searancke. “The project took around six weeks to complete and I carried out all of the work from levelling the site through to installation of the play equipment.”
As well as some purpose-built equipment, the playground features a fully refurbished swing set that was salvaged from another playground, sand-blasted and refinished before being installed, and a double slide.
Building communities
One of Aotearoa New Zealand’s fastest-growing cities, Tauranga has experienced year-on-year growth of around four per cent since 2013 and shows no signs of slowing. With that continued expansion comes thousands of new homes and a need for community facilities such as playgrounds.
A popular subdivision, particularly with young families, is The Lakes, which features a number of community playgrounds. Citycare Property, working with local manufacturer, Making Shade, has been tasked by Council to install shade sails within these community parks.
“Here we are at Te Ranga Memorial Reserve and, as you can see, being a new subdivision, there are very few established trees or much shade to speak of,” says Structures Crew Leader Wayne Bowick. “Tauranga City Council has taken public feedback around wanting more shade over playgrounds to heart and this is one of the first three playgrounds where we have installed shade sails — with another half-a-dozen or so around Tauranga and Mount Maunganui to complete next.”
Life’s a beach in the Bay of Plenty
One of the factors driving the continued expansion of Tauranga and Mount Maunganui is the lifestyle that comes from living in a beachside locale. A mecca for surfers and swimmers alike is Omanu Beach in Mount Maunganui.
Citycare Property’s building and landscape team recently completed a shower installation at the Omanu Beach Surf Life Saving Club, which while it appears to be a straightforward job, proved to be anything but, says Structures Serviceperson, Rick Searancke.
“The first part of the project was to remove the existing shower that, as we discovered, was set in more than a cubic metre of concrete, which necessitated the use of a digger to remove both the shower and the footings. Next, we had to re-establish footings for the new showers and ensure everything was plumb while also incorporating the right fall.”
Other elements of the project included the installation of additional taps to wash feet and hands and more water fountains, along with ongoing maintenance of the fencing.
Locals looking after locals
“I'm really privileged to work with such a great and loyal group who really do execute the Citycare Property values of ‘we care’ and ‘we deliver’ each and every day,” says Branch Manager, Jessica Townsend. “The wider Tauranga/Mt Maunganui region continues to be a growth area and I’m really excited for what the city is becoming. Citycare Property is here and we’re ready for the challenge of delivering on that increased workload.”