Motueka residents are being urged to provide feedback on Tasman District Council proposals even though the draft annual plan for 2016-17 seems unlikely to be changed.
For the first time, there is no formal submissions process for the council’s annual plan this year.
‘‘New legislation means that because we haven’t made any significant changes to our plans for 2016-17, we aren’t required to formally consult on the annual plan so people may notice some differences to the way we prepare and adopt the plan compared with other years,’’ mayor Richard Kempthorne said earlier this year.
(The Nelson Mail, Monday, March 28th, 2016)
A blessing on Thursday morning kicked off the planned expansion and redevelopment of the Mitre 10 store at Motueka.
Wakatu Incorporation owns the site, which fronts onto High and Tudor streets. Its property manager, Iain Sheves, said the programme of work would be determined in the next couple of weeks but the project was expected to take about eight to nine months to complete.
The business would remain open during the redevelopment, which was worth more than $2 million, Sheves said.
The land for the business would be increased to about 5000 square metres, with the extended building taking up ‘‘close to 3000 square metres’’ of that space, which would make it more than 50 per cent larger than it was now. The middle section of the original building would be kept with extensions added to the High St and opposite sides.
The redevelopment would also include the addition of a drive-through area for building materials.
(The Nelson Mail, Monday, March 28th, 2016)
The Nelson City Council has confirmed $600,000 in funding for the Tahunanui Modellers’ Pond upgrade but shortened the time for modellers to come up with the same amount.
The Society of Modellers will now have until the end of September to find around $600,000 on their own help to pay for giving the pond a concrete liner and engineering work to ensure frequent flushing at high tides.
The council’s engineers estimate the project will cost $1.16 million plus ongoing annual maintenance of around $45,000.
Modellers’ society spokesman Nigel Gibbs said the group was comfortable with the shorter timeframe to raise the money or be promised cash-in-kind. ‘‘If we can’t come up with it in six months, we’re not likely to in eight months,’’ he said.
(The Nelson Mail, Wednesday, March 30th, 2016)
Irrigators on the Waimea Plains would need to raise $41 million under a district council funding model for the proposed Waimea Community Dam – $21m more than they were told late last year.
They could also find annual operating and finance costs as high as $894 per hectare if the aimed-for 2700ha was subscribed on day one, according to the Tasman District Council’s numbers. This is well above an annual projection of about $450 a hectare in a model released late last year.
However, Murray King, the chairman of irrigator group Waimea Community Dam Limited (WCDL), which was behind the funding model released last year, urged irrigators not to panic.
‘‘We (WCDL and TDC) have different views as to where we both sit. We have to work together to make the thing work.’’
(The Nelson Mail, Friday, April 1st, 2016)
A Golden Bay man has taken over the lease of Pakawau campground, allowing the holiday spot to stay open.
Pakawau-born Gary Riordan said he ‘‘can’t wait’’ to take over the idyllic Pakawau Beach Park near Farewell Spit in Golden Bay, and even has plans to resurrect its closed shop.
The camp’s American owner Landon Carter had originally planned to close it today — until Riordan offered to manage it.
The campground is for sale and Carter is still looking for a buyer.
Riordan said he knew he was taking a risk by signing the lease to run the camp, as a potential buyer could come along any day.
If someone bought the property, he would still be able to operate the campground for the remainder of the year, he said.
(The Nelson Mail, Friday, April 1st, 2016)
The Trafalgar Centre is expected to be filled to capacity for the Nelson Giants’ first home game of the season.
The centre’s $12.9 million renovations are not complete but are on schedule ahead of tomorrow night’s game.
It will be the building’s first event since it was closed in December 2013 because of earthquake risks.
Nelson City Council confirmed the stadium was structurally sound and the court, team change rooms, referees’ room and parking areas were complete.
The grandstand can hold 2100 people and the game will be live streamed from 7pm for the National Basketball League.
Refurbishments to Trafalgar Centre are expected to continue throughout the season.
(The Nelson Mail, Friday, April 1st, 2016)
The large hole that appeared as contractors started on the foundation work for the new Golden Bay recreation centre was ‘‘just a hole’’, Tasman District councillors have been told.
Work, which began in February, was stopped on the site last month while investigations were done. The excavation work required to reveal the extent of problem meant the hole was at least four metres deep and seven metres wide.
Meanwhile, the contractor would do other work on site. The hole, which initial geotech testing failed to find, was likely to delay the completion date of the centre.
Deputy mayor Tim King said it would appear quite a few people knew there used to be a swamp in the area.
The recreation centre has a budget of $3.6m, $3.2m of which is being provided by the council.
(The Nelson Mail, Saturday, April 2nd, 2016)
Nelson marina users are going to face a small increase in fees while the city council does more work on its draft marina strategy.
From July 1 fees and charges are to go up in line with the Consumer Price Index, which the council is currently applying at 1 per cent.
At the full council’s monthly meeting, it decided on the fee increase, and to drop the marina development levy paid by new berth-holders.
It also approved an unbudgeted $30,000 to put in safety ladders and some warning signs, deemed urgent health and safety requirements.
The first stage, years one to three, includes safety improvements, a recreational refuelling area and work on a sea sport facility on council land at the northern end of Akersten St.
Stage two, from year three to year five, includes developing a boat servicing hub, adding ‘‘commercial hospitality’’ with provision for two-storey accommodation, a boardwalk along the marina and an art or cultural centre.
The final stage, years five to 10, will look at enlarging the marina and reclamation and adding a ‘‘dry stack’’ facility for recreational boats to be commercially stored, stacked on racks.
The marina, which adjoins Akersten St at Port Nelson, returned a profit of $2.59 million to the council between 2005 and 2015.
(The Nelson Mail, Saturday, April 2nd, 2016)
”The mind is everything.
What you think you become”.
Buddha