Raglanders can be forgiven if they thought that the forest of dark timber poles in Bankart St was a new public art installation. The cluster of tall poles does look a bit like that. The poles are in fact part of the foundation for the new Four Square store being built at 3 Bankart St. The lower areas of Bankart St and Bow St are classified as thixotropic sand. All large buildings built on the sands in these areas require substantial foundations to support the building in the event of an earthquake. Thixotropic sands become fluid when shaken in earthquake and return to a semi-solid state upon standing. Long time Raglan residents remember this area as a swamp when they were children.
On Thursday 17th, King Drilling were busy driving the poles deep into the ground to provide a solid foundation for the new building.